Hello, my name is Marie and today I will be examining the importance of physiognomy in Charlotte Bronte’s romantic novel Jane Eyre. Before we begin, I must warn you of the dangers present in applying the pseudoscience of physiognomy in the real world:
1. Physiognomy is a faulty practice and is not to be used for anything remotely scientific in nature.
2. Unless you want to be called ‘racist’ or feel like losing friends, I suggest that you do not attempt to apply this science in your daily lives seeing as it could result in negative social consequences.
3. One more thing: do not attempt to ‘judge’ yourself based on any remarks I make about certain physical traits due to the fact that this pseudoscience is inexact and therefore might cause you mild distress. None of the physical descriptors used in this presentation are reflections of one’s personality in real life.

I sincerely hope that you follow these recommendations Oh, and feel free to interrupt me during my presentation for any pressing questions.
Here is an outline of the presentation: I will start by examining physiognomy in detail, providing you with background information and relating it to the Victorian Era. Then I will connect the pseudoscience to Bronte’s novel and finally provide you with an artistic rendition of certain characters using reverse-physiognomy.

Let’s begin. Does anybody want to take a stab at what physiognomy might be?

Physiognomy is the supposed art of judging character from facial characteristics. Physiognomy has quite a long history. The first systems of physiognomy were developed during the first millennium B.C. in Asia and in Greece. The word "physiognomy" comes from the Greek words "physis", which means nature, and "gnomon", which means to judge. The judgment is based on shape, size, position, and coloring of facial features. Key features that are often referred to are the nose, eyes, mouth, ears, chin, forehead, eyebrows, and hair. Essentially, physiognomy consists of picking apart people’s faces and judging them for what they look like, not for who they are. It’s quite unfair, which is why I still hope that you heed the aforementioned warnings. Let’s analyze some facial characteristics. Consider what your forehead might represent. In face reading, the forehead's shape determines a person’s method of thinking. For example, people with curved foreheads are inclined towards creative thinking while those with straight foreheads are progressive thinkers. However, it is entirely possible for one to have a combination of both traits. In a mixed case, an individual with a slightly curved brow might be a progressive thinker with inclination towards creative thinking. Another feature to consider is the shape of one’s nose. The size of the nose reveals much about a person’s personality or overall attitude in life. For example, someone with a large nose tends to be rather obstinate in nature and self-ruling while someone with a hooked nose has a melancholic nature but is bold and proud nonetheless.

Johann Kaspar Lavater, a Swiss philosopher, was responsible for the promotion of physiognomy in Europe at the end of the 18th century. Lavater’s interpretation of physiognomy comprised of the classification of humans into categories. Lavater would categorize individuals into different groups based on their physical features. This further described a person's personality type. There were four such groups to describe people: choleric, melancholic, phlegmatic, and sanguine. Each subgroup described a person’s personality type. Someone categorized as “choleric” is hot tempered, meaning he or she would be highly irritable and easily angered. A “melancholic” person is pensive and tends to seem gloomy at most times. Someone who is “phlegmatic” is the polar opposite of one who is choleric, where he or she lacks emotion or expression and is not easily excited. A “sanguine” person is best described as confident and optimistic. These four descriptors originate from the writings of ancient Greek philosophers who related physical and emotional characteristics to the type of bile or blood of a person. Please note that this is all completely invalid and modern scientists reject these ridiculous classifications. Yet, this fact does not prevent us from enjoying works by authors who chose to apply the pseudoscience of physiognomy in their plots such as Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy (both of whom are Victorian Era novelists).

The pseudoscience was not only used by novelists, but also predominantly used by the educated public in the Victorian Era. At the time, many were informed that the application of physiognomy in one’s daily life promised a guide to how to read the appearance of others in society and recognize invisible threats. It was used primarily to distinguish differences between racial groups. The emergence of photography in the middle of the 19th century fortified attempts to point out racial differences. For example, Sir Francis Galton (cousin of Charles Darwin) attempted to mesh photographs that exposed certain characteristics of one’s “Jewish” attributes. The application of physiognomy in everyday urban living promised the possibility of preserving order through the identification of physical difference and providing new import to social interaction by granting an individual with the power to unveil a stranger’s hidden characteristics.

In Charlotte Bronte’s world your physical appearance directly reflects your personality. The main character, Jane Eyre, uses this rule to judge each character she encounters. The application of this pseudoscience happens to work to Jane’s advantage; allowing her to recognize whom she can trust and whom she must be wary of. This tactic is part of Jane’s instinct for survival; ingrained in her being as a defense mechanism since no one else is there to tell her whom she may trust.

At a very young age, Jane is capable of expressing her thoughts on a character after having thoroughly analyzed his or her physical appearance. One of the first instances of such insight is Jane’s first meeting with Mr. Brocklehurst at Gateshead (which can be found in chapter 4 of the novel). Upon seeing him, Jane immediately assesses his physical characteristics to determine whether or not Mr. Brocklehurst can be trusted. She describes him as a “black pillar”, a “sable-clad shape standing erect on the rug” with a “grim face at the top [that] was like a carved mask.” One can immediately come to the conclusion that Mr. Brocklehurst is not to be befriended. He is first, and foremost, completely dressed in black. This color is associated with power, formality, death, evil, and mystery. In all, black has a negative connotation which Jane easily recognizes. His grim, mask-like face presents his lack of sincerity and basic humanity. Also, Jane completely dehumanizes Mr. Brocklehurst in her description by using synecdoches. Jane calls him a “pillar” and “shape”, showing that she does not recognize him as a warm, trustworthy, bundle of joy. By calling him a "pillar", Jane is implying that Brocklehurst is an imposing, threatening, and dominating sort of person. When applying Johann Lavater’s theory of physiognomy, Mr. Brocklehurst is best described as choleric and melancholic: a mixture of anger and gloominess, all in one terrifying package.

It is safe to state that Jane Eyre, overall, is a good human being. Jane is selfless, kind, moral, imaginative, intelligent, and honest. These traits are evidenced by her treatment of other characters in the novel. Jane honors her moral compass by not staying with Rochester after discovering Bertha. She seeks intellectual stimulation as well as the liberation of the mind when reading or producing works of art. Using Lavater's theory, Jane is best described as melancholic because she lacks confidence but is ever pensive. Based on Jane's most prominent traits, I used reverse-physiognomy to determine what Charlotte Bronte envisioned her heroine to look like.

Jane has a triangular face: this indicates that she is creative and has a fiery temperament.
Her brown hair portrays her as a romantic character, it shows her love of travel and adventure. These people have a strong character, and liberal ideas . Often they seem to be indifferent.
Jane's small ears show honor, manners and affection. They also show her shy and reserved character.
A high forehead reveals aptitude for study.
Jane's tangled eyebrow hairs signal that she is an unconventional thinker whose thoughts range over many areas. This trait allows her to discover hidden truths.
In the novel, we know that Jane has green eyes. Green eyes are all about nature, healthy living, and freshness. This indicates that Jane is compassionate and is spiritual in nature.
Her large round eyes show her interest in the opposite sex, as evidenced by her profound interest of Mr. Rochester. Round eyes show intelligence, impulsiveness, and affection. The large gap between her eyes portrays her honesty and simplicity.
Jane's straight well-formed nose shows patience, kindness, balance, elegance and power to endure.
Her fuller bottom lip shows independence and confidence, and that the need for love and kindness is also important for her.
Lastly, Jane's round and protruding chin shows her strength, determination, wisdom, and prudence.

Marie Farhat
Dr. McFarlin
IB Literature 11
6 January 2014
Works Cited
Brontë, Charlotte, and Stevie Davis. Jane Eyre. N.p.: Penguin, 2006. Print.
Collins, Allan. "About Faces: Physiognomy in Nineteenth-Century Britain." Times Higher Education. N.p., 15 Apr. 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
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"Practice of Physiognomy - Face Reading by Westerners." Practice of Physiognomy - Face Reading by Westerners. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
Radwan, Farouk, MSc. "The Ultimate Source for Understanding Yourself and Others." Face Reading: Nose Shape. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.