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250 (& More) Reasons We Love Jane Austen

Austen at 250 logo with fireworks in background



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

  • Haley Campbell Aug 18, 2025, 4:28 AM (16 days ago)

    Her works make me “completely and perfectly and incandescently happy.” Whether it’s reading the originals or watching an adaptation. Her life and works inspired me to take up sewing, something I absolutely adore now. She is a lover and a dreamer and an inspiration to do both.

  • Lynn Trundle Aug 17, 2025, 6:54 PM (17 days ago)

    Why do I love Jane? Because, to paraphrase another great author, her bounty is as boundless as the sea, and my love as deep. The more I give to her works, the more I have to discover and cherish, for both she and the sea are infinite.

  • Dianna Lara Aug 17, 2025, 2:32 PM (17 days ago)

    I love Jane Austen for her ability to cast a spell on me with just one perfectly crafted first line that told me everything I needed to know about what was waiting for me in the next 400-plus pages. As a young college student required to read P&P, I dreaded the assignment, imagining the book would be a literary lobotomy. But the day I finally cracked it open--less than a week before the essay was due--and read that first line, I knew I had grossly misjudged the work. Yes, I fell in love with Elizabeth and Darcy, but I adored Austen for her sharp wit and mastery as a storyteller. That first taste of Austen only made me want more, and I was delighted to find that her characters were as different from one another as Elizabeth was to Lydia. Fanny Price ended up being my favorite Austen heroine--because of all of them, I was most like her, but Persuasion became my favorite Austen work. Oh, how I longed to be love with the kind of love that could smolder for a decade through separation and misunderstanding and still never burn out! I always found something in Austen's imperfect characters that reminded me of myself, and their trademark blissful, happy endings after a bit of scandal, mess, and despair, gave me hope for a happy ending of my own.

  • Vaishnavi Singh Aug 3, 2025, 10:35 PM (31 days ago)

    Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice was the first book I read in my life. . . The way she portrayed every character every dialogue and emotions is commendable and i love love her.

  • Czésar de Lara Obligado Aug 3, 2025, 10:04 PM (31 days ago)

    I love Jane Austen because she masterfully illustrates how cultural capital—intellect, wit, and self-possession—serves as the true “currency” in the intricate economy of romantic attraction. Her narratives, particularly Pride and Prejudice, transcend mere financial considerations. She reveals that genuine affection is forged through a challenging yet rewarding exchange of character and sensibility. Austen proves that even in a society obsessed with status, the most profound connections are built on something far more enduring than wealth.

  • Maria Lucia Riccioli Jul 31, 2025, 5:17 AM (34 days ago)

    There's always a Jane Austen quote to use in life. Jane is a friend, a writing companion—I've dedicated stories and essays to her and hope to do even more—a consolation in sad times... Jane Austen and the films and TV series based on her books are family, friendship, warmth, affinity. Jane is the music of her time, sung and played to pay homage to her... Thank you, Jane, for all the joy and spirit you've brought to my life.

  • Amy Stenlund Jul 30, 2025, 8:33 PM (35 days ago)

    I will have to say that her heroines go on the top of my list for reasons I love Jane Austen. I saw the quote that follows on a poster once and I loved this brief commentary on Austen's heroines.
    " Jane Austen taught me to be: independent like Elizabeth, observant like Fanny, confident like Emma, creative like Catherine, and patient like Anne."
    So, yes, her heroines are the top reason I love Jane Austen she gave us these amazing women to admire and learn from, cry with and laugh with and hope with.

  • Sue Brown Jul 30, 2025, 3:44 PM (35 days ago)

    Whatever the season of life you're in, there is a Jane Austen novel or character to relate to. Looking for love? Try Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility. Are you a Queen Bee, or know a Queen Bee? Try Emma. Recovering from bad relationship choices, or dating a rake? Try Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, or Mansfield Park. Swooning for fairytales or Gothic themes? Try Northanger Abbey. Have some narky relatives or acquaintances? Try Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, Emma or Persuasion. Have a broken heart, or seeking a second chance at love? Try Persuasion. Whatever is happening in your life, there's a Jane Austen character, theme, plot or novel for you to curl up with and enjoy. And as you move through life, you can enjoy the novels anew and appreciate different characters. What's not to love?

  • Maria Biajoli Jul 30, 2025, 2:35 PM (35 days ago)

    There is always something new to discover in her novels, a detail you never noticed before, a small mark of her perspicacity and intelligence, even if you are rereading them for the hundredth time! She was truly extraordinay and unique in that way.

  • Natalie Davies Jul 30, 2025, 1:35 PM (35 days ago)

    Jane gives us a rich, inimitable taste of what it was like to be a young woman in England in the 19th Century. Her work is priceless.

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