Jane Eyre

A heartbreaking and thrilling coming-of-age fantasy novel about an innocent, poor, plain, and obscure young woman’s quest to gain and maintain agency, equality, and self-respect in a world full of abusive, corrupt, oppressive, and self-righteous authority figures who generally deny her those rights or take advantage of her. At the heart of the novel is Jane’s burgeoning romantic relationship with her brooding, domineering, manipulative, moody, mysterious, and secretive employer Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester. Is this a healthy relationship for Jane that young women should be seeking out with men for themselves in real life? No, not for the most part. However, what really makes their story great is Jane’s refusal to bend to his will under pressure. True to his nature as a literary Byronic Hero and antihero, Mr. Rochester does have genuine goodness in his heart deep down that Jane often has the power to bring out. He may be problematic, but he’s not malicious.