Jane Eyre: An Autobiography

Synopsis

Jane Eyre is a novel by Charlotte Brontë, published in London in October 1847 under the pen name “Currer Bell” and subtitled “An Autobiography”. Told by its heroine, it follows Jane's life from childhood. An orphan, she grows up at Gateshead Hall with her aunt, Mrs Reed, who treats her as a burden, while her cousins torment her. Sent away to Lowood School, she meets hardship and harsh discipline there, but also friendship. As a young woman she becomes governess at Thornfield Hall, a house in the north of England, and falls in love with its mysterious master, Mr Rochester, a brooding man who is hard to read. A novel of growing up told with a new psychological intensity, it startled readers with the intensity with which it gives voice to the inner life of a woman who stands up for her independence and dignity.