Marmion

Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field is a historical romance in verse by Sir Walter Scott, first published in 1808. Within Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, the poem appears as a specific material object and a source of literary allusion, marking a key moment in Jane's relationship with St. John Rivers and providing a contrast to the emotional intensity of her bond with Edward Rochester.

Appearance and Gift

St. John Rivers brings a copy of Marmion to Jane's cottage on the afternoon of the 5th of November, a holiday from her school duties. He presents it as "a book for evening solace," describing it as "a new publication—a poem: one of those genuine productions so often vouchsafed to the fortunate public of those days—the golden age of modern literature." Jane receives the volume eagerly, and after St. John leaves, she lights a candle and begins reading the opening lines: "Day set on Norham's castled steep, / And Tweed's fair river broad and deep, / And Cheviot's mountains lone; / The massive towers, the donjon keep, / The flanking walls that round them sweep, / In yellow lustre shone." The poem quickly absorbs her attention, allowing her to forget the storm outside.

Thematic Resonance

Marmion, with its tale of chivalric love, betrayal, and the catastrophic Battle of Flodden, operates on multiple levels within the novel. Its martial and romantic themes echo the conflicts Jane herself faces—between duty and passion, between the stern moral code represented by St. John and the consuming love she feels for Rochester. The poem's exploration of honor and sacrifice mirrors St. John's own missionary vocation and his demand that Jane sacrifice personal happiness for a higher calling. Yet the poem's vivid, passionate narrative also aligns with the intensity of Jane's feelings for Rochester, suggesting that the "golden age of modern literature" Scott represents offers a world of emotional and dramatic experience that Jane's own life, in its quieter moments at Morton, cannot fully satisfy.

Contrast with Rochester's Literary World

The gift of Marmion stands in marked contrast to the literary and cultural references that surround Mr. Rochester. Where Rochester engages Jane with the Arabian Nights, Bewick's History of British Birds, and his own improvisational storytelling, St. John offers a canonical, morally serious poem. Rochester's world is one of fairy tales, exotic imagery, and personal myth-making; St. John's is one of disciplined study and edifying literature. The poem thus becomes a symbol of the two paths open to Jane: the safe, principled, but emotionally restrained life with St. John, and the passionate, unpredictable, but deeply fulfilling life with Rochester. Jane's absorption in Marmion on the night of the 5th of November, however, does not lead her to choose St. John's path; instead, it provides a temporary solace that ultimately cannot compete with the supernatural call she will soon hear from Rochester.

Narrative Function

Marmion functions as a transitional object in the narrative, marking the period of Jane's greatest internal conflict between her sense of duty and her desire. The poem's presence in her cottage, given by the man who wants to marry her for missionary purposes, underscores the emotional and moral tension of this phase of her life. It is significant that Jane reads Marmion on the same night that St. John reveals his knowledge of her true identity and her inheritance—a revelation that will ultimately enable her to return to Rochester. The poem, then, is not merely a gift but a marker of the choice Jane must make: between the world of duty, sacrifice, and missionary work that St. John represents, and the world of love, passion, and personal fulfillment that Rochester embodies. Jane's eventual rejection of St. John's proposal and her return to Rochester suggest that, for her, the "golden age" of literature and life is not found in the stern heroism of Marmion but in the living, breathing reality of her love for Edward Rochester.