1. Introduction 1.1 Research background Charlotte Bronte (1816#8212;1855) is a 19th-centuryrepresentative novelist, whose works centering on the female have exerted profound influence on establishing a new female image and have become classics of English literature. Bronte has published four novels: Jane Eyre (1847), Shirley (1849), Villette (1853), The Professor (1857), in which pursuing independence of women is an important theme. Therefore, she is the forerunner of the feminism and the feministic literary tradition. As a novelist of critical realism, Charlotte is greatly affected by the romantic movement of the 19th century when the bourgeois revolution in Europe led to a confrontation between the rich and the poor, which caused a general frustration in broad segments of society. Romanticism is a reflection of this disappointment in literature. What#8217;s more, women in the mid-19th -century Britain have low status. Then Jane Eyre is just an idealized character in Charlotte#8217;s heart. This is why Jane Eyre, widely recognized as Charlotte#8217;s most popular novel, is a realistic novel with strong romantic touch. People think Jane Eyre shows Charlotte Bronte#8217;s own experiences; therefore, autobiographical elements pervade the very novel that tells the story of Jane Eyre, an orphan girl, who falls in love with the noble Mr. Rochester. She struggles for true love, independence and equality in the era women are discriminated against by men of that society. Jane Eyre encourages modern women to strive for spiritual freedom and equality as well as to show their own voices. As readers may have a vague knowledge of romantic features in Jane Eyre, this paper will conduct a detailed study of romantic features fully displayed in the novel. 1.2 Need for the study Scholars have paid too much attention to Jane Eyre#8217;s character, such as independence, rebellious spirit, pursuing equality, freedom and dignity; however, there are few making a study on the romantic features of Jane Eyre, which is the focus of this paper. As a realistic novelist, Charlotte Bronte is deeply affected by the 19th-century British romanticism. The author of this thesis believes that on the one hand, readers can have a comprehensive understanding of British romanticism, particularly romantic features in Jane Eyre, and on the other hand, this study can give scholars more hints at studying the novel from new research perspectives. 2. Literature Review 2.1Previous studies on Jane Eyre Jane Eyre has attracted many readers all over the world since its publication in 1847. Critics have analyzed the novel in different approaches, especially characterization of Jane Eyre (usually from the perspective of feminism) and the romantic style of the novel. As to Jane Eyre#8217;s character, Hu Yingchun (2002) points out that she has two weaknesses: Although she appreciates individual struggle, Jane Eyre cannot find the final way to rid social problems; Jane realizes the cause of laboring people with no economic independence, but she can#8217;t offer a thorough way to solve their poverty. Ye Xiaofang (2007) analyzes the independent character of Jane Eyre, pointing out that her independence is displayed in three aspects: independent dignity, independent finance, and independent love. Sun Yingying (2010) also discusses the rebellious character of Jane Eyre but in terms of her view on love. Shi Xiaoping (2012) discusses the rebellious character of Jane Eyre, which reflects her struggle for freedom, respect, independence and equality, and her character development reflects woman#8217;s dream of obtaining freedom and equality in Victorian age. The perspective of feminism is a hot topic. Xuan Hanjing and Ding Ling (2011) discuss the themes and Jane Eyre#8217;s female awareness through the analysis of her character, thinking that Jane Eyre has provided such an important subject that the women should enjoy the equal position both in the family and social life. Gao Haiyan (2013) analyzes Jane Eyre as a feminist in four aspects, i.e. her pursuit of esteem, independence, equality and true love. Zhu Chunmei (2013) interprets Jane Eyre from the perspective of female initiation. Li Ruonan (2012) makes an analysis of different periods of Jane Eyre#8217;s life, thinking that she comes to the awakening of female consciousness in that period of time. Some conduct studies on how Jane Eyre influences modern females. Zhang Ting (2015) discusses Charlotte Bronte#8217;s celebration of Englishness in Jane Eyre. Liu Jia and Ju Jing (2015) explain how Jane Eyre has an important influence on modern females. They also state that modern females need to build up excellent qualities, such as independence, desiring of knowledge, exploring true love and emphasizing on spirit world, etc. to deal with a lot of barriers in their future. In Jane Eyre, many plots indicate its romantic features like the descriptions of Jane Eyre#8217;s ideological activities and nature, thus to make this novel more attractive to the readers. Shi Jingbi (2006) analyzes two styles successfully applied to the novel, including romantic and realistic writing styles, and points out that the characteristics of romanticism are subjectivity, laying particular stress on expressing strong personal feelings. Guo Libo (2008) analyzes the artistic characteristics of Jane Eyre from the perspective of romanticism and points out that Charlotte Bronte shows romantic characteristics underneath the mask of realism. Guo discusses three aspects: the gray background which makes the novel full of lonesome, secretive and sentimental romance; the atmosphere of mystery and terror that makes a strong suspense; an odd story that has an intricate plot. Hao Caihua (2012) discusses Jane Eyre#8217;s romantic style in three aspects: characterization, Gothic theme, and the use of ultra-natural forces. In conclusion, previous studies on Jane Eyre focus on Jane Eyre#8217;s character; however, there are few on romantic features of Jane Eyre, which will be the focus of this thesis. 2.2 British Romanticism 2.2.1 Social Historical Background The development of romanticism in Britain has several reasons. On the one hand, French revolution is the main source of inspiration for the rise of British romantic literature. On the other hand, the Romantic Movement strengthened as public sympathy aligned with French Revolutionaries. During the same period, the development of the Industrial Revolution made many people disappointed with the reality of the society. Therefore, it is responsible for the rise of British romanticism. 2.2.2 Development The Romanticism as an important literary movement began to emerge during the 17th century and lasted through the mid-1800s. The pioneers of British romantic literature are Robert Burns and William Blake. With the development of romanticism, it is divided into two categories: Active Romanticism and Passive Romanticism. Active romanticism dares to face reality and criticize the social darkness and leads people to look ahead. Byron, Shelly and Keats are the representatives of active romanticism. However, passive romanticism tends to escape the reality of the society and dwell on the past, so it often leads people to look back. William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey are known as ”the Lake Poet” who traversed the same path and ended up with pessimism. 2.2.3 Romantic features Romanticism focuses on the emotional side of human nature, especially appreciating the beauty of the natural world and individualism and so on. Romantic writers explore the intense beauty of nature and protest against the ugliness of the growing industrialization, believing that nature should be regarded as a living force. This is why Wordsworth is often called worshipper of nature and he composed so many excellent nature poems such as I Wander Lonely as a Cloud. Of course, they also emphasize independent thinking, creativity and self-reliance. It is a kind of creative method and a style of literature and art. They think that people#8217;s subjectivity and conveyance of personal feelings are very important and their works are not aimed to explore scientific truth. 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