導語：《簡·愛》小說自問世以來就不斷被搬上舞臺和大銀幕。電影人對這個故事頗為熱衷，半個多世紀以來，伴隨著7、8個版本的《簡·愛》影片的誕生，不同的電影人在各自的作品中用自己的角度闡述對作品的理解，同時也推動了這部經典名著在全球的普及。

　　Jane Eyre is a first-person narrative of the formative years of the title character, a small, plain-faced, intelligent, and passionate English orphan girl. The plot follows the form of a Bildungsroman, a novel that tells the story of a child's maturation and focuses on the emotions and experiences that lead to his or her maturity. The novel goes through five distinct stages:

　　(1) Jane's childhood at Gateshead, where she is abused by her aunt and cousins;

　　(2) her education at Lowood School, where she acquires friends and role models but also suffers privations;

　　(3) her time as governess at Thornfield Manor, where she falls in love with her Byronic employer, Edward Rochester;

　　(4) her time with the Rivers family at Marsh's End (or Moor House) and at Morton, where her cold clergyman-cousin St. John Rivers proposes to her;

　　(5) her reunion with and marriage to her beloved Rochester at his house of Ferndean. Partly autobiographical, the novel abounds with social criticism and sinister Gothic elements. Jane Eyre is divided into 38 chapters, and most editions are at least 400 pages long