"Jane Eyre follows the titular character as she makes her way through Thornfield Hall as the governess and love interest of Mr. Rochester. The text reprinted in this new edition is that of the 1848 third edition text--the last text corrected by Charlotte Bronte. The text is accompanied by explanatory footnotes and an introduction that explores the influences of the novel and its journey to publication. "Contexts" includes excerpts from Charlotte's...

The authoritative text reprinted in this volume is the third edition, published in 1848 (the last edition corrected by Charlotte Bronte). The notes to the text pay particular attention to literary and Biblical allusions and to words and phrases not readily available in desk dictionaries. They also include translation of French passages. The backgrounds section of this Norton Critical Edition offers generous samplings of Charlotte Bronte's early writings,...