Published originally in 1847, Jane Eyre is Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel about an orphaned Jane’s journey into adulthood, her experiences, and her love for her employer, Edward Rochester. Summary Of The Book Set as a first person narrative by its main character, Jane Eyre begins with Jane at age ten, having lost her parents to a deadly disease. She is taken in by her maternal uncle’s family, the Reeds. Her aunt Sarah, disliking her from the start, is cruel to her at each instance, abusing her mentally and physically. Lonely, unhappy, finding only a doll for company, and an occasional ally in Bessie, she is finally rescued, and sent away to the Lowood School for Girls. A distraught Jane vows, before leaving, to never call Sarah ‘aunt’ again, and begins a new chapter in her life at Lowood, a charity school run by Mr. Brocklehurst. Life here, however, does not get any better for her, as students just about get by, with cold rooms, thin clothing, and sparse food. As a few tough years at Lowood go by, among friends and teachers, including Helen Burns, and Miss Temple, Jane is growing up to be a strong, religious, independent, and opinionated young woman with a firm moral conscience. Soon, she takes up a job as a governess at Thornfield Hall, teaching a young French girl. It is here, that she encounters the master of the house, Mr Rochester, a sardonic man. As they spend time together, he falls passionately in love with Jane. While she too loves Rochester, the discovery of her grave secret compels her to make a choice, that would either mean staying with him and facing the consequences, or else following her convictions at the cost of her love. The book follows Jane, as she ponders over her choices, and arduous life ahead, full of twists, turns, and surprises. A powerful and intriguing novel, far ahead of its time, Jane Eyre was an instant commercial success, and considered shocking in terms of its subject matter depicting a woman’s quest for freedom and equality in the mid-nineteenth century. In 1934, the first movie adaptation (with sound) of the book Jane Eyre, starring Virginia Bruce and Colin Clive was produced. It was followed with numerous movie and T.V. versions of the book. About Charlotte Brontë Charlotte Brontë was an English poet and novelist who also wrote under the pen names Currer Bell and Lord Charles Albert Florian Wellesley. Charlotte has written many classic novels including, The Green Dwarf, Tales Of Angria, The Foundling, Villette, and The Professor. She wrote in a gothic melodramatic style, depicting the role of women in society, alongside themes of isolation, repression of desire, and internal conflict. Born on 21 April 1816, in Yorkshire. She studied at the Clergy Daughters School in Lancashire. Fond of writing since an early age, Charlotte Brontë believed that art needed to be based on personal experience, to be more convincing. She also worked as a governess to many families. She married Arthur Bell Nichols in 1854, but died shortly after, at the age of 38, on 31st March 1855. Her biography, The Life Of Charlotte Brontë was published after her death.