Classic Fiction

The Danish author Hans Christian Andersen is known predominantly for his remarkable series of fairy tales, many of which remain classics today. Evocative and poignant, their rich narratives are hugely compelling and tend to explore morality in an accessible and thought-provoking way. This latest collection celebrates Andersen's unique literary output and gathers together much-loved tales such as The Little Mermaid,...

Autumn 1943. Realising that his feelings fro his sweetheart are not reciprocated, Major John Overton accepts a posting behind enemy lines in Nazi-occupied Albania. As he struggles to complete his mission amidst a chaotic backdrop, Overton is left to ruminate on loyalty, comradeship and the futility of war.

A stunning new edition with deluxe cover treatments, ribbon markers, luxury endpapers, and gilded edges. The unabridged text is accompanied by a Glossary of Victorian and Literary terms produced for the modern reader. The most famous and enduring collection of fairy tales in the world, the first volume of Grimm's Fairy Tales was published in 1812. Originally known as Kinder-...

The first complete and accurate English translation of Bulgakov’s classic novel, accompanied by a substantial historical introduction. “Bulgakov’s novel not only leads us into a majestic, more-than-1,000-year-old metropolis, but also gives us an understanding of how, in a single day, the world can change as radically as if decades had passed.”—Marci Shore, The Atlantic “Bulgakov’s novel evokes the suffering of...

On his thirtieth birthday, the bank clerk Josef K. is suddenly arrested by mysterious agents for an unspecified crime. He is told that he will be set free, but must make regular appearances at a court in the attic of a tenement building while his trial proceeds. Although he never comes to know the particulars of his case, Josef K....

The Norton Library edition of The Sun Also Rises features the complete text of the first edition, first printing (1926). Verna Kale's artful introduction highlights how the novel is steeped in the recent history of World War I and explores how Hemingway uses the scandalous social lives of his characters to probe gender norms. The Norton Library is a growing...

From its publication in 1865, Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland captured the imagination of readers of all ages. The whimsical world of Alice has continued to inspire artists for generations. This wall calendar showcases 12 iconic scenes by illustrators including John Tenniel, Arthur Rackham, and more. Each work is accompanied by informative text, and the datepad features views of...

Sense and Sensibility is the story of the two Dashwood sisters, who embody the conflict between the oppressive nature of "civilised" society and the human desire for romantic passion. Elinor is cautious and unassuming about sentimental matters, while Marianne is wild and passionate, falling hopelessly in love with Mr Willoughby. But the lessons in life and romance see the two...

Set in the author’s native Swansea in South Wales, the ten autobiographical stories in this much-loved collection chart his journey from boyhood—movingly and at times comically evoked in tales such as The Peaches and A Visit to Grandpa’s—to early adulthood. Along the way, in Extraordinary Little Cough, among others, the vicissitudes of adolescence and a burgeoning sexuality are explored with...

This Norton Critical Edition includes: Moby-Dick, Melville's classic novel of whaling and revenge, based on Hershel Parker's revision of the 1967 text edited by Harrison Hayford and Hershel Parker. Twenty-six illustrations, including maps, contemporary engravings, and diagrams of whaleboat rigging. Background and source materials centering on whaling and whalecraft, Melville's international reception, the inspirations for Moby-Dick, and Melville's related correspondence....

This Norton Critical Edition includes: The 1874 corrected edition of the text, with small textual variations from Eliot's manuscript. Introductory materials and explanatory footnotes by Ronjaunee Chatterjee. Twenty-three background selections from Eliot's correspondence, journals, and other writings. Seventeen critical responses, including five contemporary reactions and twelve critical analyses of the novel's most important themes. A chronology of Eliot's life and...

Kafka's Selected Stories is presented in this Norton Critical Edition with new translations by leading Kafka scholar and translator Stanley Corngold. The edition comprises thirty stories, each accompanied by detailed annotations for enhanced understanding. "Backgrounds and Contexts" offers readers a glimpse into Kafka's creative process through extracts from his letters, diaries, and conversations, providing invaluable insight into his mind and...

It is accompanied by detailed explanatory annotations. Gulliver's Travels is contextualised through materials that influenced Swift's writing of the novel, as well as documents that suggest its initial reception. These include Swift's correspondence, Alexander Pope's poems on Gulliver's Travels, and relevant passages from Gargantua and Pantagruel. The section on criticism includes fourteen assessments of Gulliver's Travels by notable figures such...

The text of the Fourth Edition of the Norton Critical Edition of Emma is based on the 1816 edition published by John Murray. George Justice has lightly and judiciously emended the text for faithfulness and clarity. The novel is accompanied by detailed explanatory annotations as well as facsimiles of the 1816 title and dedication pages. Backgrounds collects a wealth of...

A genre-bending look into the tropes of Gothic literature. In print for the first time since 1796, The Foresters by Elizabeth Gunning offers an entertaining romp through the many tropes of Gothic literature. She employs these devices to create a compelling story combining the wildest elements of fiction with her own personal history and experiences within eighteenth-century society, producing both...

Originally published in 1899, Dom Casmurro is widely considered to be Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis's masterpiece and a progenitor of twentieth-century Latin American fiction. This exuberant new translation captures all the hilarious, maddening, and utterly compelling idiosyncrasies of one of Machado's most complex characters. Bento Santiago, our charismatic yet exceedingly unreliable narrator, nicknamed by his enemies Dom Casmurro, has...

This Norton Critical Edition includes: Michael Katz's new translation of the world's most-read Russian novel accompanied by his preface and detailed explanatory footnotes. Names of Principal Characters, a Note on Character's Names, and a map of St. Petersburg. Key excerpts from Dostoevsky's notebooks, letters, and his early draft of Part II, Chapter 2. Twenty-six scholarly essays on the novel from...

The friends in the Hundred-Acre Wood are embarking on an exciting adventure. Pooh is on the search for honey, Christopher Robin has been captured, and poor Eeyore has lost his tail! Can Pooh and his friends save the day? Discover the magic and charm of Winnie the Pooh in this delightful tale from the Disney Classic Collection. Join Pooh and...

Although unfinished during his lifetime, Bouvard and Pécuchet is now considered to be one of Flaubert's greatest masterpieces. In his own words, the novel is "a kind of encyclopedia made into farce...A book in which I shall spit out my bile." At the centre of this book are Bouvard and Pécuchet, two retired clerks who set out in a search...

"Cara!" Mr. Wilkinson stood on the jetty looking out at the long, low shadow of the island, dark against the setting sun. "A beautiful place, and a beautiful name." "It's the Gaelic word for a corpse." From the dramatic Highlands to bustling cities and remote islands in wild seas, the unique landscapes and locales of Scotland have enthralled and shaped...

Part of the Legend Classics series Catherine Earnshaw had no idea that the boy her father took in from the streets of Liverpool would one day become her lover, her soul mate. Nor did she know that her decision to marry someone else would send him down the path of destruction. Once criticised for its display of mental and physical...

A young man tries to figure out the best way to live. A young woman struggles to assert herself within a regrettable marriage. A doctor attempts to befriend his most interesting patient. This riverrun edition presents a selection of Chekhov's longer stories—novellas, effectively—in Constance Garnett's timeless translations. These four stories, The Wife, The Steppe, Ward No. 6, and My Life,...

A plain, blank stationer's notebook from the 1780s in the Bodleian Library contains some of the most famous juvenilia in all of English literature. Copied out in Jane Austen's youthful hand, Volume the First, which takes its name from the inscription on the cover, preserves the stories, playlets, verses, and moral fragments she wrote during her teenage years. For the...

Darkly funny and surprising novel about superstition and religion in an isolated Icelandic town. With an introduction from Susan Sontag. 'Wildly original, morose, uproarious... It is also one of the funniest books ever written' Susan Sontag A naive young man is sent by the bishop of Iceland to investigate a small town that has reportedly lost its faith. The church...

"My favourite book. I can't think of a modern novel that seems more likely to become a classic" Tennessee Williams "The book I give as a gift . . . It feels like giving someone an exotic fruit" Sheila Heti "A modern legend . . . A very funny writer" Truman Capote "Profoundly witty, genuinely unusual in its apprehensions, and...

A NEW EDITION WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY CLARE MACKINTOSH THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'An utter delight' Sarah Winman 'Quirky, moving and beautifully written' Paula Hawkins 'Vibrant and funny' Guardian Summer, 1976 Mrs Creasy is missing and The Avenue is alive with whispers. As the summer shimmers endlessly on, ten-year-olds Grace and Tilly decide to take matters into their own hands....

Described by Ken Follett as the first modern thriller, The Riddle of the Sands is the best-known sailing narrative and a true classic. It was recently ranked 37th in The Observer's list of the 100 Greatest Novels of the past 300 years. Winston Churchill even credited it for the Admiralty's decision to build naval bases in Scapa Flow, Invergordon, and...

Howard Phillips Lovecraft had a short life, and he died of cancer in 1936 at the age of 46. But in that relatively short time, he had a significant, varied, and outstanding output. Although he was not a well-known writer during the time he lived, he has since been hailed as one of the great supernatural fiction writers. Despite being...

The Great American Novel with the original classic cover art from 1926. 'Leaves the reader in a mood of chastened wonder...A revelation of life...A work of art.' Los Angeles Times Set during the Roaring Twenties, this masterful story by F. Scott Fitzgerald is told through the eyes of Nick Carraway, a young man who moves to Long Island and attempts...

A Lost Great American Master: meet Jack Kerouac's inspiration in these heart-expanding tales of immigrant life in 1930s USA, introduced by superfan Stephen Fry. JACK KEROUAC: 'I loved him ... He just got me.' ARTHUR MILLER: 'The first to let it all hang out and write like a child in wonderland.' KURT VONNEGUT: 'Still the greatest.' JOSEPH HELLER: 'My primary...

September, Rosamunde Pilcher's major bestseller, is also known for its successful TV film adaptation. Now, it has been rejacketed for a new audience to enjoy. As spring arrives in Scotland, the hills burst into life, and a dance is planned for September. The invitations bring home the group of people Violet Aird has cherished most in her long life. As...

Set amid the rapidly changing social, spiritual, and moral landscape of the industrial revolution, North and South is a forceful, brilliant, and romantic novel about freedom and the cost of profit. When Margaret Hale, a minister's daughter, relocates with her family to Milton in the north of England, she witnesses firsthand the brutal working conditions in Milton's factories and mills....

_______________ WINNER OF THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER A RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK _______________ 'A remarkable achievement' - Sunday Times 'A classic, to my mind, of the finest documentary writing' - John le Carré 'Absolutely riveting' - Sarah Waters, Guardian _______________ On a summer’s morning in 1860, the Kent family awakes in their...

Have you ever wondered... what is a Moomin? This colourful guide introduces the who, what, when, and why of the Moomins through 100 iconic objects from in and around Moominvalley, exploring the stories and characters plus the Moomins’ impact in the real world. From the family’s lamp on the veranda to Snufkin’s trusty knapsack, and from the Hobgoblin’s magical hat...

Age range 9 to 12 The Wonderful Wizard of Oz / The Marvelous Land of Oz brings together the first two novels of L. Frank Baum's classic Oz series. In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are transported by a powerful cyclone to Oz, where they team up with the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly...

Set in fourth-century B.C. Greece, The Mask of Apollo is narrated by Nikeratos, a tragic actor who takes with him on all his travels a gold mask of Apollo, a relic of the theatre's golden age, which is now past. At first his mascot, the mask gradually becomes his conscience, and he refers to it for his gravest decisions, when...

A revelatory and richly varied collection of Poland's greatest short stories. Witty, surprising, and sparkling, this anthology is an essential exploration of Polish literature. Its thirty-nine superb stories run the length of the literal and imaginative creation of Poland, from 1918 (when Poland regained its independence after 123 years of colonisation by the neighbouring empires) to the present. The stories...

As complex as they are gripping, Pushkin's stories are some of the greatest and most influential ever written. Foundational to the development of Russian prose, they retain stunning freshness and clarity, more than ever in Anthony Briggs's finely nuanced translations. These are stories that upend expectations at every turn: in The Captain's Daughter, Pushkin's masterful novella of love and rebellion...

A feast for the senses: an illustrated cookbook inspired by classic and contemporary Gothic texts. This literary-inspired cookbook is composed of thirteen divinely delicious chapters, each focusing on a different story and discussing its edible motifs before bringing them to life and to your table with approachable, easy-to-follow recipes and hand-drawn illustrations. Inspired by Alessandra Pino's academic studies into how...

One of Dickens's great middle period novels, in which fairy tale, melodrama, and realism mingle with hallucinatory power, Dombey And Son weaves together a number of stories centred around the family of the self-important merchant, Paul Dombey, and his children, Paul and Florence. Supplied with the usual extraordinary cast of Dickensian grotesques, both comic and sinister, the novel also features...

Emil Sinclair is tormented by a constant battle between light and dark, purity and corruption, ignorance and knowledge. As a restless young man, he struggles to locate a path towards acceptance and serenity. Only under the friendship and guidance of the charismatic, otherworldly Max Demian does he discover an alternative way to think, and to live. Demian transforms a young...

Twenty-five spine-tingling tales and poems from the preeminent writer of American gothic fiction, Edgar Allan Poe, now available in a Harper Perennial Olive Edition. Of all the American masters, Edgar Allan Poe staked out perhaps the most unique and vivid reputation as a master of the macabre. Even today, in the age of horror movies and high-tech haunted houses, Poe...

A stunning anthology of connected tales set in the Wild Cards universe created by the global bestselling author of A Game of Thrones. The island of Keun lies off the coast of Cornwall, connected to the mainland only by an ancient, tidal causeway. It is a magical place, where anything can happen. The mansion crowning the island is owned by...

A cosy romp of cream teas, double-barrelled names and murder. THE SUN The new book in the Val and Arbie mysteries from the multi-million-copy selling author Faith Martin. One of these guests has a date with death… Arbuthnot ‘Arbie’ Swift arrives at Dashwood House, a glamorously modern hotel in the up-and-coming resort of Galton-next-the-Sea, but all plans for a relaxing...

Following the death of her beloved sister, Cyra Griffin decides to infiltrate the notorious Serial Killer Support Group in New York City and take the investigation of her sister's murder into her own hands... even if it means becoming allies with serial killers themselves. AMAZON EDITOR'S PICK FOR MARCH THRILLERS BARNES AND NOBLE BEST PAPERBACKS PICK When Cyra Griffin's younger...

Murder and mystery lurk in the hills and on the shores of Devon and Cornwall in this new Special Edition Hardback of Agatha Christie’s finest countryside stories. Growing up in Torquay, Agatha Christie’s love of the West Country never left her, and many of her finest stories are set on the moors and shores of Devon and Cornwall. This collection...

London, 1968. A suburban London street. But this is no ordinary road. "Ask anyone on Atbara Avenue how well they know their neighbours, and they'll answer 'well'. After all, they see each other across the vast distance afforded by close proximity, and that is probably for the best..." In number 17 live a bitter daughter and her mother, trapped with...

This sumptuous gift set collects together hardback editions of the three most recently published tales of Middle-earth – The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, and The Fall of Gondolin – and presents them in a matching slipcase decorated with the stunning artwork of the books' artist, Alan Lee. The Children of HúrinMorgoth, the first Dark Lord, dwells in the...

They plan to have a quiet country honeymoon. Then Lord Peter Wimsey and his bride Harriet Vane find the previous owner's body in the cellar. Set in a country village seething with secrets and snobbery, this is Dorothy L. Sayers' last full-length detective novel. Variously described as a love story with detective interruptions and a detective story with romantic interruptions,...

WITH A NEW FOREWORD BY EMMA CARROLL 'A touching, utterly convincing book' - JACQUELINE WILSON 'What a deep, dark, deceptively simple, brilliant novel it is' - EMMA CARROLL 'Poignant and realistic . . . Carrie's War captures the true reality of war for a child, and it doesn't sentimentalise war' - SHIRLEY HUGHES, GUARDIAN 'I did a dreadful thing, the...

Barbara Nadel's gripping Ikmen mysteries are the inspiration behind The Turkish Detective, BBC Two's sensational eight-part TV crime drama series, out now. A secret worth killing for... Barbara Nadel introduces Inspector Cetin Ikmen for the first time in her debut novel, Belshazzar's Daughter. Perfect for fans of Jason Goodwin and Donna Leon. 'Exciting, accomplished and original' - Literary Review Leonid...

Become classic literature's most famous sled dog, and make choices to survive Jack London's The Call of the Wild in this interactive Choose Your Path adventure. You are Buck, the famous sled dog. You have been stolen from your comfortable life in California and forced into servitude. Now, you find yourself in Alaska, a dangerous world of greedy men and...

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the classic Disney tale, reawakens and expands through the first-person perspective of Snow White herself. More than a damsel in distress, Snow possesses a character that yearns for knowledge, love, and acceptance. Glimpse into the heart of the princess as she experiences love, betrayal, terror, hope, friendship, longing, and sadness... before her happily ever...

'I am waiting for someone to kill me. Tonight would be a good night for it.' Agent Seventeen, the most infamous hitman in the world, has quit. But whoever wants to become Assassin Eighteen must track him down and kill him first. So when a bullet hits the glass inches from his face, he knows who fired it—doesn't he? But...

The Surf Riders Club is back! And Bronte has a problem - a big sister problem! How's Bronte supposed to catch waves when she keeps fighting with her big sister? She always wanted to be just like Carrie, but now they are growing apart. Bronte wants to do her own thing, but Carrie thinks Surf Riders Club is lame. Now...

In his latest adventure, Bruno, France's favourite country cop, investigates a long-buried war crime and faces a devastating flood that threatens the town he polices and the people he loves. 'FRENCH TOURISM SHOULD RAISE A GLASS TO WALKER'S DORDOGNE MYSTERIES' Daily Mail The long arm of history reaches into the present in Bruno's latest case when three sets of bones...

Age range 7 to 10 See the world through the eyes of one of literature's most memorable horses in Black Beauty, now written with young readers in mind! Life is easy and carefree for a handsome colt in the countryside. Black Beauty and his mother are well taken care of. But when his kind masters must sell him, the young...

A deluxe slipcase of the beloved, bestselling Winnie-the-Pooh's Book of Happiness! Spend the day with Winnie-the-Pooh and discover how kindness, friendship, and smackerels of honey bring happiness to the Hundred Acre Wood. A sweet story about the joy of small gestures.

Milly-Molly-Mandy lives in a tiny village in the heart of the countryside, where life is full of everyday adventures! Join the little girl in the candy-striped dress as she goes blackberry picking, gets ready to throw a party, and goes to her village fete. Whatever Milly-Molly-Mandy and her friends are up to, you're sure to have fun when they're around....

The last Isaac Asimov science fiction collection which contains all of his previously uncollected stories. Gold is Isaac Asimov's last science fiction collection, one containing all of his uncollected SF stories that had never before appeared in book form. Gold is the final and crowning achievement of the fifty-five year career of science fiction's transcendent genius, the world-famous author who...

There are a lot of rules that do NOT interest Lemonade Jones: 1) No running in the classroom, not even in an emergency. 2) Dangerous animals should be in cages. 3) No biting. (Not even your worst enemy.) It's hard to stick to the rules when you're making life loud and exciting! And Lemonade Jones likes it when loud and...

Lucy and Lily's Granddad is missing and they're desperate to find him. But first, they must survive a great and unusual adventure filled with brutes in nail-polish, a strange bookshop, a children-eating beast, a huge rock and secret tunnel, a very bad orchestra, rotten tricks, flying chunks of cupcake, a talking fox, vomiting, swords, sneak-walking and someone who really isn't...

It's everyone's Christmas wish come true! The Night Before Christmas in Neverland brings two magical worlds together in one epic, festive adventure - the iconic world of J.M. Barrie's classic story, Peter Pan in Neverland, and Clement C. Moore's beloved poem, The Night Before Christmas. T'was the night before Christmas... and the reindeer were having their usual squabble about who...

Open this book and step into the Moominhouse, where the door is always open . . . A Year in the Moominhouse is a stunning carousel book, unfolding to reveal 3D scenes of the iconic blue Moominhouse through a year in Moominvalley. Beautifully illustrated by Filippa Widlund and based on Tove Jansson’s classic Moomin artwork, A Year in the Moominhouse...

In Cornwall, a man suffers a violent death - and the killer may lurk within the community... Featuring Detectives Barbara Havers and Thomas Lynley, A Slowly Dying Cause is an atmospheric, gripping crime thriller from bestselling author Elizabeth George. Amid the beauty of Cornwall's coastline, the death of a local man shatters the peace with its violence. The body of...

From the creator and presenter of Taskmaster comes a beautifully told story of a young boy’s connection with his grandpa – and a mystery that may come between them. "Charming and funny and uplifting. I loved it." Greg James "As delightful as a bucket full of beachcombed treasures." Thomas Taylor The Last Pebble follows Trader and his grandpa as they...

No one believed that he could make it there and back again alive, so when a boy sets out to hike across the sea bed at low tide to an island not too far offshore, he is determined to prove a point. A short doze in the sunshine on the island and a fast-moving fog, however, leaves him in dire...

The perfect gift for a young adventurer. Share your beloved childhood stories with the next generation! Evocative of an era when all travel was an adventure, this timeless classic is perfectly captured by Robert Ingpen's rich and detailed illustrations. Although round-the-world travel is now possible in hours rather than weeks, Jules Verne's tale of a race against the clock has...

BY A REMARKABLE CANADIAN WRITER. NOW A NETFLIX SERIES. Anne Shirley is, for me, one of the great characters of literature - LAUREN CHILD The dearest, most moving and delightful child since the immortal Alice - MARK TWAIN The sixth book in the Anne Shirley series. It's been lovely to be Anne of Green Gables again for a week, but...

Age range 5 to 9 Kindred spirits, rejoice! Delight children while enriching their library with this Canadian childhood classic, now available as an elegant, giftable picture book. Anne of Green Gables introduces us to Anne Shirley, an orphan who longs to make Green Gables her home. Can imaginative, impulsive Anne learn to control her tongue, and convince Matthew and Marilla...

A captivating picture book retelling by Shakespeare's Globe for very young readers. A Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare’s comedy about four lovers' mishaps in an enchanted forest, is unforgettably re-imagined by Shakespeare’s Globe as a picture book for very young readers. With exquisite and detailed illustrations from the acclaimed artist Jane Ray, who has been shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway...

Inspired by Lewis Carroll's classic children's book, Alice in Wonderland: A Puzzle Adventure by Aleksandra Artymowska features stunning scenes packed with references to the original, from teetering tables of teapots to lines of marching playing cards. Readers must riddle their way from one page to another, cracking clues, finding hidden objects, and meandering through mazes. Beautifully illustrated and full of...

Never has Wonderland been more charming than in this little book—perfect for little hands! When young Alice's curiosity gets the better of her, she must explore a land of talking playing cards, magical sweets, and circumspect caterpillars to find her way home. Follow Alice down the rabbit hole and into the enchanting world of Wonderland in this must-have board book...

Longlisted for the 2019 Carnegie Medal If you've got a bad deal, his father used to say, get out of it and move on. When he finds himself in a cruel orphanage, Anton does just that and hides on an ocean liner. Fear and desperation are his only companions. And this time there is no escape. Or is there? Two...

It's never too soon to share your favourite classics with the next generation... This edition of A Christmas Carol has been adapted for younger readers and features: Simplified text A child-friendly layout, designed for young readers Full-colour illustrations by award-winning artist Robert Ingpen. This seasonal tale of self-discovery is one of Charles Dickens's most famous and best-loved works. A full-colour...

A phenomenal success since its publication in 1989, The Story of the Little Mole has delighted adults and children alike to become an all-time humour classic. CELEBRATING 35 YEARS AND OVER 3 MILLION SALES OF A PICTURE BOOK PHENOMENON! This joyful, mischievous, and characterful picture book tells the tale of a little mole who wakes up one morning only to...

Hercule Poirot – ‘probably the greatest detective in the world’ – is celebrated in the official Agatha Christie Calendar, including art inspired by the best-selling books, with 365 'little grey cells' in which to write your daily appointments! Hercule Poirot made his debut in Agatha Christie’s very first novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, serialised in The Times in 1920....

The tale of a spirited heroine's search for love, independence and belonging. Carnegie Medal-winning author Tanya Landman returns with a brilliantly realised and truly accessible retelling of one of the greatest novels ever written. Orphaned as a child, tormented by her guardian and cast out to a harsh boarding school, Jane Eyre has been raised in the shadow of cruelty...