Jane Eyre

A Romance Novel For The Ages>/b> Written in 1847 this English literature classic is set somewhere in the north of England during the reign of King George III.

It chronicles the different stages of a woman's life from child through adulthood, and approaches the topics of class, sexuality, religion and feminism. The main character, Jane Eyre, is an impoverished orphan who possesses neither exceptional beauty nor captivating charm. She must rely only on her powers of perception and diligence as she conducts herself with dignity, energized by her strong passion.

The focus is on the gradual unfolding of Jane's moral and spiritual sensibility as we follow her in her journey from the custody of cruel relatives, to an oppressive boarding school, to a troubled career as a governess. Jane's assignment at Thornfield Hall introduces us to the proud and cynical master of the house, Edward Rochester, who harbors a scandalous secret and draws us deeper into a riveting exploration of the mysteries and conditions of the human heart. Jane's insistence upon emotional equality with him suggests a feminist viewpoint, while her solitary status causes us to consider the problems of growing up as a social outsider. This compelling novel revolutionized the art of fiction through its intimate first-person narrative, where actions and events are enhanced and colored by a psychological intensity. Jane Eyre, along with Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, is one of the most famous romance novels of all time.

Author Charlotte Brontë has been called the 'first historian of the private consciousness' and the literary ancestor of writers like James Joyce and Marcel Proust.