"'It does good to no woman to be flattered...must lead, ignis-fatuus-like, into miry wilds whence there is no extrication'" (186-187).
Jane is giving herself a pep talk, well, actually she is scolding herself for falling for someone who she believes she could never be with. The word "ignis-fatuus" is found in a poem called " To a Youthful Friend" by Lord Byron. Jane is not confident enough to start thinking that Mr. Rochester may like her, so she tells herself to move on and not dwindle on little cases of infatuation. Jane's character seems to fit Bronte's personality in the sense that Bronte also went through many changes such as being shipped off to a school, being a governess, and falling in love with a married man. These thoughts are most likely based on the thoughts Bronte has had in her past. By including this perception it allows the reader to understand where Bronte is coming from and where Jane may be headed within the novel.
"Charlotte Bronte." The Literature Network. 27 November 2009. 2009.
http://www.online-literature.com/brontec/
"To a Youthful Friend." Read Book Online. 27 November 2009. 2009.
http://www.readbookonline.net/readOnLine/3414/
Photo Credit:
"Counselor's Corner." Pioneer Online. 28 November 2009. 13 July 2009.
http://www.occc.edu/Pioneer/Archives/July_13_2009/images/lord-byron.jpg
careful about that last line -- what work is it doing? can you get specific in your language there?
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