Modern readers might be concerned the 19th-century novel Jane Eyre is antiquated and quaint, but as Virginia Woolf noted, “in two pages every doubt is swept clean from our minds.” Orphaned and raised by cruel relatives, Jane’s early existence was a struggle for survival. But in spite of class prejudice, gender limitations, religious hypocrisy, conventional morality, poverty, and solitude, Jane insists that the world meet her on her own terms. One of the first feminist novels written in English, Jane Eyre gives voice to an undaunted and revolutionary character. Required: Any edition of Jane Eyre, which should be read prior to the start of the course or in sync with the week’s assigned focus. The course leader will use the Norton Critical edition (third revised edition, 2001).
