Opinion: As Jane Austen turns 250, a definitive ranking of her novels and why the true power of Austen is still to be found in her written work
Jane Austen turns 250 this year and remains a mainstay of popular culture. Her books were adapted for TV and film as early as 1938 and spawned retellings such as Clueless (1995), Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) and Bride & Prejudice (2004).
Yet, the true power of Austen is still to be found in her written work. She is primarily known for six novels, two of which were published posthumously, following her death at the age of 41. These are: Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), Emma (1816), Northanger Abbey (1818) and Persuasion (1818).
I have always been an Austen fan and recently made it my mission to read all six novels, completing the task last year. Each one resonated with me in a different way but I certainly had my favourites, so here’s my definitive Austen ranking.
From RTÉ Radio 1's Brendan O'Connor show, Dr Ellen Howley on Austen's impact on the world of the romcom, her legacy and why we are still beguiled by her words
(6) Sense and Sensibility (1811)
I’ll admit, I had seen the wonderful 1995 Emma Thompson/Ang Lee adaption before reading the novel and loved it. So, it’s maybe not surprising that the book somewhat disappointed.
The novel focuses on the lives and loves of sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood who are forced to leave the family estate when their father dies and their half-brother kicks them out alongside their widowed mother and younger sister.
It is the first novel Austen published novel and it doesn’t have the insight or sharpness of some of her later works. Elements that rehearse plot points of later novels are on display – the economic need for marriage, the careless cad, sisterly bonds – but the final pairings didn’t make sense to me, and it’s not as accomplished as her other narratives.
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From RTÉ Archives, an episode of Telefís Scoile on Jane Austen's Persuasion, broadcast in February 1972 and presented by James O'Malley
(5) Persuasion (1818)
Persuasion is usually considered Austen’s most mature work and its heroine, Anne Elliot, is older than most other female protagonists in her books. We meet her seven years after she rejected a proposal of marriage from Captain Wentworth because of his lack of wealth and status. In the intervening years, she comes to regret this and still harbours deep feelings for him.
The novel is set mainly in Bath and the trip to the coastal Lyme Regis and depictions of the Royal Navy are particularly interesting. Having said that, the Anne/Wentworth relationship is more subdued than others Austen depicts. While their reunion is perhaps more true to life, I missed the passion of other couples.
(4) Northanger Abbey (1818)
Published alongside Persuasion, Northanger Abbey partly reveals the dangers of reading too much, alongside an over-active imagination. It is actually one of Austen’s earlier works – thought to be completed in 1779 – although it was not published until after her death.
The heroine, Catherine Morland, is an avid reader of the Gothic fiction popular in the late-eighteenth century and when mysteries present themselves at Northanger Abbey, she concocts a fantasy of intrigue and murder. All’s well that ends well ultimately, and Catherine renounces her childish imaginings.
For me, this was a fun take on imagination and Austen plays with misunderstandings and mystery before returning to a more conventional marriage-plot ending.
From TED-Ed, The wicked wit of Jane Austen with Iseult Gillespie
(3) Emma (1816)
Like many of Austen’s characters, Emma is obsessed with marriage, primarily the marriage of others, making her, at the age of twenty-one, quite the anomaly in Austen’s oeuvre.
Emma believes herself a matchmaker extraordinaire and spends most of the novel trying to arrange the love lives of the people around her. She is rich, so money is not a factor in her own match, and she can be cruel and domineering. Nevertheless, her friend Mr Knightly is in love with her and their eventual union reveals a softer side to Emma.
A real comedy of manners, this novel, the final published during her lifetime, demonstrates Austen’s insight into character and the rules of engagement in her society.
From Oxford University Press, UCL Professor of Modern English Literature John Mullan on whether there's a particular order for reading Jane Austen's works
(2) Mansfield Park (1814)
Perhaps a controversial pick, given that Austen fans tend not to like (and often hate) heroine, Fanny Price. Austen's own mother found her "insipid", and it’s hard not to agree.
At the age of ten, Fanny is set to Mansfield Park to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle. Thrown into society with her Bertram cousins and the Crawford family, Fanny is painfully shy and obedient to a fault.
For me, it was the partly other characters that made this book so enjoyable. The meddling, manipulative Aunt Norris was a thrill to read, while the caddish Henry Crawford, who eventually runs away with a married Maria, made my blood boil. Only great writing can inspire such reactions.
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From RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Sean O'Rourke in 2017, Niall MacMonagle discusses Jane Austen's Mansfield Park
Moreover, the novel has much to say about Austen’s own time. The young people attempt to stage a somewhat racy play at Mansfield Park, while the fact that Lord Bertram is away on his sugar plantation in Antigua became the subject of a well-known and important essay by postcolonial thinker, Edward Said, called "Jane Austen and Empire."
For the general reader and the literary critic alike, Mansfield Park has much to offer.
(1) Pride and Prejudice (1813)
If I provoked anger with my ranking of Mansfield Park, I will hopefully redeem myself by affirming Pride and Prejudice as Austen’s greatest novel.
Austen herself held protagonist, Elizabeth Bennett, in the highest regard calling her as "delightful a creature as ever appeared in print" and the development of her relationship with the proud and standoffish Mr. Darcy is perfectly pitched. There’s tension and suspense, intrigue, humour and a few shock moments, all balanced in an expertly crafted narrative voice.
As a bookish teen, I saw myself as Lizzie and swooned when she finally reunited with Darcy. Nowadays, it is also the sharpness of wit, social and familial commentary and compelling writing that keeps me coming back to Pride and Prejudice.
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
