Charlotte Brontë

Writing for the Penguin edition, Stevie Davies describes Jane Eyre as an "influential feminist text" because of its in depth exploration of a strong female character's feelings. Primarily of the bildungsroman genre, Jane Eyre follows the emotions and experiences of eponymous Jane Eyre, her...

Without family or means, the strong-willed Lucy Snowe escapes the English countryside for the town of Villette. Though overwhelmed by a new culture and a foreign language, Lucy finds employment at an all-girls boarding school. Her self-reliance is soon compromised by her affections for two men...

Featured title on PBS's The Great American Read in 2018 The orphaned Jane Eyre has emerged a fiercely independent young woman. As governess at Thornfield Hall, she's found her first real home - though it stands in the shadow of the estate's master, Mr. Rochester, and its haunted halls ring with...

William Crimsworth is a young Englishman just out of school and ready to begin a career. With his sense of self-pride and strong moral views, however, he finds the options available to him are far from pleasant. Unwilling to follow the dictates of the moneyed members of his family, he resolves...

Jane begins life penniless and plain: an unlikely romantic heroine. But she is as indomitable in spirit as she is frail in appearance. Taking a position as a governess at Thornfield Hall, her relationship with her employer, the enigmatic Mr Rochester intensifies, until she is forced to choose...

Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is performed by Anna Popplewell, best known for her leading role as Susan Pevensie in The Chronicles of Narnia films. This definitive recording includes an Introduction by Stevie Davies. Orphaned Jane Eyre grows up in the home of her heartless aunt...

The hero of Charlotte Brontë's first novel escapes a dreary clerkship in industrial Yorkshire by taking a job as a teacher in Belgium. There, however, his entanglement with the sensuous but manipulative Zoraide Reuter complicates his affections for a penniless girl who is both teacher and pupil...

Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is performed by Charlotte Ritchie, best known for her roles as Oregon in Channel 4's Fresh Meat, Hannah in the BBC Three comedy Siblings, and as Barbara Gilbert in BBC drama Call the Midwife. With neither friends nor family, Lucy Snowe sets sail...