Jane Eyre (Readable Classics)

Charlotte Brontë · Wayne Josephson

Oct 2009 · Chadwick Publishing

About this ebook

Readable Classics gently edits the great works of literature, retaining their essence and spirit, and making them more enjoyable and less frustrating to the modern reader. Jane Eyre, a novel of stunning power, romance and suspense, was an instant bestseller in 1847. It follows the spellbinding journey of a poor orphan girl who overcomes cruelty, loneliness, starvation and heartbreak on her quest for independence. Her passionate romance with rich, brooding Mr. Rochester, and her discovery of his devastating secret, forces her to choose between love and self-respect. Jane Eyre is the story of every woman who struggles for equality and dignity in a society that wants to deny her that right--as true in Victorian England as it is today.

Ratings and reviews

The Readable Classic Jane Eyre was nothing less than a treat to read. Lightly editing the original manuscript so that it is an easier task for today’s reader, Wayne Josephson opens the door for a whole new generation of people to love this classic tale. Mr. Josephson has kept the story true to it’s roots while allowing a easier read for those who are not exactly comfortable with the normal Bronte style. The classic gothic novel Jane Eyre, a biography of the title character, is a chronological tale of heartache, hardship and love that can bare all things. A tale, full of sorrow and adversity follows Miss Eyre from an awkward and peculiar child, to an opinionated and strong young woman. The story begins when Jane is a small girl living with her aunt and cousins in Gateshead Hall. Orphaned as a baby, Jane has lived with her uncle’s family since infancy. Not long after Jane comes to live with them, her uncle dies, but not before making her aunt promise to keep Jane on as “one of her own.” Her Aunt the menacing Mrs. Reed, despises Jane and her different nature, as she allows her children to torment the girl. It is not long before a painful confrontation with her cousin John, forces a small Jane to defend herself and earning a night in the infamous “red room.” After that night it is not long that Mrs. Reed sends Jane off to boarding school, the dark and dreary Lowood school for girls, where the girls are forced to live off meager rations of food and hearty helpings of bible study. It is there where Jane makes her first friend, and in doing so feels for the first time in her young life the joy of acceptance. During her time at Lowood, she begins to grow from odd girl into a self-assured young woman. It is after being there for eight years, six as a student and two as a teacher, that she becomes restless and is ready to embark on her journey into the world. By placing an advertisement to procure a new position as a governess Jane is accepted into the grand estate of Thornfield. There she meets the mysterious Mr. Rochester, and in doing so, is swept away into one of the most famous love stories in literary history. The Readable Classic Jane Eyre is a story that will captivate your romantic soul. The light editing of Wayne Josephson has allowed the reader to focus on the beautiful tale of one Miss Jane Eyre instead of being tripped up by the sometimes difficult original text.

A beautifully written tale of a young girl, set in the early to mid 19th century. It is one of those stories that stays with you long after you've read the last sentence of the story. Haunting, cruel, beautiful, a true classic.

I had to read this book in school. Every few years I reread it. My kids read it to. Then we watch the movie

About the author

Charlotte Bronte, the third of six children, was born April 21, 1816, to the Reverend Patrick Bronte and Maria Branwell Bronte in Yorkshire, England. Along with her sisters, Emily and Anne, she produced some of the most impressive writings of the 19th century. The Brontes lived in a time when women used pseudonyms to conceal their female identity, hence Bronte's pseudonym, Currer Bell. Charlotte Bronte was only five when her mother died of cancer. In 1824, she and three of her sisters attended the Clergy Daughter's School in Cowan Bridge. The inspiration for the Lowood School in the classic Jane Eyre was formed by Bronte's experiences at the Clergy Daughter's School. Her two older sisters died of consumption because of the malnutrition and harsh treatment they suffered at the school. Charlotte and Emily Bronte returned home after the tragedy. The Bronte sisters fueled each other's creativity throughout their lives. As young children, they wrote long stories together about a complex imaginary kingdom they created from a set of wooden soldiers. In 1846, Charlotte Bronte, with her sisters Emily and Anne published a thin volume titled Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. In the same year, Charlotte Bronte attempted to publish her novel, The Professor, but was rejected. One year later, she published Jane Eyre, which was instantly well received. Charlotte Bronte's life was touched by tragedy many times. Despite several proposals of marriage, she did not accept an offer until 1854 when she married the Reverend A. B. Nicholls. One year later, at the age of 39, she died of pneumonia while she was pregnant. Her previously rejected novel, The Professor, was published posthumously in 1857.