For the arts team at The Conversation, 2025 will largely be remembered as the year of Jane Austen. Since January, we have been tirelessly working towards December 16, which marked 250 years since her birth. To celebrate, we explored the world of Austen in a series of articles plus a six-part podcast – to determine the best of her work and get to know the elusive writer behind them.
The scholarship on Austen is incredibly diverse. We have published fascinating pieces from experts all over the country – some exploring specific themes in her books such as walking as an act of female resistance, and respite as an ingredient for romance. Others delved into the history of her time and how it’s represented in her work – exploring, for example, Regency balls and contemporary diversity.
We have chosen ten of our favourite articles and collated them into a free ebook, which you can download here.
This article is part of a series commemorating the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth. Despite having published only six books, she is one of the best-known authors in history. These articles explore the legacy and life of this incredible writer.
Fans of Jane Austen have very strong feelings regarding her work, and we also wanted to find out what our readers love most about her literary worlds. In that spirit, arts and culture editor Anna Walker launched the Jane Austen Fight Club: a series of articles where academics made the case for their favourite novel, heroine and leading man. Each includes the opportunity for you to have your say.
Let us know which of her books you think is best by answering the poll below.
The cherry on the top of the Austen sundae is our podcast, Jane Austen’s Paper Trail. Over six episodes – one for each of her major novels – we take you on a journey through the writer’s life and times with the help of some of the UK’s top Austen experts.
Along the way, we enjoy some buns in a scandal-filled tearoom in Bath to ask whether Austen was a gossip; we attend a glittering Regency ball to find out whether she was a romantic; and we call on her house in Hampshire to find out what she thought about being a writer. We also dive into the pages of each book to see what more we can glean with the help of our Austen specialists.
There will be a final bonus episode in January 2026, in which we will answer listeners’ questions with a panel of experts. So please tell us what you’d most like to know about Austen and her work, either by emailing podcast@theconversation.com or in the comments below.
I have to confess something. Before this year, if you had asked me if I liked Jane Austen, I would have said no. I enjoyed the humour in the few books I had read and appreciated the skill of her writing, but found the formulaic narrative arcs frustrating. They ended too neatly, in my opinion.
Having got to know her intimately this year, you’ll be glad to hear my opinion has changed. I now have a deep and sincere reverence for her books – particularly Northanger Abbey, which is such a funny and incisive takedown of snobby readers. While I am ready to move on to 2026, I must admit I feel a little sad to be leaving Miss Austen behind.
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This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
