Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë's classic 1847 novel, chronicles the life of an orphaned heroine who endures cruelty at her aunt's home and hardship at Lowood School before becoming a governess at Thornfield Hall. There, she falls deeply in love with her brooding employer, Mr. Rochester. On their wedding day, she discovers he already has a wife—the madwoman Bertha Mason, hidden in the attic. Heartbroken, Jane flees and nearly succumbs to poverty, but ultimately gains independence through an unexpected inheritance. Rejecting a loveless proposal from St. John Rivers, she returns to find Thornfield ruined by fire and Rochester blinded. Their reunion culminates in an equal, passionate marriage.
