Jane Eyre (original 1847; edition 1943)

by Charlotte Brontë, Fritz Eichenberg (Illustrator), Bruce Rogers (Former Owner.)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Conversations / Mentions
33,074	520	17	(4.25)	5 / 1681

Add to your library

Add to wishlist

▾Book information

Member:	ablachly
Title:	Jane Eyre
Authors:	Charlotte Brontë
Other authors:	Fritz Eichenberg (Illustrator), Bruce Rogers (Former Owner.)
Info:	New York, Random house, 1943.
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
Tags:	fiction

Work details

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847)

numbers

show all

▾Tags

1001 (131) 1001 books (133) 19th century (994) British (542) British literature (507) Bronte (361) Charlotte Bronte (172) classic (2,085) classic fiction (178) Classic Literature (212) classics (1,541) England (566) English (264) English literature (484) favorite (124) fiction (3,966) gothic (588) governess (339) historical fiction (137) literature (832) love (242) novel (657) orphans (176) own (229) read (462) romance (1,096) to-read (175) unread (159) Victorian (484) women (171)

▾LibraryThing recommendations

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (1911)
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (1965)
Emma by Jane Austen (1933)
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë (1907)
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (1953)

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (1948)
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (1929)
Shirley by Charlotte Brontë (1974)
The Professor by Charlotte Brontë (1989)
Jane Eyre (Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism) by Charlotte Brontë (1996)

see more recommendations for this work

refresh

▾Member recommendations

392
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (Bonzer, chrisharpe, fannyprice)
chrisharpe: There are some similarities between these two books: a young woman marries an older widower and moves to his mansion, where the marriage is challenged by the unearthly presence of the first wife.
fannyprice: These two books reminded me a lot of each other but Rebecca was more modern and somewhat less preachy.
323
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (Kerian, westher, deepikasd)
Kerian: If for some reason you read The Eyre Affair without having read Jane Eyre, I definitely recommend it. It will certainly be interesting to read and is a very good book.
westher: Voor als je wilt weten hoe de verhaallijn ontstaan is ;-)
deepikasd: This story also gives you a different spin and shows how the story is "changed" to what it is today. Though the story is a parody, the reader who loves Jane Eyre will definitely love meeting the characters again and relish the story all over.
345
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (TineOliver)
TineOliver: Debates about which is the greater love story have raged between book lovers for years. Why not read both and form your own opinion?
3413
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (roby72, gabynation6)
gabynation6: these authors were sisters
239
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (stephmo, aces)
stephmo: Written as the story of the first Mrs. Rochester. While this may not be the light we want to remember Mr. Rochester in, it leads to a richer picture of the man he becomes for Jane.
197
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (norabelle414)
norabelle414: Both gothic novels, with a big ol' creepy house, and theme of hidden family secrets
121
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë (Medellia)
111
Villette by Charlotte Brontë (Wraith_Ravenscroft, allenmichie)
101
The Brontës by Juliet Barker (Wraith_Ravenscroft)
147
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (lanaing)
61
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood (_Zoe_)
_Zoe_: The Mysterious Howling offers a fresh perspective on the young governess arriving at a mysterious new place of employment. It's tongue-in-cheek and very funny--definitely an enjoyable read for those who don't take Jane Eyre too seriously.
72
Jenna Starborn by Sharon Shinn (infiniteletters)
infiniteletters: An interesting retelling.
51
Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (ElizabethPotter)
ElizabethPotter: This is like Jane Eyre in verse.
40
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (shesinplainview)
52
Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon (Anonymous user)
41
The Victorian Governess by Kathryn Hughes (susanbooks)
118
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (Maiasaura)
53
The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot (ncgraham)
ncgraham: Two Victorian heroines approach the question of how to reconcile passion and morality in very different ways.
31
Linden Hills by Gloria Naylor (susanbooks)
susanbooks: Naylor so brilliantly plays w/Dante & Jane Eyre
31
The Brontë Myth by Lucasta Miller (Wraith_Ravenscroft)

(see all 29 recommendations)

▾Will you like it?

▾Member reviews

English (494) Spanish (5) Dutch (4) French (3) Finnish (3) Italian (2) Portuguese (Portugal) (2) Danish (1) Swedish (1) Portuguese (Brazil) (1) German (1) All languages (517)

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 494 (next | show all)

review comment on the new movie ~

The new "Jane Eyre" is rushed, but impressive, especially since it doesn't feel "new." Just strong, faithful, unafraid of faith themes.
~ Jeff Overstreet (

)

FHC | Jun 13, 2013 |

I first read this book in my early teens. I was going through a phase in which i decided to read all the classics with Jane Eyre being the first.

The story revolves around Jane Eyre, a young orphan girl still in her teens, who starts working as a governess for a Mr. Rochester. Even though Jane is "plain" and average, she and Mr. Rochester fall in love. Unfortunately, life is not always a fairy tale and the two of them must confront not only their pasts but each others' past as well.

I will proudly say that this was the first book that I actually cried from reading. And it was not the small-tears-forming-in-the-corners-of-the-eyes crying, but the balling-and-sniffling-since-this-is-so-sad-but-so-good kind of crying. I think especially female teenagers should read this story, especially since the main character is a female who not only speaks her mind, but isn't a great beauty and still manages to fall in love, etc.

This is a gothic horror, so do expect that not everything will be peaches-and-cream. There is a mystery in the background and strange events taking place. Though other books and stories of the Bronte sisters feature gothic horror, I think Jane Eyre balances the gothic part and the romance/realistic part better.

A recommendation is that once you finish reading this book, do read The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. I thoroughly recommend it. It will give you a different take on the story and make you fall in love with the tale all over again. Also, for a more hilarious and play on the young-orphan-girl-who-becomes-a-governess-and-experiences-strange-things-in-her-new-place-of-residence trope, I would also recommend the series of The Incorrigible Children Ashton Place. (

)

deepikasd | Jun 11, 2013 |

My most favourite of the classics. A novel creating the psychological portrait of Jane, which has her dealing with an emotionally damaging childhood that has it's repercussions in her future life. Her rebellion against her tormenters who assault her mentally and physically, her restlessness, passion and outspokenness endeared Jane to me, because the more I read, the less she became of the person she defined herself as in small and mouse-like. Her spirit is indomitable. The formidable Mr. Rochester becomes for her a dangerous and attractive love interest, and this is where the novel comes alive. He brings out the best in Jane, and I adored and hated him at the same time, willing them to end up together when I first read the book at twelve years old. Bronte's enchantment lingers, the characters of Jane and Rochester are remembered fondly as I continue to love and read this book again and again over the years. One of the greatest classics ever written, Jane Eyre is timeless. (

)

HolmesGirl221b | Jun 11, 2013 |

this was good. (

)

appsocsci | Jun 11, 2013 |

Orphaned into the household of her Aunt Reed at Gateshead, subject to the cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane Eyre nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity. She takes up the post of governess at Thornfield, falls in love with Mr. Rochester, and discovers the impediment to their lawful marriage in a story that transcends melodrama to portray a woman's passionate search for a wider and richer life than Victorian society traditionally allowed. With a heroine full of yearning, the dangerous secrets she encounters, and the choices she finally makes, Charlotte Bronte's innovative and enduring romantic novel continues to engage and provoke readers.

This review has been flagged by multiple users as abuse of the terms of service and is no longer displayed (show).

tauruseducation | Jun 7, 2013 |

date ▼ | votes

Showing 1-5 of 494 (next | show all)

▾Published reviews

no reviews | add a review

▾Other authors

» Add other authors (94 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Brontë, Charlotte	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Becker, May Lamberton	Introduction	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Booker, Nell	Illustrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Brett, Simon	Illustrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Cabot, Meg	Introduction	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Eggink, Clara	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Eichenberg, Fritz	Illustrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Erikson, Susan	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Ibbett, Mary	Introduction	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Jong, Erica	Introduction	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Leavis, Q. D.	Editor	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Mills, Juliet	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Minogue, Sally	Introduction	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Oates, Joyce Carol	Introduction	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Root, Amanda	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Scott, Lucy	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Smith, Margaret	Editor	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Stevenson, Juliet	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Weisser, Susan Ostrov	Introduction	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Wilson, Edward A.	Illustrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Work-to-work relationships

Is contained in

Is retold in

Jenna Starborn by Sharon Shinn

Jane by April Lindner

Ironskin by Tina Connolly

A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont

(show 2 more)

Jane Eyre [adapted - Oxford Bookworms] by Clare West

Thornfield Hall: Jane Eyre's Hidden Story by Emma Tennant

Has the (non-series) prequel

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

Has the adaptation

Is abridged in

Jane Eyre [Abridged - Readable Classics] by Charlotte Brontë

Jane Eyre [Abridged - Treasury of Illustrated Classics] by Charlotte Brontë

Is parodied in

Jane Slayre by Sherri Browning Erwin

Inspired

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

The Flight of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey

Palladian by Elizabeth Taylor

It All Began With Jane Eyre: Or, the Secret Life of Franny Dillman by Sheila Greenwald

Has as a student's study guide

CliffsNotes on Brontë's Jane Eyre by Karin Jacobson

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë (Sparknotes) by Brian Phillips

York Notes on Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" (York Notes) by Sarah Rowbotham

Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre": Study Notes (Yorks Notes Advanced) by Karen Sayer

(show 1 more)

Jane Eyre (Barron's Book Notes) by Joyce Milton

view history

▾Common Knowledge

You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.

For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.

Series (with order)

Canonical title

Jane Eyre

Original title

Alternative titles

Jane Eyre; An Autobiography

Jane Eyre

Original publication date

1847

People/Characters

Important places

Moor House (aka Marsh End)

(show all 7 items)

Important events

Related movies

Jane Eyre (1910 ∙ IMDb)

Jane Eyre ( [1910] ∙ IMDb)

Jane Eyre ( [1914] ∙ IMDb)

Jane Eyre (1915 ∙ IMDb)

(show all 15 items)

Awards and honors

BBC's Big Read (Best loved novel, 2003, No 10)

The Observer's 100 Greatest Novels of All Time (18)

Guardian 1000 (Love)

Whitcoulls top 100, 2008 (34)

1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006/2008/2010 Edition)

(show all 19 items)

Epigraph

Dedication

To
W.M. THACKERAY, ESQ.
This work is
respectfully inscribed
by
THE AUTHOR

First words

There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but since dinner (Mrs. Reed, when there was no company, dined early) the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating, that further out-door exercise was now out of the question.

Er was die dag geen sprake van dat we zouden kunnen wandelen. Wel hadden we 's morgens een uurtje rondgedoold in het bladerloze park, maar na het avondeten (wanneer ze geen gasten had, at mevrouw Reed vroeg) had de koude najaarswind zulke donkere wolken aangedreven en was het zo gaan regenen dat je er niet over hoefde te piekeren nog een keer naar buiten te gaan.

Quotations

I could not answer the ceaseless inward question - why I thus suffered; now, at the distance of - I will not say how many years, I see it clearly.

Do you think because I am poor, obscure, plain and little that I am souless and heartless? You think wrong. I have as much soul as you and full as much heart, and if God had granted me some beauty and much wealth I should have made it as hard for you to leave me as it is now for me to leave you.

Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex.

To have yielded would have been an error of principle; to have yielded now would have been an error in judgement

I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will; which I now exert to leave you.

(show all 7 items)

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

This is the complete, unabridged Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Do not combine with any abridged versions, Norton Critical Editions, or vampire books.

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Publisher series

Penguin Classics

Bantam Classics

Dover Thrift Editions

Penguin Popular Classics

Vintage Classics

(show all 34 items)

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (8)

Amanda Root

Barnes & Noble Classics Collection

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

Jane Eyre is the story of a love-deprived girl who becomes the governess of a young french girl at a the Rochester estate. Jane's boss, Mr Rochester is mysterious and reclusive. As romance develops between Jane and Rochester not all is as it seems. There are strange noises in the night and Jane believes a servant is trying to kill Rochester. Nothing at the Rochester estate is as she expects.

This book is a classic. It has romance, a little adventure, a little comedy, and a little heartbreak. This book was slow at times but it made the important moments of the story better. The unexpected things more entertaining.

Haiku summary

▾Book descriptions

Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0142437204, Paperback)

Orphaned into the household of her Aunt Reed at Gateshead and subject to the cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane Eyre nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity. She takes up the post of governess at Thornfield Hall, falls in love with Mr. Rochester, and discovers the impediment to their lawful marriage in a story that transcends melodrama to portray a woman's passionate search for a richer life than that traditionally allowed women in Victorian society.

Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Michael Mason

(retrieved from Amazon Wed, 25 Aug 2010 08:43:28 -0400)

(see all 9 descriptions)

▾Library descriptions

A novel of intense power and intrigue, 'Jane Eyre' dazzled and shocked readers with it's passionate depiction of a woman's search for equality and freedom.

(summary from another edition)

» see all 39 descriptions