Bibliography
Blom, Margaret Howard. Charlotte Brontë. Boston: Twayne, 1977. This introductory work asserts that Jane Eyre reflects Brontë’s own contradictory struggle to be both independent and controlled by a man. Using biographical information as a springboard for analysis, the work examines Brontë’s novels in separate chapters, including notes, an index, and a bibliography.
Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1979. This feminist work examines recurrent themes in the works of major nineteenth century female writers. Interprets Jane Eyre as a progress novel tracing Jane’s maturation, emphasizing the complex meaning of Bertha. Although 700 pages long, the book’s extensive index and chapters divided by writer and work make it convenient for research.
Imlay, Elizabeth. Charlotte Brontë and the Mysteries of Love: Myth and Allegory in “Jane Eyre.” New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1989. Discusses the relationships in the novel, focusing particularly on that between Jane and Rochester. Looks at uses of myth and symbol in Brontë’s depiction of relationships.
Kadish, Doris Y. The Literature of Images: The Narrative Landscape from “Julie” to “Jane Eyre.” New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 1987. Discusses the web of image and metaphor that governs Jane Eyre and transforms this realist novel.
King, Jeannette. “Jane Eyre.” Philadelphia: Open University Press, 1986. An effective introduction to Jane Eyre, the book is arranged by literary elements with chapter headings such as “Characterization,” “Language,” and “Structure and Theme.” Based on a tutorial approach in which readers are asked to reread certain chapters before reading discussion portions carefully examining the passages.
London, Bette. “The Pleasures of Submission: Jane Eyre and the Production of the Text.” English Literary History 58, no. 1 (Spring, 1991): 195-214. A look at the historical period when the novel was written. Specifically addresses the portrayals of women in nineteenth century fiction by women writers.
Macpherson, Pat. Reflecting on “Jane Eyre.” London: Routledge, 1989. The author’s conversational style and humor make this an entertaining work of criticism. Offers extensive character examinations of Jane, Bertha, and St. John and suggests that Brontë is practicing biting social criticism behind the disarming disguise of feminine confession.
Nestor, Pauline. Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre.” New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1992. Arguing that Jane does not control her own actions, this work of new feminist criticism rejects previous estimations of Jane as a feminist hero. Offers interesting analyses of the themes of motherhood, sexuality, and identity and surveys the work’s historical background and criticism. Includes an index, notes, and a bibliography.
Peters, Joan D. “Finding a Voice: Toward a Woman’s Discourse of Dialogue in the Narration of Jane Eyre.” Studies in the Novel 23, no. 2 (Summer, 1991): 217-236. Discusses the instabilities, difficulties, and resistances of the narrative voice in the novel.
Pinion, F. B. A Brontë Companion. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1975. A good reference work on all the Brontës, including biographical material, chapter-length analyses of their novels, a section on characters and places, an index, an annotated bibliography, and illustrations.
Media Adaptations
Last Updated July 27, 2024.
- Jane Eyre has inspired countless adaptations across various media. During the silent film era, at least three versions were produced. The first sound adaptation debuted in 1934. Written by Adele Comandini and directed by Christy Cabanne, it featured Virginia Brace, Colin Clive, Beryl Mercer, Aileen Pringle, Jameson Thomas, David Torrence, and Lionel Belmore. This film was produced by Monogram Studios.
- The most renowned film adaptation of Jane Eyre was released in 1944, adapted by John Houseman, Aldous Huxley, and Robert Stevenson. Directed by Stevenson, the film starred Joan Fontaine, Orson Welles, Margaret O'Brien, Sara Allgood, Agnes Moorehead, and Elizabeth Taylor.
- In 1996, Franco Zeffirelli and Hugh Whitemore co-wrote the script for another film adaptation of Jane Eyre, directed by Zeffirelli. This version featured Charlotte Gainsbourg, William Hurt, Anna Paquin, Joan Plowright, Billie Whitelaw, Elle Macpherson, Geraldine Chaplin, and John Wood.
- The first television adaptation of Jane Eyre aired in 1939 on the NBC network. Produced and directed by Edward Sobol, it starred Flora Campbell, Dennis Hoey, Effie Shannon, Daisy Belmore, and Ruth Mattheson.
- Since 1939, there have been numerous television adaptations of Jane Eyre. However, critics often consider the most faithful one to be the BBC's 1983 mini-series adaptation. Directed by Julian Aymes, it starred Zelah Clarke and Timothy Dalton.
- Jane Eyre has also been adapted for the stage numerous times. A notable recent version was a 1996 regional touring production in England, adapted and directed by Charles Vance.
- The book has been recorded unabridged on a series of four sound cassettes, read by Juliet Stevenson. This recording is available from BBC Enterprises Ltd., New York, NY, 1994.
- An abridged recording read by Dame Wendy Hiller is available on two cassettes from Listen for Pleasure, Downsview, Ontario, Canada.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Last Updated July 27, 2024.
Sources
Bentley, Phyllis. The Brontës. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd.,
1969.
Blom, Margaret Howard. Charlotte Brontë. Boston: C.K. Hall & Co., 1977.
Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: E. M. Hale & Company, 2nd edition.
Cecil, David. Early Victorian Novelists. New York: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, 1935.
Evans, Barbara and Gareth Lloyd. The Scribner Companion to The Brontës. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982.
Fraser, Rebecca. The Brontes: Charlotte Bronte and Her Family. Crown Publishers, 1988.
Gaskell, Elizabeth Cleghorn. The Life of Charlotte Brontë. London: J. M. Dent, 1960. Originally published in 1857.
Gilbert, Sandra and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. Yale University Press, 1979.
Himmelfarb, Gertrude. Victorian Minds. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 1968.
Lane, Margaret. Introduction to Jane Eyre. Dent/Dutton, 1969.
Laver, James. Victorian Vista. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1955.
Martin, Robert Bernard. The Accents of Persuasion: Charlotte Brontë’s Novels. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1966.
Moglen, Helen. Charlotte Brontë: The Self Conceived. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1976.
Peters, Margot. Unquiet Soul: A Biography of Charlotte Brontë. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1975.
Scargill, M. H. "All Passion Spent: A Revaluation of 'Jane Eyre'." In University of Toronto Quarterly, Vol. XIX, No. 2, January 1950, pp. 120-25.
Schorer, Mark. "Jane Eyre." In The World We Imagine: Selected Essays. Chatto & Windus, 1969, pp. 80-96.
Further Reading
Allott, Miriam, ed. The Brontes: The Critical Heritage. Routledge,
1974. An outstanding resource for examining contemporary reviews and critiques
of Charlotte Bronte's works.
Barker, Juliet. The Brontes. St. Martin's Press, 1994. A highly detailed and comprehensive biography with extensive information on Charlotte Bronte, her family, and their writings.
Blom, Margaret Howard. Charlotte Bronte. Twayne, 1977. Features sections on Bronte's life and Jane Eyre, evaluating her achievements in the novel.
deFord, Miriam Allen. "Charlotte Bronte." In British Authors of the Nineteenth Century, edited by Stanley J. Kunitz and Howard Haycraft. H. W. Wilson, 1936, pp. 74-76. A general survey of Bronte and her work, written in a somewhat dated style.
Dunn, Richard J., ed. Jane Eyre. Norton, 1971, updated in 1987. Provides essential background information, contemporary criticism, and interpretive articles on various aspects of the novel.
Gates, Barbara Timm, ed. Critical Essays on Charlotte Bronte. G. K. Hall, 1990. Includes a compilation of both contemporary and modern reviews and critical responses to Bronte's novels.
Gordon, Lyndall. Charlotte Bronte: A Passionate Life. W. W. Norton, 1995. The definitive biography of Charlotte Bronte.
Leavis, Q. D. "Introduction." In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Penguin Books, 1966, pp. 7-29. An exceptionally insightful discussion of the novel, highlighting its departure from Victorian literary tradition.
Lloyd Evans, Barbara, and Gareth Lloyd Evans. Everyman's Companion to the Brontes. J. M. Dent and Sons, 1982. Contains commentaries and synopses of the Brontes' novels, including Jane Eyre.
MacPherson, Pat. Reflecting on "Jane Eyre." Routledge, 1989. This book offers valuable context for studying the novel, including an analysis of Jane's role as a governess and her personal development through different stages of her life.
Nestor, Pauline. Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre." St. Martin's Press, 1992. This work covers the historical and cultural background of the novel and provides an interpretation of its themes related to motherhood, sexuality, and identity.
Newman, Beth, ed. "Jane Eyre," by Charlotte Bronte. Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1996. This edition includes the novel's text, an essay on its critical history, and five insightful critical essays from psychoanalytic, feminist, deconstruction, Marxist, and cultural perspectives. It also features the article by Sandra Gilbert mentioned in the essay.
Prose, Francine. "The Brilliance of the Brontes." In Victoria, Vol. 11, No. 3, March 1997. Prose explores the lasting appeal of Jane Eyre while considering the unique genius of the Brontes. She notes that although readers often remember the novel's vivid, melodramatic scenes, much of the book focuses on the hardships faced by children and the impoverished.
Rosengarten, Herbert J. "Charlotte Bronte." In Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 21: Victorian Novelists Before 1885, edited by Ira B. Nadel and William E. Fredeman. Gale Research, 1983, pp. 24-54. This is a thorough overview of Bronte's life and literary works.
Showalter, Elaine. A Literature of Their Own: British Women Novelists from Bronte to Lessing. Princeton University Press, 1977. Showalter interprets the novel as a significant document that offers insight into the female experience during the mid-nineteenth century.
Smith, Cathy. "Moors and Mansions: Jane Eyre Country." In Los Angeles Times, October 20, 1996, p. L13. Smith identifies real locations in Derbyshire, England, believed to have inspired some of the settings in Jane Eyre. She also explores the origin of the name "Eyre" and uncovers a historical precedent for Bertha Mason.
For Further Reference
Last Updated July 27, 2024.
Alexander, Christina. The Early Writing of Charlotte Bronte. Buffalo, NY: Prometheus Books, 1983. This book offers an analysis of Bronte's childhood writings and is described by Alexander as the "first attempt at a scholarly survey of the early manuscripts in their entirety."
Crompton, Margaret. Passionate Search: A Life of Charlotte Bronte. 1955. Reprint. Philadelphia: Century Bookbindery, 1982. This work delves into Bronte's relationships with her brother, sisters, friends, and suitors, including Arthur Bell Nicholls.
Gaskell, Elizabeth. The Life of Charlotte Bronte. 1857. Reprint. New York: Penguin, 1975. Authored by a popular nineteenth-century novelist, this was the first biography completed after Bronte's death, with the cooperation of both Patrick Bronte and Arthur Bell Nicholls.
Gerin, Winifred. Charlotte Bronte: The Evolution of Genius. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967. This comprehensive study examines the "growth of Charlotte Bronte's moral and artistic stature," highlighting the impact of her surroundings.
Kirkpatrick, D. L., ed. Twentieth Century Children's Writers. 2nd ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1983. Features a bibliography of Kyle's works along with brief critical comments.
Knies, Earl A. The Art of Charlotte Bronte. Athens: Ohio University Press, 1969. Analyzes Bronte's novels with a focus on her artistry and includes an extensive bibliography.
Peters, Margot. Charlotte Bronte: Style in the Novel. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1973. A study dedicated to Bronte's prose style.
Unquiet Soul: A Bibliography of Charlotte Bronte. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1975. A feminist psychological study.
Ratchford, Fannie Elizabeth. The Brontes' Web of Childhood. New York: Russell and Russell, 1964. This examination of the Brontes' childhood writings aims to solve "most of the long-studied, much discussed Bronte problems."
Vipont, Elfrida. Weaver of Dreams: The Girlhood of Charlotte Bronte. New York: Henry Z. Walck, 1966. Chronicles the lives of Charlotte, her sisters, and her brother from their move to Haworth until Charlotte and her brother left home for work. Includes a list of suggested readings.
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