This volume presents a variety of new essays on Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, considered by many to have revolutionized the art of fiction. Many agree that Bronte was ahead of her time as she explored the individualistic character of Jane, and topics such as classism, sexuality, religion and issues of gender. Edited by Katie R. Peel, professors of Victorian literature and women’s studies at University of North Carolina, this volume includes a variety of fresh approaches, including essays using feminist, reader-response, postcolonial, and performance theories.

The essays’ topics have also been chosen in order to enhance understanding of the novel and existing scholarship, and include the role of Adele, humour, religion, games and gamesmanship, conversation, and women’s space in Jane Eyre, as well as a comparison to Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South.