Year 8 - English
Analysing the atmosphere at Thornfield Hall in 'Jane Eyre'
A monster within: reading and writing Gothic fiction
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils explore the Gothic. They start by learning what the Gothic is, before reading extracts from 'Frankenstein' and 'Jane Eyre', practising descriptive writing and reading 'The Tell-Tale Heart'. They finally learn how to write opinion articles and then write their own.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to analyse Brontë's creation of atmosphere in her description of Thornfield Hall in 'Jane Eyre'.
Key Notes
- Atmosphere is the mood or feeling of a piece of writing.
- We would expect to find an ominous or tense atmosphere in Gothic literature, as this unsettles the reader.
- Thornfield Hall is described as a very old, dark and Gothic setting with an ominous atmosphere.
- Brontë creates an unnerving atmosphere in Chapter 11 of 'Jane Eyre' through Jane's interaction with Mrs Fairfax.
Vocabulary To Learn
- atmosphere: the mood or feeling of a piece of writing
- ominous: giving the impression that something bad is about to happen
- to conceal: to hide from sight
- malevolent: sinister or evil
- pallid: extremely pale, usually because of poor health
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Students think that atmosphere is created purely through the description of a physical setting.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Atmosphere is the mood or feeling of a piece of writing. We would expect to find an ominous or tense atmosphere in Gothic literature, as this unsettles the reader.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'atmosphere'
the mood or feeling of a piece of writing.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: Students think that atmosphere is created purely through the description of a physical setting. Correction: Atmosphere can also be created through characters interacting with one another, as we see in Chapter 11 of 'Jane Eyre'.
More Lessons In This Unit
- 'Frankenstein' and the Gothic context Study Guide
- A written analysis of 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- A written analysis of 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- An introduction to 'Jane Eyre': Analysing an unseen extract Study Guide
- Analysing effective opinion articles Study Guide
- Context for Gothic literature: science and religion in the 19th century Study Guide
- Editing descriptive writing based on 'A monster within' Study Guide
- Exploring the character of Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- Frankenstein's reaction to his creation Study Guide
- Frankenstein's regret and the scientific revolution Study Guide
- Identifying features of the Gothic genre in the plot of 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- Improving your opinion article on Gothic literature Study Guide
- Lowood Institution: Gothic settings in 'Jane Eyre' Study Guide
- Organising our gothic writing to build tension Study Guide
- Planning a cohesive argument about 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- Planning a Gothic description inspired by 'A monster within' Study Guide
- Planning a written analysis of 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- Planning an opinion article about Gothic literature Study Guide
- Reading 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- Reading an extract from 'Frankenstein': A fateful night Study Guide
- Reading an extract from Charlotte Brontë's 'Jane Eyre' Study Guide
- Regret in Mary Shelley's 'Frankenstein' Study Guide
- Symbolism in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- The creation of suspense in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' Study Guide
- The structure of an opinion article Study Guide
- Using 'Jane Eyre' to inspire our use of gothic vocabulary Study Guide
- Using description in functional writing Study Guide
- Using figurative language to create a gothic atmosphere Study Guide
- Using semantic fields to create a gothic atmosphere Study Guide
- Writing a gothic description Study Guide
- Writing an opinion article on Gothic literature Study Guide
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