The ‘Mr. Darcys’ & ‘Elizabeth Bennets’ | Why we’re still so taken with Jane Austen’s stories 250 years on

A call to celebrate Jane Austen’s 250th anniversary and explore why her novels, characters, and film adaptations continue to captivate readers and audiences worldwide.

This year is 250 years since Jane Austen's birth — a milestone that acknowledges her stories being as witty, fresh, and relevant as ever (even if her sentences run a little longer than contemporary authors prefer). 

As the literary world marks Jane Austen’s 250th anniversary, it celebrates the notable accomplishment that her voice still resonates and her novels remain companions across generations. 

From Regency-era drawing rooms to modern-day cinema screens, her words continue to inspire and intrigue readers, writers, and filmmakers. 

‘Janeite’ is the term for Austen devotees — enthusiastic, scholarly, sometimes obsessive fans of her life, novels, and adaptations. According to Austen scholar, Claudia Johnson, Janeitism is “the self-consciously idolatrous enthusiasm for 'Jane' and every detail relative to her"

I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a Janeite, but I am a loyal fan with a deep appreciation for her novels, characters, turn of phrase, and sharp social commentary. (I've been fortunate to ‘visit’ her in Bath and ‘leave my calling card’ at her Chawton home.)

Jane Austen's literary legacy

Having first discovered Jane Austen in high school, she followed me to varsity. It wasn’t only her stories and characters that I found compelling; Jane herself, as a person, captured my imagination. 

The ‘writer’ in me had found a kindred spirit. 

Her father was a clergyman (something I can relate to). She observed the world with curiosity and wit (which I find inspiring). And she kept close connections through letter writing (a personal touch I miss). 

❝Let us never underestimate the power of a well-written letter. -Karen Joy Fowler.

The more I read biographies or historical fiction of Jane Austen, I've concluded that aspects of her personality have found expression in her characters, making them feel even more alive, engaging, and accessible. 

And despite the context of social constraints in which her stories found a voice, I fell in love with the idea of her world. 

We all have our favourites: the Dashwood sisters, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, Emma Woodhouse and George Knightley, or Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth. But even her so-called ‘lesser’ characters are drawn with a precision that leaves their mark, offering surprising insights into ourselves and the world around us; a testament to Austen’s keen eye for human nature. (Mr. Collins' absurd pomposity, Lady Catherine’s imperious meddling, and Mary Crawford’s charm laced with self-interest.)

Why do we keep coming back to Jane Austen?

At first glance, her world looks nothing like ours: parlours, carriage rides, chaperones, smelling salts, strict societal codes, odd rules of etiquette, gentlemen’s estates, and long walks across the English countryside. 

❝It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. -Pride and Prejudice

But look a little deeper, and you’ll find timeless themes - love, ambition, pride, self-discovery, and the intricate dance of human relationships. 

Austen’s heroines - Elizabeth Bennet, Emma Woodhouse, Anne Elliot, and Fanny Price - remain beloved not simply because of the period they lived in, but because their desires, dilemmas, and resilience feel strikingly modern and relatable. It could be because they were generally equipped with more intelligence and propriety than did them good. 

❝Always resignation and acceptance. Always prudence and honour and duty Elinor, where is your heart? -Sense and Sensibility

Her characters connect with us today - they’re flawed, funny, stubborn, insecure, and wonderfully human. 

❝Laugh as much as you choose, but you will not laugh me out of my opinion. -Pride and Prejudice

A trailblazer in her time

Jane Austen was writing at a time when novels weren’t taken seriously, and women’s voices were sidelined.

She changed that. 

With acuity, simple irony, and a clear eye, she transformed everyday life—the drama of families, friendships, and social gatherings—into art. In many ways, she gave the domestic sphere serious literary weight and helped lay the groundwork for the modern novel.

❝The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid.❞ -Northanger Abbey

She pioneered a new kind of literature, blending social critique and gentle satire with humour, romance, and brilliant dialogue that revealed both the constraints and possibilities of everyday life.

For women especially, Austen’s characters displayed independence and moral courage at a time when such traits were rarely celebrated in life or literature.

From page to screen

Another reason Austen has lasted? She adapts beautifully. Her stories just work — whether in faithful period pieces or clever modern reinterpretations.

These retellings prove that Austen’s core narratives - of love tested by misunderstanding, of journeys towards self-knowledge, of navigating societal expectations - are endlessly renewable. 

Two and a half centuries later, filmmakers and streaming platforms are still reimagining her work, with fresh adaptations of Pride and Prejudice proving, time and again, that Austen’s stories never lose their appeal — or their audiences.

Why Austen still matters

Two and a half centuries later, Jane Austen is more than a literary figure; she is a cultural touchstone. 

Don’t reduce her to just  ‘classic literature’ meant only for academic slog. 

She’s a writer who captures the joys and frustrations of being human. Her characters are now archetypes of storytelling itself. Darcy, the brooding hero. Elizabeth, the spirited heroine. They feel like people we know - or wish we knew.

Her stories offer us comfort and spark debate. They remind us that while times change, her storylines still connect with us.

❝I declare, after all, there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library. -Pride and Prejudice

I don't know which is your favourite Jane Austen novel, or perhaps you haven’t opened one in years. (Maybe you’ve never read one.) Now is the perfect time to revisit and engage her world. 

Jane Austen's 250th anniversary reminds me to return to her classics on my shelf and reacquaint myself with her Regency characters, acerbic banter, and elegant wit. 

Pick up a copy and appreciate the penmanship of a literary genius whose tenacity and discipline in honing her craft have left us with a gift. It’s a small tribute to a remarkable writer - one whose voice still feels alive 250 years on. 

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Written by Leanne Johnson