April 21, 2016 marks the 200th anniversary of Charlotte Brontë's birth. Perhaps one of the most celebrated authors of the 19th century, students today are still reading her beloved classic Jane Eyre. If you didn't have the pleasure of reading Jane Eyre in English class, don't fret, publishers have recently released more contemporary works inspired by the classic.
Reader, I Married Him features original stories inspired by the famous opening line of Jane Eyre. Well-known authors such as Tracy Chevalier, Francine Prose, Elizabeth McCracken and Audrey Niffenegger contributed to this collection.
Jane Steele reimagines Jane Eyre as a gutsy, heroic serial killer. "Reader, I murdered him," begins the confession of a sensitive orphan who suffers at the hands of a spiteful aunt and predatory cousin. The abuse continues at a bleak school, where Jane fights for her life until she can escape to London, leaving behind the corpses of her tormentors. Eventually Jane returns incognita to her childhood home and falls in love with its current master.
The Madwoman Upstairs features an awkward but gifted American student named Samantha and her unpredictable Oxford professor in a contemporary literary detective story. As the only remaining descendant of the Brontës, Samantha goes on a scavenger hunt to find a long-rumored family treasure, using clues hidden in her father's copies of Brontë novels.
Charlotte Bronte is a groundbreaking new biography for those interested in her life as well as her writing. Drawing on correspondence unavailable to previous biographers, Claire Harman transforms Brontë from a tragic figure into a modern heroine, making her the Jane Eyre of her own story.
Add a comment to: New Releases Honoring Charlotte Brontë