The Latest Breaking News from Jane Eyre

The author on the trouble with the Brönte novels, what she gained from reading John Updike and Martin Amis – and the brilliance of Barbara Pym

Journalist, literary critic, food writer and columnist whose work graced the Observer for 24 years

To mark the 250th anniversary of her birth, we’re pitting Jane Austen’s much-loved novels against each other in a battle of wit, charm and romance. Six leading Austen experts have made their case for her ultimate novel, but the winner is down to you. Cast your vote in the poll…

FLASHBACKS: Two decades since its release, Joe Wright’s lush interpretation of Jane Austen’s classic novel – starring an Oscar-nominated Keira Knightley – remains a swoon-worthy generational touchstone for millennials and Gen Z. Clarisse Loughrey salutes its legacy, its daring… and its infamous hand flex

In our guides to the classics, experts explain key literary works.

AN immersive exhibition celebrating the work of a Scottish-Ghanian poet will open its doors in Glasgow next month ...

Whether it's Jane Austen's early trailblazers or modern heroines, these women prove why girls really do run the world

Letter: Michèle Roberts responds to an article by Sarah Moss on literary heroines being thin

As a bullied schoolgirl, the writer starved herself while greedily consuming classic novels. Looking back, she asks if their fragile heroines played a part in her increasingly dangerous attempts to lose weight