Jane Eyre

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains discussion of mental illness, ableism, racism, and gender discrimination.

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. How does Jane’s direct narrative voice, with her frequent “Dear Reader” addresses, affect your experience of the story? Have you read other Victorian novels, such as George Eliot’s Middlemarch, that employ this technique? How do they compare?

2. What was your initial reaction to the supernatural elements in the novel, such as Jane hearing Rochester’s voice across a great distance? Do these moments enhance or detract from the story?

3. How do you feel about the novel’s ending? Does Rochester’s partial disability and Jane’s inheritance create the equality their relationship needs, or does it feel like an artificial solution?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Jane repeatedly chooses her principles over personal happiness or security. Have you ever faced a similar moral choice between what you want and what you believe is right? How did you approach it?

2. The novel explores different models of Christian faith and practice. Did its depictions of religion, including the conflict between religious belief and personal desire, resonate with you?