Event—Adult Education

The Afterlives of Jane Eyre

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Explore the tremendous impact that Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre” continues to have on literature, media, and culture today.

Main title from the theatrical trailer for the 1943 film Jane Eyre. Source: 20th Century Fox, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Class Description

Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre was published in October 1847. It became an instant best-seller, went through a second edition in January 1848, and is now widely considered to be one of the greatest love stories ever written.

In the nearly 200 years since its publication, Jane Eyre has enjoyed an almost unwavering popularity that spans the globe. Not only has it been translated into at least 57 languages, and at least 593 times, but Brontë’s story of a poor, plain, disconnected governess valiantly making her way in the world has captured the imaginations of scores of writers, artists, and producers who have adapted her novel for ballet, radio, film, comics, theater, and television.

During this six-session class, we will explore the fascinating history of Jane Eyre in adaptation, charting its transformation in relation to philosophical shifts, critical practice, literary trends, and new technologies.

Amber Pouliot is a Victorianist with a PhD from the University of Leeds, UK, where she studied the Brontes and their cultural afterlives. She has published on the twentieth and twenty-first-century reception of the Brontes, literary tourism and author countries, and museums and material culture.

Materials List

Required

  • Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre. OUP, 2019. ISBN: 9780198804970
  • Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea. Norton. ISBN: 9780393960129
  • Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca. HarperCollins, 2020. ISBN: 9780063082991
  • Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Mexican Gothic. Random House Worlds, 2021. ISBN: 9780525620808

First Reading

  • Please read Jane Eyre prior to our first meeting.

Cost and Registration

Six sessions, $268 ($241 for Newberry members, seniors, and students). Learn about becoming a member.

To register multiple people for this class, please go through the course calendar in Learning Stream, our registration platform. When you select the course and register, you’ll be prompted to add another registrant.

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