Though it has been considered a feminist work it also fits into the genre of the gothic novel due to that pesky little detail of rochester s mad wife locked away in an attic.
Bronte wife in attic.
Through the concise plot summary of jane eyre that follows the reader will get an overview of the book that made charlotte brontë famous.
In the 700 page text gilbert and gubar use the figure of bertha mason as the so called madwoman in the attic to make an argument about perceptions toward female literary characters during the time period.
The real life attic that was the inspiration for a section of jane eyre where mentally ill character bertha mason is confined before she commits suicide is now open to the public.
The 1966 parallel novel wide sargasso sea by jean rhys serves as a prequel to brontë s novel.
Charlotte brontë s jane eyre is well known for the shocking discovery of mr rochester s scandalous hidden wife a deranged woman locked away in an attic.
Gilbert and gubar draw their title from charlotte brontë s jane eyre in which rochester s wife née bertha mason is kept secretly locked in an attic apartment by her husband.