AQA GCSE English Literature · 8702
Paper 1
Revise: ReligionSelf-righteousness is not religion.” These are Brontë’s words, not Jane’s dialogue. The parallel short sentences separate outward conformity from genuine goodness.
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GCSE English Literature · key term
An excessive confidence in one’s own moral goodness, often accompanied by judgement of others.
Used by AQA, Edexcel, OCR and Eduqas
Paper 1
Revise: ReligionSelf-righteousness is not religion.” These are Brontë’s words, not Jane’s dialogue. The parallel short sentences separate outward conformity from genuine goodness.
Paper 2
An excessive certainty in one’s own goodness or moral superiority.
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Self-righteousness is not religion.” Conventionality means following accepted customs; morality means doing what is right. Someone can appear respectable without being good, just as someone can claim religious superiority without showing Christian love.
Paper 1
An exaggerated conviction of one’s own moral goodness, often accompanied by judgement of others.
Revise: ContextBrocklehurst instead uses religious authority to justify deprivation and humiliation. His self-righteousness makes him confident of his own goodness while he judges those under his control.
Component 2
The belief that one’s own moral or religious superiority makes one entitled to judge others.
Revise: ReligionSelf-righteousness is not religion.” Conventionality means following accepted social customs; that does not necessarily make someone morally good. The balanced sentences and repeated “is not” separate outward respectability from genuine goodness.