Jane Eyre - (Contested Classics) Annotated by Charlotte Brontë (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Reader, I married him."

Few lines in English literature are more famous--or more quietly radical. Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel follows orphaned, plain-spoken Jane Eyre from an abusive childhood through a governess post at Thornfield Hall, where she falls for her brooding employer, Edward Rochester--only to discover the secret locked in his attic.

This Contested Classicsedition doesn't just reprint the novel; it interrogates it. Over 500 in-text annotations unpack the Biblical allusions, Victorian social codes, and historical context modern readers miss, while flagging exactly where the book has drawn fire--for Jane's unapologetic self-assertion, her challenges to religious and class authority, and Brontë's treatment of Bertha Mason, the Jamaican-born "madwoman" whose imprisonment has made the novel a flashpoint for conversations about race and colonialism.

A new introduction, two critical essays, curated further reading, and 35 discussion questions turn a familiar assigned read into a live argument--perfect for classrooms, book clubs, and any reader who thought they already knew this story.

Go beyond the ban: the Contested Classics edition of Jane Eyre arms you with 500+ contextual annotations, two critical essays, and 35 discussion questions to confront why Brontë's fiercely independent heroine--and the "madwoman in the attic" locked away beside her--has been called immoral, anti-Christian, and dangerous since 1847.

About the Author

Charlotte Bronte (1816-55), sister of Anne Bronte and Emily Bronte. Jane Eyre appeared in 1847 and was followed by Shirley (1848) and Vilette (1853). In 1854 Charlotte Bronte married her father's curate, Arthur Bell Nicholls. She died during her pregnancy on March 31, 1855 in Haworth, Yorkshire. The Professor was posthumously published in 1857. Editor Amanda C. Barton has edited multiple volumes in Broad Book Press's Contested Classics series including Frankenstein.