I felt he had not given her his love, and that her qualifications were ill adapted to win from him that treasure. This was the point—this was where the nerve was touched and teased—this was where the fever was sustained and fed: _she could not charm him_.
Chapter 18 · Narrator
Context
Jane identifies the precise source of her pain: not that Rochester courts Blanche, but that Blanche cannot genuinely win his heart. Jane sees Rochester's lack of real passion for his intended bride.
Analysis
The physical metaphor—"where the nerve was touched and teased"—locates emotional pain in the body, making abstract suffering visceral and continuous. The triple anaphora of "this was" hammers toward the italicized climax "she could not charm him," structurally enacting the obsessive return to a single point of fixation. The medical language of "fever sustained and fed" suggests Jane's suffering is both pathological and somehow nourished by witnessing the courtship, revealing a masochistic dimension to her observation.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that Jane's suffering stems not from losing Rochester but from watching a loveless match proceed—this quote shows her pain is rooted in seeing authentic connection denied, revealing her belief that marriage without mutual passion is a moral failure.