The social and historical contexts of both novels are quite different as they are set in different centuries where society and values differ.
The story of Jane Eyre is set in Victorian England, the 1800's where a patriarchal society existed, where the society was male dominated and where women had very few rights and at this time, women were inferior to men and had to marry well to secure a good future. The social and historical contexts of this novel are very different from those in To Kill a Mockingbird. This is because the novel is set in a different era of time, where different societies existed and there were different social expectations of women.
To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the 1930s America, in the Southern State of Alabama. The town in which the story is set is called Maycomb. Maycomb is a small town, which comprises of a number of small families such as the Finch's, the Cunningham's and the Ewells. Within the town, exists a racist and prejudiced society. For example, Mrs Dubose shouts racist comments at Jem and Scout as they walk by and Tom Robinson is sent to jail for a crime he did not commit but because he is black he is sent to jail even though the evidence that he did not commit this crime is right in front of the jury.
To Kill a Mockingbird has a different social and historical context than Jane Eyre. This is because it is set during the 1900's, when the effects of the depression were spreading and there are racial tensions between black and whites. This differs from Jane Eyre because in Jane Eyre, a class system exists where everyone is divided into a class and everyone is segregated which is accepted by society. .
Within both novels, there are some narrative techniques such as both being fictional autobiographies, although parallels can be drawn from the authors" lives. For example, during the court case, Scout picks up legal vocabulary from Atticus. A parallel can be drawn from Harper Lee's life.
