Jane Eyre
Charlotte Brontë1847
Charlotte Brontë wrote the first great novel with a plain, poor, female narrator who demands to be treated as an equal — and gets it.
novelEnglishaccessiblelong · ~16.0h
Influence
7.0/10
Popularity
9.0/10
“Reader, I married him.”
Why It Matters
Charlotte Brontë wrote the first great novel with a plain, poor, female narrator who demands to be treated as an equal — and gets it. Jane's declaration "I am no bird; and no net ensnares me" was revolutionary for 1847. The novel fused Gothic atmosphere with feminist independence and created the template for every romance where the heroine refuses to compromise herself.
Notable Quotes
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”
“Do you think I am an automaton? — a machine without feelings?”