It is a truth universally acknowledged that 2025 is a momentous year for Jane Austen fans. Dec. 16 marks the 250th anniversary of Austen’s birth, and Janeites around the world have been celebrating in ways both big and small. Libraries, bookstores, and literary clubs have hosted events, and historical sites and museums have held costumed galas for legions of Austen devotees.
It appears that Jane Austen’s life and novels are more popular than ever, spawning a cottage industry of Austen-inspired gifts, books, and products for diehard fans as well as new followers of her work.
The television and movie industries have also capitalized on this occasion by offering new renditions of the old classics. Masterpiece Theater’s Miss Austen, based on the novel by Gill Hornsby, debuted this year, with plans to film a second season. SONY released the French independent film Jane Austen Wrecked My Life in the U.S., and Netflix will soon be streaming a version of Pride and Prejudice starring Olivia Colman and Jack Lowden. Britbox is working on an adaptation of Janice Hadlow’s novel The Other Bennet Sister, with hopes of a 2026 release.
A casual reader may dismiss Austen as a precursor to Chick Lit, but her life and novels are much more complicated than the stuff of romance. In dismissing the genius of Austen, critics are neglecting to consider the complexity of Austen’s life and the societal rules and norms of Regency England.
Austen was the daughter of an Anglican clergyman, and her deep faith and moral compass are reflected in many of her characters. As a sister to brothers who fought in the Napoleonic Wars, she understood the political climate of her time. And while one brother had the privilege of becoming wealthy landed gentry, she experienced a genteel poverty, along with her mother and elder sister, after their father’s death.
Austen saw a small degree of acclaim after the publication of several of her novels, but nothing near the notoriety that was gained after her death at the age of 41. Her six finished novels, along with several incomplete works, still remain popular two centuries later. That is no small feat for a spinster clergyman’s daughter.
Today, we can celebrate the genius that is Jane Austen in a variety of ways.
Take an Online Course
Hillsdale College offers a free online course on the famous writer, “The Young Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey.” Taught by English professor Lorraine Murphy, this course explores the early life and writing of Austen in a series of six lessons while exploring Austen’s early gothic novel.
Host an Austen-Inspired Tea Party
What could be more British than a tea party?
Chapters Tea and Co. offers the perfect pairings for a literary celebration. Try brewing a pot of “A Date with Mr. Darcy” or “Picnic at Pemberley.” Ask friends to bring their favorite Austen novel and take turns reading passages. Looking for a party favor? Check out the custom artwork featured in bookmarks at the Chapters Tea and Co. website.
Watch an Austen-Inspired Movie
You can’t go wrong with a BBC Masterpiece Theater production. But you can go wrong with a poorly executed Netflix movie. And yes, I’m looking at you, Persuasion.
Miss Austen
Released in May 2025, this four-part series featuring Keeley Hawes tells the story of Jane’s sister, Cassandra, who was notorious for burning most of Jane’s correspondence after her death in an effort to secure her legacy. Based on the novel by Gill Hornsby.
Sanditon
Based on Austen’s unfinished novel, the BBC series enjoyed three seasons and ended in 2023.
Pride and Prejudice
Austen fans have opinions, and they share them strongly when it comes to their favorite Mr. Darcy. Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen? Watch the 1995 series followed by the 2005 film and cast your own vote.
Emma
The title character may well be the least likable Austen heroine for readers, and yet the book has spawned many movie versions. Looking for the modern spin? Watch Clueless (1995) with Alicia Silverstone for a fun retelling.
Other movies worth watching: Sense and Sensibility (1995), Mansfield Park (1999), Persuasion (2007), and Love and Friendship (2016).
Study Austen’s Life
Readers are fascinated by Austen’s life, and British touring companies have offered pilgrimages to historical sites such as Steventon, Bath, and Chawton, culminating with a visit to Winchester Cathedral, Austen’s final resting place. Armchair travelers can find all they need to know about Austen’s daily life — from the books she read and the foods she ate to the flowers and trees in her gardens — in books like the following: Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley; Jane Austen’s Garden by Molly Williams; Jane Austen’s Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney; Becoming Jane Austen by Jon Spence; Jane Austen, A Life by Carol Shields; and A Walk with Jane Austen by Lori Smith.
Read Austen’s Prayers
Austen’s faith was an important part of her daily life. She was well-catechized in the church, with a father and two brothers entering the clergy. As a family unit, they shared morning and evening prayers, grace before meals, and two worship services each Sunday. They spent evenings reading poetry, literature, and Jane’s witty writing. They also read sermons and Scripture together. She faithfully lived out her vocation as daughter, sister, aunt, and neighbor through familial visits or letters of encouragement.
It should not come as a surprise that this wordsmith also composed her own prayers. Three of these prayers were written in Jane’s own hand and saved for posterity, offering us a rare glimpse into Austen’s heart and soul. It has been noted that her elder sister, Cassandra, treasured these prayers and kept them to re-read often.
Here are four devotionals that use Jane’s prayers, scripture verses, and excerpts from her novels to give daily encouragement: Jane Austen’s Prayers by Emma Darlington; Praying with Jane by Rachel Dodge; Prayer and Praise: A Jane Austen Devotional by Shannon Winslow; and A Jane Austen Devotional by Steffany Woolsey.
Mary Rose Kulczak is a writer for various parent and child publications. She is a wife and mother of three sons and one daughter-in-law, and currently resides in Saline, Michigan.
