Fritz Eichenberg
Georgiana and Eliza (cousins of Jane Eyre)
1943

Name: Georgiana and Eliza (cousins of Jane Eyre)
Brand: Fritz Eichenberg
Price: 140 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Fritz Eichenberg did some original wood engravings for Jane Eyre. This is an image featuring Georgiana And Eliza. As children, Eliza and Georgiana Reed, along with their brother John, despise and torment Jane Eyre, their poor cousin. Their mother spoils them, dotes on them, and turns a blind eye when they are cruel to Jane. "Eliza, who was head strong and selfish, was respected. Georgiana, who had a spoiled temper, a very acrid spite, a captious and insolent carriage, was universally indulged". Eliza: "Her own fortune she had taken care to secure; and when her mother died — and it was wholly improbable, she tranquilly remarked, that she should either recover or linger long — she would execute a long-cherished project: seek a retirement where punctual habits would be permanently secured from disturbance, and place safe barriers between herself and a frivolous world" Eliza never changes. Instead of worrying over her mother's death bed, she decides to take financial matters into her own hands; which could make her a good feminist character, but she's so selfish about it, that it's not really independent of her at all. Yes, she is being independent, but she is forsaking her dead brother and dying mother, and abandoning her sister. She is headstrong still; she knows what she wants, and nothing will get in her way. Georgiana: "The communications were renewed from day to day: they always ran on the same theme — herself, her loves, and woes. It was strange she never once adverted either to her mother's illness, or her brother's death, or the present gloomy state of the family prospects. Her mind seemed wholly taken up with reminiscences of past gaiety, and aspirations after dissipations to come. She passed about five minutes each day in her mother's sick-room, and no more". Georgiana is also a static character. She's very vain, to the point of insolence. She does the bare minimum of her duties as a daughter, and doesn't seem to care about her deceased brother at all. She's spoiled by her uncle and suitors because of her beauty, and therefore sees no need to worry over her financial future In 1966, Eichenberg moved to Rhode Island and chaired the Art Department of the University of Rhode Island in Kingston. His wood engravings and lithographs are almost always associated with literary sources. His prints are in numerous collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Library of Congress, Yale University Library, the Hermitage, the Vatican, the Bibliotheque Nationale.

Creator:

Fritz Eichenberg (1901 - 1990, American, German)

Creation Year:

1943

Dimensions:

Height: 7.38 in (18.75 cm)Width: 5 in (12.7 cm)

Medium:

Wood,Engraving

Movement & Style:

American Modern

Period:

Late 20th Century