Jane Eyre, which follows the experiences of its eponymous heroine, including her growth to adulthood and her love for Mr. Rochester, the brooding master of Thornfield Hall, contains elements of social criticism, with a strong sense of Christian morality at its core.

The novel revolutionizes prose fiction in that the focus on Jane's moral and spiritual development is told through an intimate, first-person narrative, where actions and events are colored by a psychological intensity.

It is considered by many to be ahead of its time because of Jane's individualistic character and how the novel approaches the topics of class, sexuality, religion and feminism.