Jane Eyre's Sisters: How Women Live and Write the Heroine's Story

Joseph Campbell's model of the hero's journey doesn't work for women, says author Jody Bower. We need a different model to do justice to a woman's experience of moving beyond the expectations of conventional societal roles to find her true, creative self.

To explore the pattern of the woman's heroic journey in contrast to a man's, Bower draws from 19th century novels written by women as well as from ancient mythology, traditional folk tales, and work by contemporary women writers.

She also brings her background in Jungian psychology to bear in discussing important archetypes such as the Witch, the Odd Woman, and the aletis, Greek for "wandering heroine."

Readers of both genders will learn much about the feminine process of inner development in this lively, warm, and insightful book.