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Lesson 11 of 32

An introduction to 'Jane Eyre': Analysing an unseen extract

I can confidently analyse an unseen extract from Charlotte Brontë's novel ‘Jane Eyre’.

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Lesson 11 of 32
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An introduction to 'Jane Eyre': Analysing an unseen extract

I can confidently analyse an unseen extract from Charlotte Brontë's novel ‘Jane Eyre’.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. When reading an unseen extract, use the information you are given to make predictions about the text.
  2. When thinking about how something is presented, it can helpful to imagine yourself describing it to someone else.
  3. The red-room from ‘Jane Eyre’ is presented as a grand, mysterious and isolated room.
  4. ‘Jane Eyre’ is a novel about a young, isolated girl who grows up, facing challenges along the way.
  5. Jane meets a wealthy man (Mr. Rochester) and falls in love with him but mystery and darkness seem to follow the couple.

Keywords

  • To analyse - to study the writer’s methods in detail, to learn more about the text

  • Grand - magnificent and impressive

  • To contrast - to position two opposite things close to one another to draw attention to their difference

  • Eerie - unsettling and ominous

  • Semantic field - a group of words that all share similar connotations

Common misconception

Students panic about unseen activities and think that there is a 'right' or 'wrong' answer.

The text is unseen - students are not supposed to be experts on it. They just need to read the text and give their opinions about it - any well-evidenced opinion is the 'right' answer.

If students have tackled unseen work before, feel free not to walk them through it and just set them a writing task using the extract in learning cycle 1. You could then use the slides as feedback for their work.
Teacher tip

Equipment

You will need access to a copy of the unseen extract from 'Jane Eyre' (Charlotte Brontë). This can be downloaded from the additional materials section of the lesson.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
The is a genre that aims to unsettle its readers by making them feel fearful, appalled or mystified.

Correct Answer: Gothic

Q2.
Which of the following combinations of words would make the most Gothic description?

regimented and organised
Correct answer: silent and secretive
Correct answer: gloomy and sinister
light and open
glittering and shimmering

Q3.
What do we know about Gothic protagonists?

they are relatable and/or entertaining
they are quiet and/or shy
Correct answer: they are egotistical and/or isolated
they are dislikeable and/or loathsome

Q4.
When was the Gothic genre popularised?

17th century
18th century
Correct answer: 19th century
20th century

Q5.
Why is red considered a Gothic colour?

it has connotations of love
Correct answer: it often symbolises danger
Correct answer: it has connotations of blood
it has connotations of anger and hatred

Q6.
Which of the following is not a Gothic convention?

high levels of emotion
dark, remote settings
battle between good and evil
Correct answer: conflict between childhood and adulthood
violence or the threat of violence

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following is a synonym for 'grand'?

minute
modest
Correct answer: impressive
Correct answer: magnificent
unruly

Q2.
Which quotation portrayed the 'red-room' from 'Jane Eyre' as mysterious?

"...I thought, like a pale throne"
"...an ample cushioned easy-chair near the head of the bed"
Correct answer: "the room was...solemn, because it was known to be so seldom entered"
"the chairs were of darkly polished old mahogany"

Q3.
Which quotations portrayed the 'red-room' from 'Jane Eyre' as isolated?

"This room was chill, because it seldom had a fire;"
Correct answer: "The house-maid alone came here on Saturdays"
"The red-room was a square chamber"
"it was one of the largest and stateliest chambers in the mansion"
Correct answer: "it was silent, because remote from the nursery and kitchen"

Q4.
Which sentence uses the word 'eerie' correctly?

She felt eerie most of the time.
He was such an eerie man - she loved him.
Correct answer: The room had an eerie atmosphere.
The eerie dog barked as I walked past it.
The bedspread was eerie, as were the cushions.

Q5.
Starting with the first, put the plot points from 'Jane Eyre' in chronological order.

1 - As a child, Jane lives with her abusive Aunt Reed.
2 - Jane is sent to boarding school.
3 - Jane meets a friend, who dies of tuberculosis.
4 - Jane gets a job at Thornfield, working for Mr Rochester.
5 - Jane meets Mr Rochester. She slowly falls in love with him.
6 - Bertha (Mr Rochester's wife) acts out violently towards Jane and Rochester.
7 - Jane returns to Thornfield to discover that it has been set alight by Bertha.

Q6.
Match the Gothic convention up to where we see it in the plot of 'Jane Eyre'.

Correct Answer:supernatural occurences,Jane hears strange noises coming from Rochester's attic.

Jane hears strange noises coming from Rochester's attic.

Correct Answer:violence,Bertha tears up Jane's wedding veil and sets Thornfield on fire.

Bertha tears up Jane's wedding veil and sets Thornfield on fire.

Correct Answer:isolated protagonist,Jane always felt lonely and neglected as a child.

Jane always felt lonely and neglected as a child.

Correct Answer:dark, remote settings,Jane works at Thornfield Hall and attended Lowood School.

Jane works at Thornfield Hall and attended Lowood School.

Correct Answer:battle between good and evil,Jane constantly fights against injustice throughout the novel.

Jane constantly fights against injustice throughout the novel.

Lesson appears in

UnitEnglish / A monster within: reading and writing Gothic fiction

English

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