Jane Eyre

"At the end we are steeped through and through with the genius, the vehemence, the indignation of Charlotte Bronte'"-Virginia Woolf "Given the action of Jane Eyre, which is in every sense dramatic, there is a pull, all the same, between action and consciousness.-Raymond Williams "Teaching the true strength of character for generations."-The Guardian Jane Eyre, (1847) the first novel from Charlotte Bronte, originally published under the pen name "Currer Bell" was an immediate commercial and literary success. This classic work was unprecedented in its forthright reproach towards Victorian social norms, moral duty, and gender inequality; It is likewise one of the most extraordinary stories of love and freedom in the English language. Jane Eyre, which follows a young woman's passageway into adulthood and the unfolding of her interior emotional states, is a singular work of genre-defying fiction. Its story begins as the eponymous heroine is orphaned and under the care of her aunt, Mrs. Reed, a well-to-do yet heartless guardian. Jane is unfairly punished, and locked into "the red room", where she collapses in fright after an encounter with the apparent ghost of her deceased Uncle Reed. Following the incident, Jane's aunt sends her away to "Lowood", an oppressive school run by the abusive and fraudulent headmaster, Mr. Brocklehurst. After an outbreak of typhoid devastates the school, a new kindly administration is installed. Jane's life finally turns around; she remains at the school for six years and eventually becomes an instructor. After teaching for several years, Jane takes a position as a governess at Thornfield, the residence of the unbridled yet elegant Edward Rochester. As Jane embraces her duties at the estate, she begins to fall in love with her employer, and much to her surprise he asks for her hand in marriage. On the wedding day it is revealed that Edward possesses deep and dark secrets, and Jane flees for the sake of her own emotional integrity. In the ensuing experiences of her retreat, Jane confronts the procession of experiences and the formidable trials of her new life with the command of her unyielding self-determination. A startling modern classic of pronto-feminism, Jane Eyre is one of the most ingenious romance novels ever written. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of Jane Eyre is both modern and readable.