Jane Austen 250th birth anniversary: Follow this guide to explore life and works

Our Fave Characters From Novels Fanny PriceMansfield Park The author is best remembered for her bold witty heroines like Lizzie Bennet a rarity at the time but one of Austenrsquos best qualities is in character range Often overlooked because of her quiet demeanour Fanny Price grows up in a dysfunctional family Shersquos sent off to Mansfield by her mother when shersquos 10 and lives with the Bertrams who mistreat her Her inner life is central to the novel as is her freedom Lady RussellPersuasion When Anne Elliotrsquos mother passes away Lady Russell her godmother steps in to play a significant role in her life acting as her adviser and confidante She loves Anne and helps her father Sir Walter Elliot during financial distress Much like the mothers in Austenrsquos other novels Lady Russell isnrsquot free from flaws and talks Anne out of marrying the man she lovesThe late Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon Pics CourtesyYouTube Colonel BrandonSense and Sensibility From the beginning we notice Colonel Brandonrsquos attention towards Marianne and his respect for her music His love for her is selfless when he finds out she is in love with Willoughby he steps back and respects her choice His masculinity is gentle Marianne finds Brandon dull initially calling him ldquoan absolute old bachelorrdquo but slowly discovers a deeper complexity within him Isabella Thorpe from Northanger Abbey Isabella isnrsquot the protagonist but shersquos one of the most colourful of Austenrsquos characters She befriends Catherine Morland the heroine of the novel and in her effort to marry a man of higher social status creates many problems She ends up being deceitful to Catherine and harbours no remorse for her manipulative behaviour Her villainy makes her unlikeable but by writing such characters well Austen adds drama and tension to her plotsAVAILABLE Leading bookstores and estoresListen The Thing About Austen podcast The podcast picks up instances from the novel like white soup on the menu Mrs Dashwoodrsquos obsession with linen gentlemenrsquos clubs etc to unpack what these meant at the time The hosts make cool observations about events and characters and invite guests who are contributors to the adaptations or scholars in the subjectA portrait of Jane Austen Pics CourtesyWikimedia Commons A Jane Austen Year A podcast by those who work in the Austen House in Hampshire this is a brandnew monthly chat with only two episodes out so far The hosts observe objects from the house and share fascinating details about these mdash from the miniature portrait of Tom Lefroy her early lover to a close friend Martha Lloydrsquos household book with remediesLOG ON TO Spotify ApplePride and Prejudice is one of the most popular titlesWatchEmma Thompson and Kate Winslet in Sense and Sensbility Sense and Sensibility 1995 Starring Emma Thompson as Elinor Dashwood and Kate Winslet as Marianne with Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman playing their suitors this film is one of the finest adaptations of the book Thompson wrote the Academy awardwinning screenplay and the film follows the story of the Dashwood sisters and their lives in Barton Cottage EnglandLOG ON TO Apple TV Pride and Prejudice 2005 Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy two famous Austen characters make their way into this adaptation starring Keira Knightley Judi Dench and Matthew Macfadyen The film is an essential watch for Austen readers who are looking for captivating performances Also check out the 1995 TV adaptation of the novelLOG ON TO Amazon PrimeComing Soon Look out for a 4part BBC Series called Miss Austen 2025 based on the life of Cassandra Austen Janersquos sisterThe Austen House in HampshireShop Recipe book Tea with Austen by Pen Vogler Try these recipes of goodies picked up from Austenian letters and novels The delights range from buttered apple tarts to gingerbread plum cake cookies Sally Lunn buns and muffins Give your loved ones some teatime treatsLOG ON TO Amazon Sign up for this newsletter The Austen Connection Herersquos a newsletter that looks at the author from a modern lens and understands how the novels connect to us today Theyrsquore currently hosting an all year long readalong to celebrate the author Join in this Sunday as they begin with the posthumously published novel Northanger AbbeySubscribe Substack Jane Austen ndash A Card and Trivia Game With 52 illustrated cards this consists of different minigames within Since a side of it has illustrations one can play it as a memory game like Snap or a triviabased game with questions from the novels or challenges that will prod you to know Austen betterLOG ON TO AmazonAlso check outTote bags LOG ON TO bookishlycoukJane Austen themed tshirtLOG ON TO thefourthdimensionclub