250 (& More) Reasons We Love Jane Austen
Born on December 16, 1775, Jane Austen turns 250 this year. Help us celebrate!
Everyone has their own reason for adoring Jane Austen, and we would all love to hear yours. Whether it's as simple as "Mrs. Bennet's nerves," a favorite witty line, or a heartfelt toast, we're gathering a joyful collection of 250—and more!—reasons you, her readers and fans, appreciate her. Join us in celebrating the incomparable Jane!
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Comments
Chris Hench Dec 31, 2025, 5:04 AM (2 months ago)
In addition to what others have commented, JASNA has provided wonderful family bonding for us. My husband, my daughter and I are all enthusiastic Janeites! In addition, we have many friends we never would have met if it hadn't been for Jane.
Molly Gribble Dec 31, 2025, 4:11 AM (2 months ago)
I was recently at a celebration of Jane Austen’s 250th birthday at the local library. Someone asked the speaker why we were celebrating the 250th birthday of Jane Austen and not Charlotte or Emily Bronte. One person suggested that it might be our need to escape. I asked if it might be that her characters so cleverly challenged men (sometimes to the point of redemption), and this is why we still need her. It is also the reason that she was both beloved and hated. Some men are threatened by a woman just challenging them, but a woman who can deliver the challenge cleverly is downright inconvenient and dangerous to their tightly held ideology.
Mark Twain once famously said, "Every time I read Pride and Prejudice, I want to dig Austen up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone." Yet he kept reading her works over and over again.
Daniel F Read Dec 31, 2025, 3:58 AM (2 months ago)
My parents divorced when I was 16. My mom had fought for decades to escape my father's nomination. So I think Jane really speaks to me that women can be their own people and with sympathetic egalitarian men they can have true happiness in marriage. After 40 years of being married I am glad to be one of those who have found it. The writing is also great which makes it a lot of fun to read and reread these wonderful books.
Catherine J. Golden Dec 30, 2025, 8:04 PM (2 months ago)
It is a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen's novels are timeless. In her six published novels, Austen leads us into Regency ballrooms, country estates, and the English countryside but ultimately teaches us much about human emotions. The more I reread her novels, the more I have come to appreciate her sense of humor, too.
Christina Stanley Dec 26, 2025, 12:39 PM (2 months ago)
There are many things I love about Jane Austen’s work, but the sisterly bonds that so often thread through her works fill my heart with pleasure. Such as Lizzy’s comment to Jane:” I was uncomfortable enough, I may say unhappy. And with no one to speak to about what I felt, no Jane to comfort me and say that I had not been so very weak and vain and nonsensical as I knew I had! Oh! How I wanted you!”
Lidia Martínez Dec 18, 2025, 2:46 PM (3 months ago)
Me encanta la narrativa de Jean, tan descriptiva que al leerla se introduce uno en el diálogo, los campos y caminatas que hacen sus personajes.
Además de luchar siempre por sus sueños e ideales.
Translation: I love Jean's writing style; it's so descriptive that when you read it, you feel completely immersed in the dialogue, the landscapes, and the journeys her characters experience. She also consistently portrays characters who fight for their dreams and ideals.
Indira M. Raman Dec 18, 2025, 6:02 AM (3 months ago)
I am a lab scientist and professor. When I read Jane Austen's books, I not only love the language, wit, character studies, and depiction of life, but I also find outstanding depictions of scientific, non-scientific, and pseudoscientific thinking. The way she captures (and spoofs) the best and the worst of a scientific approach is both impressive and delightful. And also instructive!
Ellie Donnay Dec 17, 2025, 10:09 AM (3 months ago)
I love Jane's work because of the eloquent, heartfelt, and witty style of her writing. Unlike a lot of romance novels, her works are all clean and smut-free, instead focusing on building relationships and upholding morals. Jane Austen was a remarkable woman who paved the way for female writers of today, in addition to giving us some of the greatest novels of all time.
Nancy K. Kincaid Dec 16, 2025, 7:40 PM (3 months ago)
Each of her books deserves a yearly re-read. So many great quotes to discover again, for the first time.
Natascha Franco Dec 16, 2025, 4:40 PM (3 months ago)
Her social commentary, her biting wit, the diagramming of diabolical duos, the yearning for love and acceptance always inspire new and fresh analysis.
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