With its rigid class structure and strict mores, Victorian England offered few opportunities for a young woman of modest means. In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bront draws on dramatic events from her own life to create a memorable and chilling tale of one woman’s life-long quest for security, respectability, and love.

Following the death of her uncle, who had been her guardian, Jane Eyre is treated cruelly by her resentful adoptive family. When she leaves to become a governess at Thornfield Manor, Jane falls in love with Rochester, her pupil’s guardian, and the future looks bright. But a series of eerie and terrifying events threatens to destroy her hopes. Featuring gripping plot twists and surprises, as well as a powerful appeal for educational reform, Jane Eyre offers rich insight into the life of a woman who, despite oppression, tragedy, and precarious circumstances, insists on making the most of the hand that was dealt her.