Pride and Prejudice
A highly accessible and representative introduction to Austen's mature fiction, wit, and social observation.
Author guide
Jane Austen Books in Order
Jane Austen (1775–1817) was an English novelist whose mature fiction explores courtship, marriage, money, class, family, and moral judgment through controlled irony and subtle narrative perspective. Six completed novels were published during her lifetime or shortly after her death: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion. Her surviving work also includes the novella Lady Susan, the unfinished novels The Watsons and Sanditon, and three posthumously published collections of juvenile writings.
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Catalog record updated .
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Sense and Sensibility
Austen's first published novel and a clear entry point to her recurring themes of emotion, judgment, and marriage.
Emma
A mature comic novel showcasing Austen's narrative control, irony, and psychological characterization.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (9)
- Sense and Sensibility
novel · 1811
"Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love - and its threatened loss - the sisters learn…
- Pride and Prejudice
novel · 1813
Love is in the air when five sisters discover that a wealthy and eligible bachelor is suddenly within reach. But it is his friend, the haughty Mr. Darcy, who becomes smitten. Unfortunately for him, the object of his affection is not so…
- Mansfield Park
novel · 1814
Fanny Price is born to a poor family, but is sent to her mother's rich relations to be brought up with her cousins. There she is treated as an inferior by all except her cousin Edmund, whose kindness towards her earns him her steadfast…
- Emma
novel · 1815
Emma, by Jane Austen, is a novel about youthful hubris and the perils of misconstrued romance. The novel was first published in December 1815. As in her other novels, Austen explores the concerns and difficulties of genteel women living…
- Northanger Abbey
novel · 1818
A wonderfully entertaining coming-of-age story, Northanger Abbey is often referred to as Jane Austen's "Gothic parody." The story's unlikely heroine is Catherine Morland, a remarkably innocent seventeen-year-old woman from a country…
- Persuasion
novel · 1818
Persuasion tells the love story of Anne Elliot and Captain Frederick Wentworth, whose sister rents Miss Elliot's father's house, after the Napoleonic Wars come to an end. The story is set in 1814. The book itself is Jane Austen's last…
- Lady Susan
novella · 1871
Beautiful, flirtatious, and recently widowed, Lady Susan Vernon seeks an advantageous second marriage for herself, while attempting to push her daughter into a dismal match. A magnificently crafted novel of Regency manners and mores that…
- The Watsons
unfinished-novel · 1871
Margaret Watson wanted the charming wastrel who already had jilted two of her sisters...Penelope Watson had to decide between a wealthy old man and impecunious young officer...Elizabeth Watson was resigned to spinsterhood since the only…
- Sanditon
unfinished-novel · 1925
Sanditon -- The Watsons -- Lady Susan -- The Juvenilia -- Plan of a novel -- Opinions of Mansfield Park -- Opinions of Emma -- Verses -- Prayers.
Other (3)
- Volume the Second
juvenilia-collection · 1922
For the first time, Jane Austen’s brilliant early manuscripts are available in beautiful facsimile editions. Forever immortalized as the author of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen actually produced her first “books” as a teenager. Taking…
- Volume the First
juvenilia-collection · 1933
- Volume the Third
juvenilia-collection · 1951
For the first time, Jane Austen’s brilliant early manuscripts are available in beautiful facsimile editions. Forever immortalized as the author of Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen actually produced her first “books” as a teenager. Taking…
Frequently asked questions about Jane Austen
Who was Jane Austen?
Jane Austen was an English novelist who lived from 1775 to 1817. She is celebrated for her wit, irony, psychological insight, and keen observation of social life.
Where did Jane Austen live and die?
Austen spent the last eight years of her life at Chawton in Hampshire, where she wrote and revised her novels. She died in Winchester on July 18, 1817, aged 41.
Was Jane Austen published under her own name?
No. Her books were published anonymously during her lifetime, with the earliest identified as written “By a Lady”; she was publicly named as the author only after her death.
Sources: bl.uk (opens in a new tab)commonslibrary.parliament.uk (opens in a new tab)
What influenced Jane Austen’s writing?
Austen’s writing was shaped by her family’s lively literary culture, her extensive reading, and her firsthand knowledge of English country society. Her early stories also parodied the books she read as a teenager.
Sources: janeaustens.house (opens in a new tab)janeaustensociety.org.uk (opens in a new tab)
Why is Jane Austen still important today?
Austen helped develop the modern novel through realistic characters, social observation, irony, and innovative narrative perspective. Her work remains widely translated and frequently adapted for film, television, and theatre.
Sources: janeaustens.house (opens in a new tab)commonslibrary.parliament.uk (opens in a new tab)