Jane Eyre

Portrait of Charlotte Brontë, painted by Evert A. Duyckinck, based on a drawing by George Richmond, 1873, University of Texas, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Jane Eyre is a novel originally published on October 16, 1847 by English writer Charlotte Brontë, under the pen name "Currer Bell." (Wikipedia) Charlotte was one of six children, five girls and one boy. After the death of their mother, the oldest four girls, including Charlotte, were sent to the Clergy Daughters' School, where the oldest two girls died of tuberculosis. Their father brought the other two girls back home. Once she had completed her education, Charlotte briefly worked as a governess. She then tried to open a boarding school with her two remaining sisters, a project they later abandoned. All three sisters went on to publish under their respective Bell pen names. Charlotte's brother and sisters died in rapid succession while she was working on her third novel. Charlotte married, but died while pregnant with her first child. Jane Eyre was her second book and some say it is derivative of her sister Anne's novel Agnes Grey (which was written before Jane Eyre, but published afterwards).

"How dare I, Mrs. Reed?" Jane Eyre, 2nd ed., 1847, F. H. Townsend (English, 1868-1920), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Story Summary (Spoilers)

Jane Eyre is taken in by her maternal uncle when her parents die. When her uncle dies, her aunt, Sarah Reed, is left to care for her along with her own kids, Georgiana, Eliza, and John. John is a bully and when Jane fights back, her aunt blames her and locks her in the red room where her uncle died. Jane thinks she sees her uncle's ghost, but her aunt refuses to let her out.

Jane is sent off to Lowood school, run by the awful Mr. Brocklehurst. Jane befriends Helen Burns, another orphan at the school, who is very spiritual and kind. She also befriends Miss Temple, one of the teachers. Helen dies in Jane's arms during a typhus epidemic. After this, Mr. Brocklehurst is removed as manager of the school and conditions become more tolerable. After six years of hard work, Jane becomes a star student and a teacher. After two years of teaching, Jane takes a position as a governess to a 10-year-old girl Adèle at Thornfield Hall.

Mrs. Fairfax, the housekeeper, welcomes her warmly. While walking into town to mail a letter, Jane helps a horseman, who turns out to be her employer, Edward Fairfax Rochester. Jane grows fond of him, despite his brooding nature. He tells her about his former mistress, Céline, a Parisian opera-singer and  Adèle's mother. He claims Adèle is not his, but that he took her in after her mother abandoned her. Jane also hears strange laughter, which is blamed on Grace Poole, one of the servants. One night Jane rescues Rochester from a fire in his room, which is also blamed on Grace.

After this incident, Rochester leaves for a house party and Jane realizes she's starting to fall in love with him. After a week, he returns with guests, including the beautiful Blanche Ingram, who is purportedly being courted by Rochester. An old friend, Richard Mason, joins the party and is attacked. Once again, Grace takes the blame. Jane leaves for a month to visit her aunt, who is dying. Before she dies, her aunt gives her a letter sent three years ago from her paternal uncle, John Eyre, who wanted to adopt Jane and make her his heir. 

When Jane returns to Thornfield, Rochester tricks her into thinking he will marry Blanche. Instead he and Jane become engaged when she reveals her feelings to him. Two nights before the wedding, a dark-haired woman comes into her room and rips her wedding veil. The wedding ceremony is interrupted by a stranger who says that Rochester is already married to a woman named Bertha Antoinetta Mason. Rochester brings everyone back to the house and introduces them to his wife, who is insane and has been locked in a room on the third floor with Grace as her caretaker. Rochester tries to get Jane to become his mistress and move to France with him.

Jane sneaks off in the middle of the night, without taking any extra clothing and very little money. After taking a coach to Whitcross, she tries to find work and food. She finally ends up at Moor House, where St. John Rivers and his sisters, Diana and Mary, offer her shelter. He offers Jane a job as schoolmistress. St. John finds out Jane has inherited 20,000 pounds from her uncle, John Eyre. Jane also finds out that the Rivers are her cousins and offers to split the inheritance four ways so the sisters no longer have to work as governesses. St. John asks Jane to come to India with him as his wife, but she refuses and says she'll come with him posing as his sister. One night, Jane hears Rochester's voice calling to her. She arrives at Millcote and learns that Thornfield Hall burned to the ground shortly after she left and that Rochester now lives at Ferndean. 

Jane learns that Bertha died in the fire and Rochester lost a hand and an eye and is blind in the other. When Jane reveals who she is to Rochester, they get married. Rochester regains partial vision in time to see their first-born son.

"I was mortally afraid of its trampling fore-feet" Jane Eyre, 2nd ed., 1847, F. H. Townsend (English, 1868-1920), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Story Beats/Motifs

• Orphan - Jane Eyre
• Maternal uncle, John Reed - dotes on Jane
• Aunt and cousins - don't like her
• Red Room - ghost
• Lowood - Mr. Brocklehurst
• Helen Burns - friendship and death
• Governess position
• Thornfield Hall
• Edward Rochester - odd meeting
• Strange occurrences around Thornfield
• Blanche Ingram - fiancée  
• Richard Mason - visit and attack
• Death of aunt
• Paternal uncle, John Eyre - heir
• Engagement and wedding
• Reveal of big secret
• Jane leaves and wanders the moors
• St. John and sisters - marriage proposal
• Thornfield burns down
• Marriage to Rochester

"Rochester and Jane Eyre," Frederick Walker (English, 1840-1875), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Retellings

Novels:

• Adele Grace and Celine: The Other Women of Jane Eyre - Claire Moïse (Goodreads)
• An American Heir: A Modern Retelling of Jane Eyre - Chrissy Breen Keffer (Goodreads)
• Anna Eyre - Summer Day (Goodreads)
• La Bambinaia Francese - Bianca Pitzorno (Goodreads) *only available in Italian*
• The Book of Air - Joe Treasure (Goodreads)
• Borrowed Horses - Sian Griffiths (Goodreads)
• A Breath of Eyre - Eve Marie Mont (Goodreads)
• Brightly Burning - Alexa Donne (Goodreads)
• Brizecombe Hall - Catherine E. Chapman (Goodreads)
• Carisbrooke Abbey - Amanda Grange (Goodreads)
• Charlotte: The Final Journeys of Jane Eyre - D. M. Thomas (Goodreads)
• Chocolate Roses - Joan Sowards (Goodreads)
• Claire's Not-So-Gothic Romance - Bonnie Blythe (Goodreads)
• Crinoline Fires - Aine Maxwell (Goodreads)
• Sequel: Crystal Spires (Goodreads)
• The Darcy Governess: A Pride & Prejudice variation, as inspired by Brontë's Jane Eyre - April Karber (Goodreads)
• Dark Companion - Marta Acosta (Goodreads)
• Dear Jane - Marina DelVecchio (Goodreads)
• Death of a Schoolgirl - Joanna Campbell Slan (Goodreads)
• Other books in the series: Death of a Dowager (Goodreads), Christmas at Ferndean Manor (Goodreads)
• Devil Within - Catherine George (Goodreads)
• Doing Mr. Rochester - Mandy Fontain (Goodreads)
• Dragonwyck - Anya Seton (Goodreads)
• Edward Rochester: The Master of Thornfield Hall - R. Q. Bell (Goodreads) 
• Escaping Mr. Rochester - L. L. McKinney (Goodreads)
• The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde (Goodreads)
• Eyre Hall Series - Luccia Gray (Goodreads)
• Books in the Series: Blood Moon at Eyre Hall, All Hallows at Eyre Hall, Twelfth Night at Eyre Hall, Thunder Moon at Eyre Hall, Snow Moon at Eyre Hall, Midsummer at Eyre Hall
• Eyre House - Caitlin Greer (Goodreads)
• The Eyre Liszt - Trisha Messmer (Goodreads)
• Finding Mr. Rochester - Trisha Ashley (Goodreads)
• The First Mrs. Rochester and Her Husband - M. C. Smith (Goodreads)
• The Flight of Gemma Hardy - Margot Livesey (Goodreads)
• The Forbidden Innocent - Sharon Kendrick (Goodreads)
• The Ghost Downstairs - Molly Ringle (Goodreads)
• The Governess of Thornfield - Charlene DeKalb (Goodreads)
• Halton Cray - N. B. Roberts (Goodreads)
• The Heir of Thornfield Manor - Ellie Thornton (Goodreads)
• The House on Blackstone Manor - Carole Gill (Goodreads)
• I Am Jane Eyre: The Untold Story - Teana Rowland (Goodreads)
• I Am No Bird - Kayleen Barlow (Goodreads)
• In the Quick - Kate Hope Day (Goodreads) (My Review) *****
• The Innocent - Candice Raquel Lee (Goodreads)
• Ironskin - Tina Connolly (Goodreads)
• Other books in the series: Copperhead (Goodreads), Silverblind (Goodreads)
• It All Began with Jane Eyre, or, The Secret Life of Franny Dillman - Sheila Greenwald (Goodreads)
• The Ivy Tree - Mary Stewart (Goodreads)
• Jane - Penelope C. Bell (Goodreads)
• Jane - April Linder (Goodreads)
• Jane - Marielena Zuniga (Goodreads)
• Jane: A Retelling - Lark Watson (Goodreads)
• Jane Airhead - Kay Woodward (Goodreads)
• Jane Eyre at Cranbridge: A Jane Eyre Sequel - Emma Foxwood (Goodreads)
• Jane Eyre Austen - Doyle MacBrayne (Goodreads)
• Jane Eyre, Beware - Carolyn Chambers Clark, Anthony Auriemma (Goodreads)
• Jane Eyre Gets Real - Annabelle Troy (Goodreads)
• Jane Eyre in Bondage - Emily Wendling (Goodreads)
• Jane Eyre Laid Bare: The Classic Novel with an Erotic Twist - Eve Sinclair (Goodreads)
• Jane Eyre: My Private Autobiography - W. J. Harrison (Goodreads)
• Jane Eyre's Daughter - Elizabeth Newark (Goodreads)
• Jane Eyre's Husband: The Life of Edward Rochester - Tara Bradley (Goodreads)
• Jane Eyre's Rival: The Real Mrs Rochester - Clair Holland (Goodreads)
• Jane Eyrotica - Karena Rosa (Goodreads)
• Jane Fae - H. D. Reavis (Goodreads)
• Jane F--king Eyre - J. K. Really (Goodreads)
• Jane Grey: A Homage to the Brontë Classics - Nina Mason (Goodreads)
  
• Jane Heir: A Modern Retelling of Charlotte Brontë's Classic Romance Jane Eyre - Veronica Cristero (Goodreads)
• Jane Rochester - Kimberly A. Bennett (Goodreads)
• Jane Rochester: Restoration - Jane Crowe (Goodreads)
• Jane Slayer: The Literary Classic with a Blood-Sucking Twist - Sherri Browning Erwin (Goodreads)
• Jane Steele - Lyndsay Faye (Goodreads)
• Jane, Unlimited - Kristin Cashore (Goodreads)
• Jane_E, Friendless Orphan - Erin McCole Cupp (Goodreads)
• Jenna Starborn - Sharon Shinn (Goodreads)
• Jillian Dare - Melanie M. Jeschke (Goodreads)
• John Eyre: A Tale of Darkness and Shadow - Mimi Matthews (Goodreads)
• Jurassic Jane Eyre - Carrie Sessarego (Goodreads)
• Just Jayne - Ripley Proserpina (Goodreads)
• Keeping Kate - Lauren Winder Farnsworth (Goodreads)
• Lightspeed - Jill Morrison (Goodreads)
• Live for Me - Erin McCarthy (Goodreads)
• A Love for the Pages - Joy Penny (Goodreads)
• Madam - Phoebe Wynne (Goodreads)
• The Madwoman Upstairs - Catherine Lowell (Goodreads)
• A Marble Column: Jane Eyre in India - Cicely Havely (Goodreads)
• The Memoirs of Edward Rochester - Ken Jones (Goodreads)
• Miss Elliott and the Eldritch - Laura Gayle Neubert (Goodreads)
• Mistress of Mellyn - Victoria Holt (Goodreads)
• Mr. Rochester - Sarah Shoemaker (Goodreads)
• Mr. Rochester - M. P. Tanner (Goodreads)
• Mr. Rochester of Hornfield: An Erotic Jane Eyre Variation - G. Scott Gray (Goodreads)
• Mr. Rochester's Goat: A Jane Eyre Satirical Variation - M. Ford Lewis (Goodreads)
• Mrs. Rochester: A Sequel to Jane Eyre - Hilary Bailey (Goodreads)
• Mrs. Rochester: A Sequel to Jane Eyre - Warwick Blanchett (Goodreads)
• Mrs. Rochester's Ghost - Lindsay Marcott (Goodreads)
• Murder and Mr Rochester - Jeanette Sears (Goodreads)
• My Mr. Rochester - L. K. Rigel (Goodreads)
• My Plain Jane - Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows (Goodreads) (My Review) ****
• Olive and the Half-Caste - Dinah Maria Mulock Craik (Goodreads)
• Palladian - Elizabeth Taylor (Goodreads)
• Plain Jayne - Brea Brown (Goodreads)
• Re Jane - Patricia Park (Goodreads)
• Reader, I Married Him - Janet Mullany (Goodreads)
• Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier (Goodreads)
• Resisting Mr. Rochester - Sharon Booth (Goodreads)
• The Rise and Fall of Jane: A Modern Retelling of Jane Eyre - Corrie Garrett (Goodreads)
• Rochester: A Memoir - Cora Holmes (Goodreads)
• Rochester: A Novel Inspired By Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" - J. L. Niemann (Goodreads)
• Other books in the series: Rochester: Consummation: The Continuing Story Inspired by Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre (Goodreads), Rochester: Redemption: The Continuing Story Inspired by Charlotte Brontë's 'Jane Eyre' (Goodreads)
• Ruined - M. C. Frank (Goodreads)
• Sloane Hall - Libby Sternberg (Goodreads)
• Texts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters - Mallory Ortberg, Illustr. Madeline Gobbo (Goodreads)
• The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield (Goodreads)
• Thornfield Hall - Jane Stubbs (Goodreads)
• Thornfield Hall - Emma Tennant (Goodreads)
• The True Confessions of Jane Eyre - Dominic Ridler (Goodreads)
• Unearthly Things - Michelle Gagnon (Goodreads)
• What a Difference a Duke Makes - Lenora Bell (Goodreads)
• Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys (Goodreads)
• The Wife Upstairs - Rachel Hawkins (Goodreads)
• Wish You Were Eyre - Heather Vogel Frederick (Goodreads)
• Within These Wicked Walls - Lauren Blackwood (Goodreads) (My Review) ****

Graphic Novels:

• Jane - Aline Brosh McKenna, Illustr. Ramón Pérez (Goodreads)
• Jane, the Fox & Me - Fanny Britt, Illustr. Isabelle Arsenault (Goodreads)

Picture Books:

• Jane Eyre: A Counting Primer - Jennifer Adams, Illustr. Alison Oliver (Goodreads)

Short Stories/Poems:

• Charlotte Bronte, You Ruined My Life - Barbara Louise Ungar (Goodreads)
• "Christmas at Thornfield Hall: A Victorian Christmas Short Story" - Aine Maxwell (Goodreads)
• The Jane and Bertha in Me - Rita Maria Martinez (Goodreads)
• Jane-in-the-Box - Rita Maria Martinez (Goodreads)
• "Jane Eyre and Zombies" - Liz Chapman (Goodreads)
• Reader, I Married Him: Stories Inspired by Jane Eyre - Ed. Tracy Chevalier (Goodreads)

Movies/Audio Plays/Stage Adaptations:

• "The Wife Upstairs" - Rose Lerner (Goodreads) (Audible) - Audible Audio Play

If you have any additions to this list, please leave a comment below.