Although she wasn't the most prolific of authors, Charlotte Brontë wasone of the most widely read and discussed. When she and her sisters Emily and Anne started publishing under pseudonyms—first a volume of poetry, and then individual novels—their work was all the more mysterious since no one knew who they were, where they lived, or even if they were men or women. They were outsiders to the world of Victorian literature. After all, they lived in Yorkshire, which must have seemed like it was a world away from the literary hub of London, where writers knew each other and had dinners and went to clubs together.

Not surprisingly, the Brontës' work feels like it was written from the outside. Jane Eyre is a poor governess without much power over her life, and Emily Brontë's Cathy and Heathcliff are on the border of genteel life, emotional stability, and, well, overall sanity.

Jane Eyre 

Jane Eyre was both popular and enduring. It's a novel with big Victorian themes on its mind: Like marriage: what should it mean? Is it about economics, or is it about love? (And just how bad is bigamy, anyway?) It also takes on the role of the governess: it's a tricky position since you're basically sandwiched between the family and the servants. (But does that mean it's okay to marry your employer?) And then there's the little matter of the British Empire.

But this novel isn't just for Victorians. It's also got the elements that make it an enduring page-turner—like love and duty, and inequality and power. Oh, and suspense: who or what is in the attic? What's going on with the torn veil? And is insanity catching? (Because why else would Jane even consider marrying St. John Rivers?)

Shirley

Shirley kind of confused everyone when it came out. After Jane Eyre, critics and readers were surprised: where was the Gothic romance? The illegitimate marriages and children? The house fires? And, most importantly, the homicidally insane wife in the attic?

But Charlotte Brontë wanted to do something different. Shirley takes a wider scope, with a whole cast of characters. And it also deals with the debates of the day—industrialization, the relation between workers and employees, and marriage. In fact, it's usually classified as an Industrial Novel (or Condition of England Novel).

Chew on This:

Another big difference between Jane Eyre and Shirley is the narrator: Jane Eyre is in first person, and Shirley is in third person. What sort of voice does Jane Eyre have as a narrator, and why do you think it has held up so well with readers across the centuries?

If Shirley leans toward the Industrial Novel genre, what genre, exactly, is Jane Eyre? What major Victorian genres find their way in?