nd Glasgows that we know." They were draining the fens and the flats. For Bront, this posits the heath in "Jane Eyre" as something dated, the past more than the future. Jane therefore must leave it in order to remake herself.Another aspect of nineteenth-century England relevant to nature in "Jane Eyre" was the debate over evolution versus Creationism. Though Darwin didn't release "On the Origin of Species" until 1859, the seeds were already being sown; indeed, there's speculation that Charles Darwin's grandfather adumbrated some of Charles' theories. Lamark was the principle predecessor of Darwin in terms of evolutionary theory. Though he turned out to be completely wrong, he and others provided opposition for the Creationists of the first half of the nineteenth century. One of evolution's principles is "survival of the fittest," and this is exactly what happens to Jane in the heath. Her old self is not strong enough, and must die. The new Jane she is forging is a product of natural selection. In fact, Jane is echoing the victory of evolution over Creation by the fact that it is humans who save her, and not God....
