What is the diffrent between Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier and Jane Eyre by
Charlotte Brontë ??

Rather than tell you what the difference is, I will show you one way to approach the job yourself.


Task Part I

Take one book first, let’s say Jane Eyre. Read it. Or if you want to ‘cheat’, just read a summary:

http://www.novelguide.com/janeeyre/novelsummary.html

Then, write a brief description of each main character. In Jane Eyre:

Jane Eyre
Mr. Rochester
Bertha Mason (Mr. Rochester’s first wife)
Mrs. Reed (Jane’s guardian)
Mr. Brocklehurst
Miss Temple (teacher at Lowood school)
Miss Ingram (Jane’s rival for the attention of Mr. Rochester)
Helen Burns (Jane’s friend at Lowood)
St. John Rivers

Then describe very briefly the setting(s): the dates (approx.), the locations

Finally you must decide what the theme is.

Hints for Jane Eyre.
- she is an orphan, plain in appearance
- she is a girl in an age when girls had no autonomy
- she is abused because she’s poor
- her abusers are people of high status
- she rejects Helen Burns’ example of passive suffering
- she completes her education
- she finds a job
- she refuses to marry Rochester for moral reasons
- she refuses to marry Rivers for romantic reasons
- she struggles and prevails

Task Part II

Do the same for Rebecca.

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/rebecca/index.html

Task Part III

Re-read your work and make your comparisons.