Timeless Classics

In its day, Jane Austen’s most famous work stood as an argument against marriages of convenience and social conventions that measured a woman’s value by the size of her dowry. Through her main character, Elizabeth Bennet, the novelist showed for the first time what it meant to be an intelligent woman in a world governed by men. Unlike her sisters, Elizabeth is a young woman determined to marry for love and not in order to safeguard her financial future. Her path crosses with that of the arrogant Darcy and the two develop a special relationship, anchored in pride and in prejudice, but which will eventually lead to the discovery of true love.

This revolutionary work, the only published novel by Emily Brontë, transgressed all the moral standards of its day, bringing us a wildly free story of love and cruelty in a tale that champions women’s liberty. We discover the bleak fate that awaits two families—the Earnshaws and the Lintons—because of the indestructible bond forged between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, her adopted brother. Their uncontrollable passion is played out on the gloomy Yorkshire moors over various generations until peace finally comes to reign.

In a period when puritanism was all pervading, Louisa May Alcott published a novel which boldly explored women’s right to pursue their dreams and write their own destinies. The story of the March sisters, and especially that of the bright, resilient and indomitable Jo—an aspiring writer—is a moving tale that reveals to the reader the hardships suffered by the family during the American Civil War and the efforts made by these women to remain strong and true to themselves.

Charlotte Brontë’s masterpiece has been described as the first feminist novel ever written. We meet Jane, a heroine who, through steadfast self-belief and unwavering determination, manages to overcome the worst of circumstances and change her destiny. After a complicated childhood as an orphan, Jane comes to work at Thornfield Hall as governess to the daughter of the ill-tempered Mr Rochester. Despite her master’s overbearing nature, a relationship of love and respect develops between the two. However, Rochester’s house and life conceal a terrible mystery.

In a rigid society where a woman’s success or failure depends on the choice of a husband, Austen explores what options women have in the face of such injustice. She introduces us to the Dashwood sisters, whose survival depends on the possibility of securing an advantageous marriage. The responsible and level-headed Elinor embodies common sense, while the passionate and impetuous Marianne represents sensibility. Their personalities reveal two different ways of addressing the same problem, each of which has its dangers.