Jane Eyre

'I am no bird and no net ensnares me. I am a free human being with an independent will'
Having endured humiliation and loneliness in the home of her heartless Aunt Reed and the harsh regime of Lowood, a charity boarding school, the orphaned Jane Eyre survives her childhood unbroken in spirit and integrity. When she takes up a post as a governess at Thornfield Hall, she also finds love with her employer, the dark and sardonic Mr Rochester. But her discovery of Rochester's terrible secret forces Jane to follow her moral convictions, even if it means giving up her chance of happiness. Although many were shocked by its depiction of a woman's bold and passionate search for independence and love on her own terms, Jane Eyre was an immediate success when it appeared in 1847 and remains one of the most popular of all English novels.
In his introduction, Michael Mason discusses the literary critical history of Jane Eyer. This edition includes suggestions for further reading, notes and a new chronology.
'The masterwork of a great genius' WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY
Edited with an introduction and notes by MICHAEL MASON