夏洛蒂·勃朗特的小说《简·爱》被广泛认为是英国文学史上的经典之一，对文学界产生了深远的影响。《简·爱》以其深刻的人物刻画、扣人心弦的故事情节和对道德、自由和爱情的探讨而备受赞誉。小说通过女主人公简·爱的成长历程、内心矛盾和对爱情的追求，展现了对社会、性别和人性的思考，深刻揭示了当时英国社会的种种问题。勃朗特以坚毅的笔触和细腻的情感，刻画了一个独立、坚强、真实的女性形象，使得《简·爱》成为女性文学的经典之作。
I tell you I must go! I retorted, roused to something like passion. "Do you think I can stay to become nothing to you? Do you think I am an automaton?—a machine without feelings? And can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips, and my drop of living water dashed from my cup? Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong!—I have as much soul as you,—and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh;—it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God's feet, equal,—as we are!"
Excerpt From Jane Eyre
By Charlotte Brontë
［参考译文］
我的心灵一样丰富
夏洛蒂·勃朗特
“我告诉你我非走不可！”我反驳道，感情很有些冲动。“你难道认为，我会留下来甘愿做一个对你来说无足轻重的人？你以为我是一架机器？——一架没有感情的机器？能够容忍别人把一口面包从我嘴里抢走，把一滴生命之水从我杯子里泼掉？难道就因为我一贫如洗、默默无闻、长相平庸、个子瘦小，就没有灵魂和心肠了？你想错了！我的心灵跟你一样丰富，我的心胸跟你一样充实！要是上帝赐予我一点姿色和财富，我会使你难以离开我，就像现在我很难离开你一样。我不是根据习俗、常规，甚至也不是血肉之躯同你说话，而是我的灵魂同你的灵魂在对话，就仿佛我们两人穿过坟墓，站在上帝脚下，彼此平等，本来就如此！”
［注释］
-retort [rɪˈtɔːt] v. 反驳，反击 to present a counterargument to
-automaton [ɔːˈtɒmətən] n. 机器人 a robot
-morsel [ˈmɔːsəl] n . （食物）一口，少量 a small piece of food
-snatch [snæʧ] v. 攫取 to grasp suddenly
-dash [dæʃ] v. 泼溅 to splash
-obscure [əbˈskjʊə(r)] adj. 身份卑微的 being of undistinguished or humble station or reputation
-conventionality [kənˌvenʃəˈnælətɪ] n. 惯例，俗套，老一套 the rules of conventional social behavior
-mortal [ˈmɔːtl] adj. 人类的 of mankind, human
-grave [ɡreɪv] n. 墓穴，坟墓 a place of burial
［作者简介］
夏洛蒂·勃朗特（Charlotte Brontë, 1816-1854），英国女作家，代表作《简·爱》具有浓厚的浪漫主义色彩，表现女性既要爱情也要自由平等的思想，其他小说有《雪莉》、《维莱特》等。
《简·爱》深刻地影响了后世文学作品和文学理论。首先，它对女性文学产生了重大影响，激励了后世女性作家探讨自我意识、自由和权利等议题，对女性文学运动产生了深远的影响。其次，小说的写实风格和情感表达方式也对后世文学产生了重要的启发，影响了很多作家的创作风格和文学观念。此外，《简·爱》也在道德、社会和心理层面引发了广泛的讨论，对当时英国社会产生了积极的影响。