title: The Secret History of Jane Eyre: How Charlotte Bront Wrote Her Masterpiece
author:  John Pfordresher 
description: Pfordresher matches the events of Bront's life with those of her heroine step by step, showing where they overlap and where they meaningfully diverge.<br /> - <strong>John Williams, <em>New York Times Book Review</em></strong><br /><br />A wildly readable introduction to [<em>Jane Eyre</em>] and [Charlotte Bront].<br /> - <strong>Elizabeth Lowry, <em>Wall Street Journal</em></strong><br /><br />The psychologizing, speculation, and parallel-hunting [in <em>The Secret History of Jane Eyre]</em> are interesting and occasionally haunting. . . . Fans of the novel will enjoy this behind-the-scenes investigation into Jane Eyre and the imagination of its author.<br /> - <strong><em>Publishers Weekly</em></strong><br /><br />A helpful guide to [<em>Jane Eyre</em>] as a Rorschach blot of a singular Romantic temperament.<br /> - <strong><em>Kirkus Reviews</em></strong><br /><br />[Pfordreshers] direct and assessable arguments . . . uncover surprising parallels between Charlottes life . . . and her creation. . . . Revelatory analysis.<br /> - <strong><em>British Heritage</em></strong><br /><br />Pfordresher . . . uses [<em>Jane Eyre</em>] as a kind of treasure map. . . . [<em>The Secret History of Jane Eyre</em>] is a fascinating and authoritative book, written with intelligence, wit and affection, and full of surprises. Reader, I recommend it.<br /> - <strong>Deborah Mason, <em>BookPage</em></strong><br /><br />This is an engaging introduction to Charlotte and her famous novel, which will whet the appetite of anyone who is coming to either of them for the first time.<br /> - <strong>Lucasta Miller, <em>The Sunday Times</em></strong><br /><br />[Pfordresher] knows . . . how to add his own penetrating insight to this perceptive, respectful portrait.<br /> - <strong>Martin Rubin, <em>The Washington Times</em></strong>
zlib_text: Related Historical Events: The Victorian period brought 
  sweeping changes across British society, and writers 
  like Brontë explored its crises and progress. Abroad, the 
  British expanded into a global empire that brought wealth 
  from colonies. With the Industrial Revolution at home, 
  manufacturing became Britain’s economic backbone. As the 
  middle class found lucrative opportunities, a new laboring 
  class struggled for wages, job security, and adequate working 
  and living conditions. Jane Eyre includes themes of reforms 
  that emerged from the crisis: better political representation, 
  working conditions, and education. Few of these reforms 
  came immediately for women, who had limited status in 
  Victorian society. As Jane strives for economic and personal 
  independence, she touches on the issues of class, economics, 
  and gender roles that affected Victorian Britain at large.
  Extra Credit
  Bells and Brontës: The Brontës became a literary powerhouse 
  when Charlotte, Emily, and Anne all wrot