Jane Eyre: An Autobiography is a novel by English writer Charlotte Bront published on 16 October 1847. The novel is primarily a Bildungsroman (coming-of-age story) novel. Jane Eyre is critically regarded as being ahead of its time given due to the individualistic character of Jane and the novel's exploration of classism, sexuality, atonement/forgiveness, and proto-feminism and other a-typical themes. These are themes that contemporary authors and readers continue to grapple with today.