During 1848, shortly after the appearance of Jane Eyre, Victorians themselves believed that the Victorian novel was the genre least likely to survive into the next generation. A novel based only on the mores and customs of Victorian society would surely hold limited value today, except as a historical document. Nevertheless, that idea has turned out to be very wrong. Victorian novelists have demonstrated a staying power and value and Jane Eyre retains power, force, and strong value, even in a post-modern world.
             To evaluate why Jane Eyre is a valued text, one must look at critical perspectives on why it was valued during Victorian times as well as why the novel is valued today, 150 years after its original publication. During the early 20th century, Jane Eyre was valued because of things such as language and themes. One must consider that as the world changed and moved toward the 21st century, critics came to see that the novel had other readings in it, such as feminist and Marxist values, and more reasons for why the novel was valued came about.
             A novel creates its own internal world through the language that it uses. Thackary once quoted, "Who the author can be I can't guess, if a woman, she knows her language better that most ladies do. It is a fine book, the style very generous and upright". What appealed to Thackary and what gave Jane Eyre value was the quality of the writing. The language. The clear, forceful, unartificial writing, so different from the usual novels from other female writers at the time. Part of the appeal is due to Bronte's technical skills, especially in the handling of the first person narrative. Bronte develops a personal relationship with the readers through her characters, especially through direct addresses, e.g. 'Reader, I married him'. Bronte's language, style, and characters are reasons for why Jane Eyre was a valued text in the early 20th century.
             Critic Anthony Trollope stated that "Jane Eyr...