Bluebeard and the Beast: The Mysterious Realism of Jane Eyre

I examine Brontë’s use of fairy tales and supernatural lore in Jane Eyre (1847) to reveal a battle taking place over the course of the novel between two incompatible but entwined fairy-tale models: “Beauty and the Beast” and “Bluebeard.” These initially similar tales make different conclusions about the relationship between self and Other: whereas the heroine of “Bluebeard” distinguishes herself from her murdered predecessors, “Beauty and the Beast” emphasizes fundamental similarities beyond surface differences. The tales’ divergent portrayals of affinity and distinction inform Jane’s complex relationships to the mysterious Mr. Rochester and his former mistresses and wife.