The Gothic Desire for Social Reform in The Story of Willie Ellin and Jane Eyre

Speaker: Chloe Roberts, MBChB Student Engagement and Support Officer, University of Chester
Date and Time: Wednesday, 4th February, 4 pm,
Location: Wheeler, Chester
Room: CRV 012

Chloe Roberts, MBChB Student Engagement and Support Officer, University of Chester, Experimentations with Narrative Voice: The Gothic and the Desire for Social Reform in The Story of Willie Ellin (1853) and Jane Eyre (1847)

The Story of Willie Ellin (1853) remains a neglected facet of Charlotte Brontë’s repertoire, with the unfinished fragment demonstrating stylistic links to Jane Eyre (1847) and her juvenilia through the core theme of child abuse. The Story of Willie Ellin combines Gothic features with brutal realism, creating an imagined world in which societal failings in social welfare can be criticised. Through the voice of a genderless ghost and the third-person narration of the abused protagonist, Brontë constructs a voice for the marginalised children of Victorian society, while demonstrating an understanding of the restrictions faced by female authors. This talk will discuss Brontë’s use of narrative voice in The Story of Willie Ellin (alongside a few of her other stories) to create a social commentary that would have defied the gendered criticisms of her earlier works if it had only been given the chance to reach publication.

All are welcome to attend these in-person talks. Booking is encouraged for refreshment and seating purposes and in case there are any last-minute changes (contact details below). Please check the event listings for updates to the programme: www.chester.ac.uk/events (scroll down to see the individual events). Access to the event venue is via a flight of steps. For those with limited mobility, there is an accessible route and please pre-book to arrange this access. fhsc.histsoc@chester.ac.uk or 01244 512963.