Jane Eyre
Tags
Summary
Features of this edition:
1. The translator, Professor Jia Wenyuan, strives to convey with vivid fidelity the original author's feelings toward and attitudes toward the different characters.
2. He takes full account of context, choosing the words that best embody the relationships between characters and the atmosphere of the plot rather than simply translating literally, so that readers can more deeply understand the characters' inner worlds and the work's deeper meaning.
3. In his translation Jia Wenyuan pays attention to preserving the literary beauty of the original; his language is fluent and elegant, faithful to the original's style while also suited to Chinese readers' reading habits.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Young readers coming to a long English classic for the first time who want a smooth entry into the story
- General readers interested in women's growth, equality, and dignity
- Readers who need a fluent translation suitable for extracurricular reading and book-club discussion
- Readers who wish to reread the classic and attend to the translation's handling of characters' tones and scene atmosphere
Not a good fit for
- Readers who prefer fast-paced plots and lack patience for long psychological passages
- Young readers expecting a fully modern, colloquial rewrite or a simplified reader
- Scholars specializing in textual collation of the original who need detailed academic annotation
Reading tips
- Proceed chapter by chapter; don't rush to judge the characters, and note how Jane Eyre's choices and tone change in different settings.
- Slow down at key dialogues, compare characters' words with the atmosphere of the plot, and appreciate the translation's vivid handling.
- After finishing, revisit the passages where Jane Eyre leaves Thornfield and finally returns, and consider the order in which she weighs equality against feeling.
- If used for a book club, set discussion questions around "whether dignity and love conflict," and speak from specific scenes.
About the publisher
Founded in 1987, Tuanjie Publishing House focuses on social sciences and humanities as well as fine traditional Chinese culture. Among the 274 titles in its catalogue, it has devoted particular attention to accessible editions of classical literature, publishing the Complete Four Great Classical Novels and unabridged single-volume editions of Water Margin, Journey to the West, Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Dream of the Red Chamber with phonetic annotations for uncommon characters; these are also gathered in the Classic Books: Chinese Classical Four Great Novels series, balancing ease of reading with fidelity to the original texts. Its authors include classical masters such as Cao Xueqin, Shi Nai'an, Luo Guanzhong and Wu Cheng'en, alongside professional teams such as the editorial board of senior teachers on Chinese language and reading and the Luo Guanzhong Research Association. Its publishing features span classical literature, martial arts fiction, literary appreciation and inspirational growth, emphasizing complete texts combined with explanatory notes. Public information is limited; the above is based on the catalogue.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 作者简介
- 译者简介
- 丛书译者
- 原版序言
- 第一部
- 第一章
- 第二章
- 第三章
- 第四章
- 第五章
- 第六章
- 第七章
- 第八章
- 第九章
- 第十章
- 第十一章
- 第十二章
- 第十三章
- 第十四章
- 第十五章
- 第二部
- 第一章
- 第二章
- 第三章
- 第四章
- 第五章
- 第六章
- 第七章
- 第八章
- 第九章
- 第十章
- 第十一章
- 第三部
- 第一章
- 第二章
- 第三章
- 第四章
- 第五章
- 第六章
- 第七章
- 第八章
- 第九章
- 第十章
- 第十一章
- 第十二章 结局
FAQ
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About the author
Charlotte Brontë (1816–1855) was a nineteenth-century British novelist and poet, the eldest of the three Brontë sisters, born in Thornton, Yorkshire. In 1847 she published Jane Eyre under the pen name Currer Bell and rose to fame overnight. Her other works include Shirley, Villette, and The Professor, largely drawn from her experiences as a governess and her studies in Brussels, and they focus on women's dignity and independence. Her novels often use first-person narration, are emotionally intense, and carry autobiographical elements, exerting a lasting influence on English literature. Her works are classed as world classics, foreign literature, and inspirational coming-of-age reading, and are often recommended for exams and for primary and secondary school students. She died in 1855, shortly after her marriage, at the age of 38. Public information about her life is limited; the above is what can be confirmed in the database.
Jia Wenyuan is a translator about whom limited public information is available; his name appears chiefly as the translator of Chinese editions of foreign literature. The library holds fourteen of his works, spanning world classics, detective and suspense fiction, and foreign literature. His representative translations include the two-volume Gone with the Wind and several volumes of The Complete Sherlock Holmes, which has been published both as an eight-volume set and in individual volumes. Judging from these titles, he has long been involved in translating classic full-length novels, mostly widely read narrative works from the English-speaking world. Such translation requires balancing plot momentum with dialogue for a general readership. These translations have played a part in making foreign classics accessible and meeting Chinese readers' interest in detective fiction and romantic epics.
