Jane Eyre [Paperback]

Charlotte Brontë's most beloved novel describes the passionate love between the courageous orphan Jane Eyre and the brilliant, brooding, and domineering Rochester. The loneliness and cruelty of Jane's childhood strengthens her natural independence and spirit, which prove invaluable when she takes a position as a governess at Thornfield Hall. But after she falls in love with her sardonic employer, her discovery of his terrible secret forces her to make a heart-wrenching choice. Ever since its publication in 1847,Jane Eyrehas enthralled every kind of reader, from the most critical and cultivated to the youngest and most unabashedly romantic. It lives as one of the great triumphs of storytelling and as a moving and unforgettable portrayal of a woman's quest for self-respect."At the end we are steeped through and through with the genius, the vehemence, the indignation of Charlotte Brontë."—Virginia WoolfCharlotte Brontë (1816-1855), a poor clergyman's daughter from Yorkshire, England, worked as a teacher and governess before her publication ofJane Eyrewon her instant fame. She went on to produce three more novels before dying at the age of thirty-eight.The questions, discussion topics, and author biography that follow are intended to enhance your group’s reading of Charlotte Brontë’s beloved classic novelJane Eyre. We hope that they will give you a number of interesting angles from which to consider this novel that is simultaneously mysterious, poetic, and romantic.

1. How does the stormy weather in the opening scene reflect Jane’s state of mind? What do we learn about Jane’s position in the household? Why is the scene of her punishment in the red room so emotional (Chapter II)? How does the narration secure the reader’s sympathy for Jane?

2. At the Lowood School, Jane’s most beloved friend is Helen Burns, who with great dignity endures frequent punishmentl|