Self-determination: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, the heroine of the 1847 novel by that name, has long been a feminist icon. For our November 2022 Introvert Book Club installment, we look at her as a willful, self-actualizing introvert.

Orphaned as a baby, Jane Eyre is brought up by snobbish, cruel relatives in the English countryside, then sent away to a harsh charity school until she is old enough to work as a governess.  Hired to teach a young girl who had been living in France, Jane falls in love with the master of the house, who may or may not be the girl’s father.  Although Mr. Rochester, the master, loves Jane too, melodramatic obstacles crop up that make the marriage impossible.  Jane finally does find happiness with the man she loves after he’s been disfigured in a catastrophic fire.