The Oxford Companion to English Literature | Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre, a novel by
C.
Brontë
, published
1847
.
The heroine, a penniless orphan, has been left to the care of her aunt Mrs Reed. Harsh and unsympathetic treatment rouses her defiant spirit, and a passionate outbreak leads to her consignment to Lowood Institution (based on Cowan Bridge, which the author herself briefly attended). There, consoled for the severity of the regime by the kindness of the superintendent Miss Temple and a fellow orphan, Helen Burns, who dies in Jane's arms of consumption, she spends some miserable years, eventually becoming a teacher. On Miss Temple's marriage she obtains a post as governess at Thornfield Hall to Adèle, the illegitimate daughter of Mr Rochester, a
Byronic
hero of grim aspect and sardonic temper. Rochester, despite Jane's plainness, is fascinated by her sharp wit and independence, and they fall in love. After much resistance she agrees to marry him, but on the eve of their wedding her...
[The entire page is 463 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
