Jane Eyre & Sonnet 79(Spenser) Essay, Research Paper

Sonnet 79 & Jane Eyre Composition

Different people have different attitudes and ideas about true love. People also

express their feelings of love in many different ways. However, Edmund Spenser?s

attitudes and ideas are very similar to those of Charlotte Bronti?s novel Jane Eyre.

In sonnet 79 Spenser is speaking to a woman known for her beauty. He notes

that the woman knows of her own beauty. ?Men call you fair, and you do credit it.?

Then Spenser goes on and tells how he does not like to pay close attention to outward

appearances, but greatly admires a women?s internal beauty. Spenser notes that

internal beauty never fades, unlike external beauty. ?But the true fair, that is the

gentle wit And virtuous mind, is much more praised of me.? ?He only fair, and what

He fair hath made; All other fair, like flowers, untimely fade.? True beauty to

Edmund is the kind of person you are, your heart, your soul, and your wit. Not the

kind of beauty that can fade like outward beauty.

In Charlotte Bronti?s novel, Mr. Edward Rochester falls deeply in love with

young Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre is not a pretty woman to the naked eye. Though, Mr.

Rochester loves Jane for what she is made of. He loves her personality, her inner

strength and all her qualities. Mr. Rochester pays no attention to Jane?s outward

appearance. Jane also falls in love with Mr. Rochester for the same reasons. At one

point in the novel, Mr. Rochester asks Jane if she thinks he is a handsome man, Jane

honestly replies no. However, their love for each other is so very strong and will

never fade because they love for the right reasons.

It is very clear how similar Edmund Spenser?s views on true love is to Mr.

Rochester?s and Jane Eyre?s views. They believe their love will never fade because

their reasons for love will never fade. If they were to be like many other people in the

world, they would fall in what they think is love and eventually fall out. You cannot

judge a book by it?s cover, and that is a moral that Spenser, Rochester and Jane value

very much.