Jane Eyre
/ˌdʒeɪn ˈeə(r)/
/ˌdʒeɪn ˈer/
- a novel (1847) by Charlotte Brontë. Jane Eyre is an orphan who, after a very unhappy childhood, becomes a private teacher for the daughter of Edward Rochester. Jane and Mr Rochester fall in love and are about to marry when she discovers that he already has a wife, who is mentally ill. Years later the lovers meet again and marry, although Rochester has by this time been badly injured in a fire. The novel is still popular, mainly for the contrast in character between the shy Jane and the mysterious and violent Rochester.