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Reverend Brontë kept his children abreast of current events; among these were the 1829 parliamentary debates centering on the Catholic Question, in which the Duke of Wellington was a leading voice. Charlotte's awareness of politics filtered into her fictional creations, as in the siblings' saga The Islanders (1827), about an imaginary world peopled with the Brontë children's real-life heroes, in which Wellington plays a central role as Charlotte's chosen character.
Throughout her childhood, Charlotte had access to the circulating library at the nearby town of Keighley. She knew the Bible and read the works of Shakespeare, George Gordon, Lord Byron, and Sir Walter Scott, and she particularly admired William Wordsworth and Robert Southey. In 1831 and 1832, Charlotte attended Miss Wooler's school at Roe Head, and she returned there as a teacher from 1835 to 1838. After working for a couple of years as a governess, Charlotte, with her sister Emily, traveled to Brussels to study, with the goal of opening their own school, but this dream did not materialize once she returned to Haworth in 1844.
In 1846 the sisters published their collected poems under the pen names Currer (Charlotte), Ellis (Emily), and Acton (Anne) Bell. That same year Charlotte finished her first novel, The Professor, but it was not accepted for publication.
However, she began work on Jane Eyre, which was published in 1847 and met with instant success. Though some critics saw impropriety in the core of the story -- the relationship between a middle-aged man and the young, naive governess who works for him -- most reviewers praised the novel, helping to ensure its popularity. One of Charlotte's literary heroes, William Makepeace Thackeray, wrote her a letter to express his enjoyment of the novel and to praise her writing style, as did the influential literary critic G. H. Lewes.
Following the deaths of Branwell and Emily Brontë in 1848 and Anne in 1849, Charlotte made trips to London, where she began to move in literary circles that included such luminaries as Thackeray, whom she met for the first time in 1849; his daughter described Brontë as "a tiny, delicate, serious, little lady." In 1850 she met the noted British writer Elizabeth Gaskell, with whom she formed a lasting friendship and who, at the request of Reverend Brontë, later became her biographer. Charlotte's novel Villette was published in 1853.
In 1854 Charlotte married Arthur Bell Nicholls, a curate at Haworth who worked with her father. Less than a year later, however, she fell seriously ill, perhaps with tuberculosis, and she died on March 31, 1855. At the time of her death, Charlotte Brontë was a celebrated author. The 1857 publication of her first novel, The Professor, and of Gaskell's biography of her life only heightened her renown.
Author biography from the Barnes & Noble Classics edition of Jane Eyre.
Anonymous
Posted Wed Apr 16 00:00:00 EDT 2008
This book was amazing, truly fantastic! All my classmates gave me weird looks because it looked strange 'im in 8th grade' but I ignored them and read it anyway and it was just, just, I can't say, you know! the ending made me so happy that i cryed, crazy huh? I handed it to my teacher and gushed, 'it was beautiful, so beautiful!' 'it was her copy' so if your some random person looking to see if this book is good, IT IS. If a kid as younge as me can appreciate it fully, you have to understand how utterly perfect it is! Read read! ^ ^
44 out of 52 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I read this book for my AP English class; we all kind of dreaded it whe we first heard. I was once told by a friend that it was horrible and that I should never, ever read it. I did, anyway, and I was thoroughly surprised and I enjoyed every bit of it!
Knowing very little about the plot (I'd only been told there's a crazy person in an attic --- which I forgot about), or even Bronte's writing style, I read the first ten chapters with shock and awe that the story was about a ten-year-old. Although the entire book is not about a ten-year-old, I was quickly taken with the plot and characters and just descriptions of England at that time.
This book read quickly with alternately likeable and despicable characters, unusual language, and beautiful plot.
My only complaint is that one character, Adele, speaks chiefly in French. I was lucky enough to be taking French classes while reading this, so I could piece together what she was essentially saying. What she says is not of a whole lot of importance, but it does bring the book to a halt at times.
All in all, Jane Eyre exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds and I enjoyed reading it immensely.
30 out of 32 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed Mar 17 00:00:00 EDT 2010
Not worth it as a free book. Tons of errors due to scanning without proof-reading. This was the second book from Google Books I've had problems with. Pay to read the B&N version.
18 out of 45 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Aug 07 00:00:00 EDT 2010
Oh brother, I could say soo much on this subject, but let me just say that this book rocks my socks off. Every time, too. I reread it every now and again, and it just gets better. I want to find a book EXACTLY like it, but that's kind of redundant. I just wish that I could flip a switch, forget every thing I just read, and read it again as if for the first time. Mr Rochester (mmm...) is just irresistible, because he isn't what he seems and is excellent at leading you in a completely opposite direction... then when everything is revealed, you love him more, and by the end of the book... you want him for your own... *Snaps out of a reverie* Ahem. Uh.. yes so Charlotte Bronte is fabulous at not revealing too much at one time. Fabulous at keeping things appropriate, but still romantic as crap. I love Jane's strong will and determination to do the right thing. I admire her a lot for everything she's been through. Each time I read it, it touches me whenever she touches happiness, and it tears me apart whenever it gets torn from her. Oh, give this book a go, just for the heck of it. I hope you enjoy it like I and so many others have. Oh, and let me just say, that when things seem slow, just think about how beautiful the writing style is, and that everything is important to unraveling the characters to the proper extent. ^.^
14 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Dec 12 00:00:00 EST 2006
It is very disconcerting for me to see such negative reviews about a book which has elevated literature throughout the world. This book is a challenging read, however it has the potential to expand one's mind by making a person think in an entirely new way. It is a book full of suspense, mystery, and romance. Charlotte Bronte uses words in the most discriptive manner and gives us a heroine who is complex on the inside, yet plain on the outside. It is singlehandedly one of the best classical books of all time and it should be required reading for everyone.
14 out of 17 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Tue Nov 10 00:00:00 EST 2009
Jane Eyre is quite possibly one of my favorite books, one that I have read many times. I bought this edition because I thought the cover was pretty and the fantastic price. Bronte's original text is flawless (although Hindustani is spelled differently in my other copy)I give Bronte 5 stars, however, the introduction by Joyce Carol Oates is terrible. I found it choppy and not that relevant to the story. I don't believe for two seconds that Bertha Mason's insanity was caused by syphilis. I just don't. I also don't buy that Jane thinks human love is more important than God. If she did why did she spend so much time on her knees in prayer? Not one summary, review or movie version I have seen of this story acknowledges any sort of higher power in a non nutcase way. What a shame, I think Bronte should get more credit and less speculation. Let's just take it in the context she wished. I feel better after venting my opinions, bottom line if you want a good copy of Jane Eyre this will work, just ignore the introduction.
13 out of 15 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed May 05 00:00:00 EDT 2010
I Also Recommend:
I just read a WONDERFUL book entitled "The Thirteeth Tale" and the author referenced Jane Eyre numerous times in the book, so I needed to know why this book was referenced so much and I picked up the book as soon as I finished "The Thirteenth Tale." I had no expectation when I began the book. In my opinion Jane Eyre truly lives up to it's "classic" classification. It is has romance, drama, thrills and in the end I could not read it fast enough to see what happened to Jane. It is very, very well written and was way ahead of it's time when originally published in 1847. I highly recommend this book.
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat May 09 00:00:00 EDT 2009
It can't get any better than Jane Eyre. All of Charlotte Bronte's novels are great, but this one is uncomparable to anything else I have ever read. The writing style, authentic female author, and exciting plot make this novel fascinating every time I read it.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Feb 17 00:00:00 EST 2011
If you're a fan of historical romances such as Pride & Prejudice, Becoming Jane, or Sense & Sensibility you would be depriving yourself of experiencing the beauty of this story by not reading it. I can't wait to see the newest version in theaters!! Please read this and be patient with it's lengthy beginning.. I promise it gets better :)
-ash
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Thu Dec 30 00:00:00 EST 2010
This book was the longest and most boring book I have read. It is basically two stories that are thrown together into one. It could have been better if the author, Charlotte Bronte, would have made two separate books instead of one. One of the few things that I found interesting about the book was that it relates to the story of Cinderella. At the beginning Jane lives with her aunt and three cousins who could be the evil stepmother and stepsisters. Eventually she meets Mr. Rochester who, if he were more handsome, could be Prince Charming. Bessie Lee, Maria Temple, or Alice Fairfax could be the fairy godmother.
The plot is interesting and full of surprises. If Charlotte Bronte stopped talking about random things and built up to the major events it would have been better. I would read fifty pages before the next important thing happened. My time was wasted when I read those fifty pages simply because they were spent talking about worthless event and things that did not build up to the important parts of the plot. There were a few strange and disturbing parts. In one of them a mad woman told a man that she was sucking the blood from his heart. While she said this she bit him and tried to suck the blood from his heart. People thought he was stabbed until the doctor found the bite marks. One of the things that made this seem even more disturbing was the descriptive writing that Charlotte Bronte used. She had many long sentences with lots of descriptive words in them. The long sentences seemed to make time go by very slowly. The characters did not have much of a personality. Most of them were stubborn, negative people who spent their time hurting themselves and others. They do not know how to solve their problems. As a result only one problem is solved in the end while there are another ten problem that never got fixed. The characters were boring and annoying.
One of the few things that I enjoyed in this book was the description of the setting. I was able to imagine all the places that Mr. Rochester visited. She described England as being a very green and lush place full of beautiful birds, flowers, and amazing scenery.
This is definitely not a fast read. I would only recommend this book to people who often look forward to a very long and challenging read that has large descriptive words in every sentence.
4 out of 16 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Mar 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010
Jane Eyre is one of those books you can start anywhere anytime and get so incredibly caught up in the story that you never want to stop reading. I've read this book more than fifteen times and have written multiple research papers on it. The characters are well developed, even smaller ones. Jane is a very strong female character, as is Mr. Rochester. The love story between the two does not dominate Jane's character; she remains true to herself regardless of the situation. This truly is a novel written for all women and should be read by all.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Jane Eyre is one of the best classic romance novels I have ever read. As we follow Jane through her harshly brought up childhood to the challenges of her adulthood, we see not only the development of her identity but also the merging of minds between herself and her strange but intelligent employer. Ah, but there is a secret that destroys everything expected! Read this book if you enjoy romance with literary value.
4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon May 17 00:00:00 EDT 2010
I Also Recommend:
I LOVED this book. Jane Eyre is the respectable, yet fiery lady that I wish I could be. It begins with a stormy and well written childhood, and within a few chapters I couldn't put the book down. I've read classics that I was disappointed in, but this is truly worthy of the title "classic". The love story is so pure, and well worth waiting for. Mr. Rochester seems so unlikable at first, but you just can't help falling inlove with him as the book goes on. I wasn't crazy about St. John. but his purpose was necessary to give you a scare. This book gives great insight to the condition of living for women during this time period. Thank God things have changed. I would've been strung up by my toenails if Reverend Brocklehurst had spoke to me the way he spoke to little Jane. After I read it, I wanted more even though the ending was perfect and filling. Beautifully written characters, and C. Bronte's style of writing is fantastic. I did have to keep a dictionary by my side through most of the book, but I'm not a brilliant kind of gal. The improvement of my vocabulary could only be a plus though. Thank you Miss Charlotte Bronte for this timeless piece of work.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.LeDiva-Rena926
Posted Thu Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2009
As a young adult my review may seem slightly ignorant and perhaps bias but as an avid reader,the book Jane Erye was a recommended to me as a must read. In my opinion the book is more like a, must leave on the shelf. Decoding Bronte's seventeenth century lingo would be like decoding rocket science if I were unfamiliar with reading.Jane Eyre's rather plain appearance made the novel a tad bit more realistic.The harsh realities she encountered throughout her life are expressed as she unfolds her story of depression to sucession and were less than worth while reading. Bronte's imagery managed to take me to ecstasy as she took me from Britians harshest winter to it's most endearing spring.<BR/>However her excessive wording and excruciatingly complex language really just.. Turned me off. Bronte's fairytale of being rewarded after enduring the worst of life and keeping faith to her religion are few of the many themes within this classic piece. Although the novel is best to be read in your own time,(or on a rainy/snowy day)the very detailed descriptions are not as bad in some areas and the book took me to a place completely different from home. The ending was the peak of me growing irate over such a common and cheesey ideal ending. Bronte often manages to keep readers interested then wanders off topic and begins to bore them, then right before you fall asleep she grabs you back in. Even though I would never dare buy this book as a gift for anyone in their right mind! This is a book I love to hate.
3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Jane Eyre tell the story of a young woman in mid 19th century England, however, any girl/woman who has ever felt out of place and alone can relate to Jane. Yes, it is a story of love, but also a story of a strong female character who, despite all, stays true to herself and her beliefs. She suffers for them, but in the end it all works out (which probably is why it makes it endearing)...so if you've ever felt out of place, "not normal", but wanting to love someone, to feel love returned, then this book is for you.
It is not your typical Jane Austen type book, but has just a hint of terror, fright and thrill to take it that one step beyond. I've read this book countless times (well over a few hundred) and yet I never get tired of it. It's like watching a good movie over and over. And great for those rainy gloomy days...
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Wed May 05 00:00:00 EDT 2010
Jane Erye is a romantic piece of literary work that describes the life of a woman. I taught this novel to 12th graders and even the males enjoyed the mystery and intrigue of one of the main characters. A must read!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Fri Mar 12 00:00:00 EST 2010
This is a great classical book for high school and college students. It is one of the few classics that has a satisfying ending. The notes found in the Barnes and Noble edition are very helpful.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2010
I read this book for the first time at age 30. I was a little reluctant, expecting to be disappointed since it's supposed to be a great "coming of age" story, leading me to think I should've read it when I was much younger. No regrets here...this book is appropriate for any age, and by the end of the book, had leaped right to the top of my all-time favorites list. Highly recommended.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted Sat Jan 30 00:00:00 EST 2010
This Charlotte Bronte novel is a wonderful read. I enjoyed everything about this book. It kept me captivated until the very last page. I would recommend Jane Eyre to all readers!
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Whenever the Jane Eyre series was on PBS I would always catch the last part, so I went to a local used book store and found a copy. I did not put the book down until I was done.<BR/>A Very good book, I would recommend reading Jane Eyre.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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