Jane Eyre is an orphan raised resentfully by her aunt at Gateshead Hall, where she is bullied by her cousins and locked in a room she believes is haunted. Sent away to Lowood, a harsh charity school run by a hypocritical clergyman, she endures cold, hunger and disease but gains an education and a lasting friendship that shapes her moral outlook.
As a young woman she takes a post as governess at Thornfield Hall, teaching the French ward of Edward Rochester, a moody, sardonic gentleman. A strong bond grows between them, but the house holds mysteries: strange laughter in the upper corridors, a fire in the night and a secret that tests Jane's principles. Later sections take her across the moors and into the household of the austere clergyman St John Rivers.
Told in Jane's own intimate, passionate first-person voice, the novel was startling in 1847 for its plain heroine who insists on equality of spirit with the man she loves. It blends Gothic atmosphere with a coming-of-age story and remains central to discussions of women's independence in fiction.
Book details
| Author | Charlotte Bronte |
|---|---|
| First published | 1847 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Classic |
| Type | Fiction |
| Pages (approx.) | 500 |
| Setting | Northern England, early 19th century |
Themes
- Independence
- Moral integrity
- Class
- Love
- Religion
Who should read it
Readers who want a Gothic-tinged love story with a heroine who refuses to compromise her self-respect.
If you liked this, try
- Wuthering Heights
- Rebecca
- Wide Sargasso Sea