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This novel was first published in October 1847. The author's first novel, THE PROFESSOR, had been rejected and Charlotte concluded that the publishers preferred the "wild, wonderful and thrilling" to the "plain and homely". JANE EYRE certainly contains elements of the "thrilling" which recall the Gothic novels. It was welcomed by the public and has sold tens of thousands of copies. Its originality lay partly in the choice of a small, plain governess as its heroine: partly in the skilful manipulation of the first person narrative. Jane's childhood experiences evoke sympathy, and part of the fascination of the novel's later progress is the convergence of the developing and mature character of Jane. [via]