About the Author

Charlotte Bronte was born on April 21, 1816, in Thornton, Yorkshire, England. The third of six children, she spent much of her childhood at her […]

Overview

Whether viewed as a richly woven tapestry of feminine imagination, as a tableau of romanticism in the Victorian era, or as an early treatise on […]

Setting

Set in early nineteenth-century England, Jane Eyre moves through various locations, all informed by autobiographical detail from Bronte’s life. As a child living in Mrs. […]

Literary Qualities

Critics agree that Jane Eyre offers a fine example of the author-as-narrator; narrative credibility follows from an intimate knowledge of the speaker. The novel is […]

Social Sensitivity

Jane Eyre explores the predicaments of those bound by law, conventions, and social status to lives not of their own choosing. Like Charlotte Bronte, Jane […]

Related Titles

Bronte’s novel The Professor recalls her experiences at the Pensionnat Heger and explores the effects of ambition and authoritarianism on family relationships. Shirley: A Tale […]