When Jane Eyre was published in 1847 under the pen name Currer Bell, reviewers argued about whether the author was a man or a woman. What they agreed on was that they had never heard a voice quite like this one.
"There was no possibility of taking a walk that day."
One of the most famous opening lines in English fiction, and one of the most economical. It sets weather, mood, confinement, and — crucially — a child's clear-eyed refusal to pretend otherwise. From the first sentence Jane tells you what is and is not the case. She does not narrate to charm. She narrates to settle the record.