Oh, my poor master—once almost my husband—whom I had often called "my dear Edward!"
Chapter 33 · Narrator
Context
After learning that Rochester has apparently left England and that Mrs. Fairfax is handling his correspondence, Jane allows herself a moment of private anguish about what may have become of him.
Analysis
The three appositives—'poor master,' 'once almost my husband,' 'my dear Edward'—move progressively inward, from his social role to their nearly-completed bond to her intimate name for him. Each dash creates a pause that mimics the way memory surfaces in fragments, especially painful memory. By ending with the quoted endearment, Jane lets us hear her own voice from the past, making Rochester present in the text even as the plot confirms his absence.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Jane's narrative voice refuses to repress or 'correct' her feelings—even when decorum might demand distance, she records her love plainly, modeling an emotional honesty that challenges Victorian ideals of feminine restraint.