Where to start with Jane Austen
You may have first encountered Jane Austen through a TV or film adaptation (here’s looking at you, BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice) then, upon reading the source material, found the book was just as witty, clever and engaging.
However, if you’re an Austen newbie, knowing where to start with the author can feel a little daunting. These are ‘classics’ after all, a category that isn’t always associated with particularly easy reads.
But you’re in safe hands with Austen. One of the things that makes her work so enduring is how easy it is to read, despite being written well over 200 years ago. Austen remains adored to this day for her sharp social commentary and her vivid, complex characters, which mean her novels continue to entertain and enchant. The setting may be historical, but they remain more relevant and relatable than ever.
To help get you started on your Austen journey, we’ve put together a guide to her work, including which book to start with and what to read next.
Do you have to read Jane Austen in order?
No, you don’t need to read Jane Austen in either the order they were written or published. All of Austen’s books are standalone; there’s no extended Austen-verse or overarching, multi-novel plots to grapple with.
Ultimately, the order you should read Austen's body of work hugely depends on what you are looking to get from the books, or what you already enjoy reading. However, to get you started, we have pulled together the following list to guide you through her books, including key themes and what you can expect from her world of strongwilled heroines, romantic heroes, and Regency balls.
Recommended reading order for Jane Austen’s books
Frequently asked questions
How many books did Jane Austen write?
Jane Austen wrote six complete novels, along with some unfinished works and pieces she wrote during her youth, known as juvenilia.
What is the easiest Jane Austen book to read?
When it comes to figuring out what is Austen’s ‘easiest’ to read work, there’s no straightforward answer.
Whilst Northanger Abbey is the shortest and has a relatively straightforward plot, having prior knowledge of Gothic literature and its tropes makes for a far richer reading experience and helps to understand the parody at play. And although Pride and Prejudice is much longer, if you’re already familiar with the story and characters from the TV series or film, you’ll have a good grasp of what’s happening.
The good news is that, across the board, the language Austen uses is not complex or deeply archaic. There might be turns of phrase that point to the time period she was writing in, but the vast majority of the language is recognisable to modern readers.
Did Austen write anything else?
Along with novels, Austen also wrote a lot of marginalia and other vignettes, as well as a short novel that she never submitted for publication.
Available as a Little Clothbound Classic, Lady Susan, is a darkly funny story of a beautiful widow in her thirties who enjoys toying with men for her own entertainment. Determined to find a new match for herself (and for her daughter) she descends on her brother and sister-in-law, where chaos ensues.
Then there’s Love and Friendship, a novel Austen wrote when she was 14. Thought to have been written to entertain her family, this parody of romantic novels is a fascinating introduction to Austen’s sparkling wit and her disdain for romantic clichés.
