How Setting Drives Character Development In A Romance Novel

Today we’re looking at the impact of setting on character development in romance novels.

How Setting Drives Character Development In A Romance Novel

One of the most important aspects of any novel, especially a romance, is character development. How you grow your heroine, or hero for that matter, depends, like plants, on the soil, the settings, in which you place them.

In Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, we first meet Jane as young child.

Setting No. 1: Gateshead. The unhappy home of wealthy relatives.

Orphaned and despised by the family who have taken her in at Gateshead, Jane’s early years are miserable. Why her Aunt Reed hates her so much is unclear.

A foreshadowing of Jane’s budding character: Jane’s mother was Uncle Reed’s sister who married a clergy-man against the wishes of her father. Her father was so enraged he cut her off without a penny.

Jane is ground-down by her Aunt Reed and her cousins; unloved, unhappy, fearful, and full of self-doubt. But we also see a flash of independence and courage. Unfortunately, it has her banished to Lowood.

Jane learns that:

1. Actions have consequences, sometimes harsh ones.

Setting No. 2: Lowood Institution. A miserable school.

Jane is free of the Reeds! Hurrah. Jane is so delighted with this that she derives a ‘strange excitement’ from this new setting, almost daring circumstance to be more chaotic than before. A dare that circumstance is only too happy to take up.

All hopes of a fresh beginning are dashed as it is with a reputation for wickedness, rebellion, and lies that Jane arrives at the school. If you know your Enid Blyton, you’ll know what I mean when I say that Lowood was not Mallory Towers.

Yet despite this, Jane learns the value of friendship and faith. So how does this setting, and the one friend she makes, and loses, help Jane become the heroine of the novel?

A foreshadowing of Jane’s future: Jane gains an education to the point where she becomes a teacher at the school. She learns:

1. To interact with other personalities besides the Reeds.
2. To let her imagination be stirred.
3. To strengthen her desire for independence.
4. That she has value.
5. That friendship comes with a price.

Setting No.3: Thornfield Hall. A large, gothic, yet comfortable home

Jane’s worth has been seen, and she is now hired as a governess to the young French child, Adele. The value that she can bring to this child’s life is incalculable. Jane now has a sense of purpose. She finds herself accepted as an equal by the housekeeper, Mrs Fairfax, which gives her a sense of social standing she’s never had before. Ironically, whereas Jane began as a poor relative dependent on the whims of family, Mrs Fairfax is ending hers in the same manner.

At Thornfield, Jane is earning a salary that she justly deserves. Her confidence grows in leaps and bounds. It grows to such an extent that she is able to stand up to her employer, the darkly enigmatic, Edward Rochester. She discovers her status and value growing daily as he seeks her out as if she were his equal.

When (spoiler alert) the mad wife in the attic is discovered on Jane and Rochester’s wedding day, Jane’s subsequent actions reveal that she is:

1. No longer a victim.
2. Sure of herself, her beliefs, and her value.
3. Full of integrity and has a deep sense of morality.
4. Prepared to take steps that will be unwelcome to others but will save herself.

Setting No.4: Marsh End. A small, happy home and Morton, a one-room school

When Jane, after disastrous consequences to her actions at Thornfield hall, finds safety and family at Marsh End and new students at Morton, it seems as if she has finally arrived somewhere she will be loved, appreciated, and where no moral dilemmas will be thrust upon her. But, as time passes, Jane’s longing for that ‘strange excitement’ once again possess her. She discovers:

1. She cannot settle for a loveless marriage with her cousin St. John.
2. That she can decide her future for herself.
3. That she is strong enough to handle whatever she finds at Thornfield Hall.

And she does. She takes on a blind, injured husband, builds a home and raises children, and is loved, valued, and strong beyond anything her beginning could even have hinted at. None of these characteristics would have been hers if she had not been planted in the settings she was.

The Last Word

How are you using your settings to build your characters?

P.S. Do you want to learn how to write romance? Sign up for our romance writing course: This Kiss

by Elaine Dodge. Elaine is the author of The Harcourts of Canada series. Elaine trained as a graphic designer, then worked in design, advertising, and broadcast television. She now creates content, mostly in written form, for clients across the globe, but would much rather be drafting her books and short stories.

More Posts From Elaine

1. Setting & Description In A Romance Novel
2. How To Pace A Romance Novel
3. 9 Must-Have Ingredients In A Romance Novel
4. 5 Things To Remember To Do When Publishing A Romance Novel
5. 5 Things To Remember Not To Do When Publishing A Romance Novel
6. What Is The Meet-Cute And How Important Is It?
7. 5 Things To Remember When Outlining Your Romance Novel
8. 5 Ways To Get You Through The Middle Of Your Romance Novel
9. 5 Ways To End Your Romance Novel
10. 5 Ways To Begin Your Romance Novel

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