Summary: Publisher Summary 1 In the 30 years since this work was first published, the reputation of Eagleton (now a professor of cultural theory at the U. of Manchester, UK) as one of the foremost Marxist literary theorists has only grown. In this work he deploys a Marxist-structural approach indebted to the work of Lucien Goldmann to readings of the Bront毛 sisters, seeking to bring together text, author, ideology, social class, and productive forces by the mediatory concept of categorical structure. Works that receive particular attention include Jane Eyre, The Professor, Shirley, Villette, and Wuthering Heights. Annotation 漏2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)   Publisher Summary 2 This book sets out to interpret the fiction of the Brontë sisters in light of a Marxist analysis of the historical conditions in which it was produced. Its aim is not merely to relate literary facts, but by a close critical examination of the novels, to find in them a significant structure of ideas and values which related to the Brontës' ambiguous situation within the class system of their society. Its intention is to forge close relations between the novels, nineteenth-century ideology, and historical forces, in order to illuminate the novels themselves in a radically new perspective. When originally published in 1975 (second edition in 1988), it was the first full-length Marxist study of the Brontës and is now reissued to celebrate 30 years since its first publication. It includes a new Introduction by Terry Eagleton that reflects the changes that have happened in Marxist literary criticism since 1988, and situates this reissue in current debates.   Publisher Summary 3 Reissue of Eagleton's classic text, including a new Introduction for its 30th anniversary (first published 1975, 2nd edition 1988).   Publisher Summary 4 This book sets out to interpret the fiction of the Brontë sisters in light of a Marxist analysis of the historical conditions in which it was produced. Its aim is not merely to relate literary facts, but by a close critical examination of the novels, to find in them a significant structure of ideas and values which related to the Brontës' ambiguous situation within the class system of their society. Its intention is to forge close relations between the novels, nineteenth-century ideology, and historical forces, in order to illuminate the novels themselves in a radically new perspective. When originally published in 1975 (second edition in 1988), it was the first full-length Marxist study of the Brontës and is now reissued to celebrate 30 years since its first publication. It includes a new Introduction by Terry Eagleton that reflects the changes that have happened in Marxist literary criticism since 1988, and situates this reissue in current debates.