Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Obsessive emotional grip and haunting narrative. ...more info on wikipedia

About the artist: Lauren Gentryfrom Scotland

Lauren Gentry is a Scottish illustrator currently living and working in London. Since graduating from the illustration course at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design in June 2011, she moved down to London and has been working consistently as an illustrator, building up a strong portfolio of commercial, editorial and design work.

Why this work

“Jane Eyre is a book whose cover has been interpreted by many artists and so I was conscious not to regurgitate previous imagery. To begin with, I considered how Mr Rochester, a key male character and love interest of Jane Eyre could be illustrated to represent an alternative side of the story. However since the book predominantly focuses on the struggle of the female characters, I then turned my attention to Bertha Mason, the mad wife of Mr Rochester. Bertha is revealed to have been locked away by her husband, and escapes in the night to carry out violent acts throughout the household. I used this image to illustrate the face of a woman emerging from the shadows using charcoal on smooth paper. As a wild and angry character who shares an interest in Mr Rochester, Bertha has been interpreted as a manifestation of the anger and frustration felt by Jane under the oppression of the male characters. This relationship can be read from the shadowed face of the woman in the dark.”