Charlotte Bronte utilizes Milton's ideology of virtue in Areopagitica, which emphasizes the importance of being exposed to vice and choosing to dismiss it, to frame the protagonist of Jane Eyre as a virtuous heroine outside of the "angel in the house" discourse. Jane is ultimately presented as a model of the Milton-inspired, new Victorian heroine. Her success comes not despite foreign presences, but is rather defined in contrast to them. In the cultural moment that Bronte comes out from behind the shroud of Currer Bell, this conception of virtue -- in contrast to "excremental whiteness" -- provides a framework in which she may continue to strive to engage in the public sphere without moral censure. The question of whether or not Jane Eyre is a "naughty book" concerns not only critics of nineteenth-century literature, but also anyone engaged with today's debates regarding issues of women, citizenship, or morality.
Read
