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Jane Eyre has been called a Gothic romance, a love story, and a novel about social
and feminist consciousness. Literary critic Daniel Burt rates its author, Charlotte
Brontë, as one of the 100 most influential novelists and playwrights of all time. He claims
Brontë was "the first historian of the private consciousness," and the precursor of
novelists like Marcel Proust and James Joyce.
Jane Eyre was different from conventional novels of the time in two important ways. First,
the main character, Jane, is not beautiful but plain, which was unusual for leading female
characters. Second, the story is told from a young woman's point of view, which was also
unusual for female protagonists up to that time. These traits, along with Jane's
independence and fierce love for Edward Rochester, her eventual husband, made the book
a best seller soon after its publication. It still resonates with modern readers, inspiring
countless television series, films, and novels featuring its characters.