Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre is Charlotte Brontë's novel following an orphan from an unhappy childhood through education and employment as a governess at Thornfield Hall. Jane's attachment to Edward Rochester brings love into conflict with conscience when a concealed marriage is revealed. The novel gives unusual force to her insistence on dignity despite poverty, dependence and social inequality. Religious belief appears in contrasting forms, from harsh discipline to charity and self-sacrificing duty. Through Jane's direct narrative voice, Gothic mysteries and intimate reflection become part of a sustained inquiry into affection, integrity and the conditions of a just relationship.