In recent years she has been one of the hottest authors around. Not bad for a gal who's been dead for 180 years. The Jane Austen resurgence has captured a lot of new fans for the doyenne of domestic gentility. Her six novels reflect a keen sense of irony about the social institutions of her time. In each, love is delayed by a series of difficulties, but through self-knowledge and experience, her characters are able to overcome all obstacles to happiness.

The Novels

Emma
The self-satisfied & overly imaginative Emma almost ruins her own chance for happiness with her disastrous matchmaking schemes.

Mansfield Park
Love finds Fanny Price after a long & demeaning series of experiences as the "poor relation" living at Mansfield Park.

Northanger Abbey
In a parody of gothic novels popular at the time, Catherine Morland is invited to Northanger Abbey under the mistaken impression that she is rich and would make a suitable match for the son of the household.

Persuasion
Anne Elliot has never recovered from her rejection of a dashing, but impoverished naval officer whom she was persuaded to turn away. Now, seven years later, he has returned from wars a wealthy man while her family tries to adjust to genteel poverty.

Pride and Prejudice
The lively Elizabeth Bennett dislikes Fitzwilliam Darcy's proud behavior and is blinded to his better qualities. Love is thwarted until he humbles his pride and she loses her prejudice.

Sense and Sensibility
Impoverished after the death of their father, two sisters-the impulsive & flirtatious Marianne, and the disciplined & restrained Elinor-unexpectedly find love, but the road to matrimony is hampered by their lack of money and position.

Jane Austen: Sequels,Prequels, & Homages

An Assembly Such as This, by Pamela Aidan. Wytherngate Press, 2003.
For readers eager to know more about the elegant and eligible Fitzwilliam Darcy, his circle, and his world, Aidan provides a tantalizing backstory in ground in a trio of novels. Followed by Duty and Desire (2003) and These Three Remain (2005).

Eliza's Daughter, by Joan Aiken. St. Martin's, 1994.
In Sense & Sensibility, Colonel Brandon rescues the daughter of his childhood sweetheart after she has been seduced and abandoned by Mr. Willoughby. Eliza dies in childbirth and her daughter, Liz, a charming and incorrigible tomboy, grows into a young woman as impetuous and spirited as the Dashwood sisters.

Jane Fairfax, by Joan Aiken. St. Martin's, 1991, 1990.
Jane Fairfax, who became Emma's friend, but threatened to stand in her light, is brought to life as a charming and complex woman, and not just Emma's rival.

Mansfield Revisited, by Joan Aiken. Doubleday, 1985, 1984.
Tells the story of Susan Price, Fanny's younger sister, who, through her own natural spirit, intelligence, and kindness, is able to overcome the obstacles placed upon her by class and convention.

The Youngest Miss Ward, by Joan Aiken. St. Martin's, 1998.
12-year old Hatty Ward, sister of Lady Bertram and Mrs. Norris (Mansfield Park), is treated with contempt by all except her dying mother. Sent to live at her uncle's estate in Portsmouth, she must try to fit in with her cousins.

Mr. Darcy's Daughters, by Elizabeth Aston. Touchstone, 2003.
In the year 1818, Elizabeth and Darcy now find themselves with five marriageable daughters of their own. Regency society will never be the same.

Writing Jane Austen, by Elizabeth Aston. S&S, 2010.
Although she knows zip about Jane Austen, Georgina Jackson, an author with serious writer's block, eagerly accepts a lucrative offer to " finish" an incomplete Austen manuscript because she needs the dough. As she tries to make something of the novel, Georgina not only develops a real appreciation for Jane, she also learns a few things about herself.

Emma Watson: The Watsons Completed, by Jane Austen & Joan Aiken. St. Martin's 1996.
Joan Aiken picks up where Jane Austen's untitled fragment left off. Young Emma Watson returns home after years spent with a much-loved aunt to tend her father's household and to deal with her petty and jealous sisters, ailing father, and vulgar brothers. At the same time two very different men compete for her attention.

A Visit to Highbury, by Joan Austen-Leigh. St. Martin's, 1995, 1993.
The great-great-grandniece of Jane Austen paints a picture of Emma's village of Highbury and its inhabitants as seen through the eyes of Mrs. Goddard, the mistress of the local school attended by Emma's protege, Harriet Smith. Followed by Later Days at Highbury (1996).

Desire and Duty, by Ted & Marilyn Bader. Revive, 1997.
Set in the years 1805-1816, this sequel to Pride & Prejudice follows the romantic adventures of Georgiana, Mr. Darcy's beautiful and shy younger sister. Although she finds her affection growing toward her childhood friend, the poor Thomas Seely, her powerful aunt, Lady Catherine, intends that she marry a man of her choosing.

Presumption, by Julia Barrett. M. Evans, 1993.
With the marriage of Elizabeth Bennett to Darcy (Pride & Prejudice) still a sore point in Darcy's social circle, matters are made even worse when Elizabeth's aunt is arrested for theft. Meanwhile, Georgiana Darcy, who has vowed never to love again, is pursued by the dashing Capt. Heywood and architect Mr. Leigh-Cooper.

Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, by Linda Berdoll. Sourcebooks, 2004
Takes up where Pride and Prejudice left off, following Darcy and Elizabeth from their wedding as they deal with their extended families as well as the ups and downs of married life. Followed by: Darcy and Elizabeth (2006).

The Third Sister, by Julia Barrett. Mira, 1998.
Margaret, the youngest of the Dashwood sisters (Sense & Sensibility) finds herself with two very different suitors vying for her hand.

Emma & Knightley, by Rachel Billington. Sourcebooks, 1998, 2008.
In this sequel to Emma, Emma's high-spirited and strong-minded ways have begun to test Knightley's patience. His mood is not improved by the problems of his brother John and the unexpected return of Frank Churchill, now widowed.

According to Jane, by Marilyn Brant. Kensington, 2009.
Guided throughoout her life by the sage advice of Jane Austen's voice in her head, Ellie Barnett discovers that she must listen to her own voice in order to achieve the happy ending she has always wanted.

What Would Jane Austen Do?, by Laurie Brown. Sourcebooks, 2009.
Costume designer Eleanor is persuaded by two ghost sisters to travel back in time to prevent the death of their brother in a duel by the wicked Lord Shermont. At Shermont's country house, Eleanor is befriended by none other than Jane Austen and she is puzzled to find his Lordship nothing like the sisters portrayed him.

Jane Austen in Scarsdale: Or, Love, Death, and the SATs, by Paula Marantz Cohen. St. M., 2008.
Thirteen years ago, guidance counselor Anne Ehrlich's wealthy family persuaded her to give up the love of her life because he was penniless. She has never married and hasn't seen Ben Cutler since. Now his nephew turns up in her high school and starts applying to college.

The Pemberley Chronicles, by Rebecca Ann Collins. Sourcebooks, 2008.
Follows the relationships of Elizabeth & Darcy and her sister Jane and Bingley after the events of Pride and Prejudice.

Letters from Pemberley, the First Year: A Continuation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Dawkins. Chicken Soup, 1999.
Through her letters to her sister Jane, Elizabeth Darcy describes her first months as the mistress of Pemberley.

By a Lady: Being the Adventures of an Enlightened American in Jane Austen's England, by Amanda Elyot. Three Rivers, 2006.
During her final audition to play her idol, Jane Austen in a play, C.J. Welles is somehow transported to England circa 1801 where she must not only deal with the strict etiquette of the time and the lack of indoor plumbing, she meets Jane and her very dashing cousin, the Earl of Darlington.

The Jane Austen Book Club, by Karen Joy Fowler. GPPS, 2004.
Six people who meet regularly to share a love for the books of Jane Austen invariably end up talking about their lives, hopes, dreams, and disappointments.

Brightsea, by Jane Gillespie. St. Martin's, 1987.
A sequel to Sense & Sensibility featuring Lucy Steele Ferrars and the Palmers.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, by Seth Grahame-Smith. Quirk, 2009.
And now for something completely different, strange, weird...Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie (that's right, zombie) menace plaguing her community while struggling with her feelings towards Mr. Darcy.

Mr. Knightley's Diary, by Amanda Grange. Berkley, 2007, 2006.
A retelling of Emma through Mr. Knightley's eyes as he becomes increasingly attracted to his beautiful neighbor, whose misguided attempts at matchmaking are wreaking havoc in the village of Highbury.

Captain Wentowrth's Diary, by Amanda Grange. Berkley, 2008, 2007.
Another retelling by Grange, this time of Persuasion. Eight years after having his hopes of marrying Anne Elliot dashed by her godmother's interference, a now wealthy Capt. Frederick Wentworth returns to find that is surprised to find that his feelings for her have not diminished.

By the same author: Edmund Bertram's Diary (2008); Colonel Brandon's Diary (2009)

Austenland, by Shannon Hale. Bloomsbury, 2007.
Jane Hayes is obsessed with the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth playing Mr. Darcy. So when her wealthy great-aunt bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, where guests live like the characters in Jane Austen's novels, Jane dreams of meeting her very own perfect Regency-era gentleman. But she finds herself involved in her own personal version of Pride and Prejudice when she takes a shine to the resort's gardener.

Pride/Prejudice, by Ann Herendeen. Harper, 2010.
Herendeen re-imagines Austen's novel as she explores more deeply the friendships of Darcy & Charles Bingley, and that of Elizabeth & Charlotte Lucas.

The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen, by Syrie James. Avon, 2007.
A remarkable discovery is made at Chawton Manor: a journal written by Jane Austen that reveals the author's romance with Frederick Ashford, who became the model and inspiration for Jane's dashing heroes.

The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet, by Colleen McCullough. S&S, 2008.
A novel centered upon the quietest of the Bennet sisters 20 years after the events of Pride and Prejudice.

Just Jane, by Nancy Moser. Bethany, 2007.
This biographical novel follows the author's life when she falls in love with Tom Lefroyat age 20 until she is a respected author in her late thirties.

Pride, Prejudice and Jasmin Field, by Melissa Nathan. Avon, 2000.
This modern, chick-lit re-telling of Austen's classic revolves around a charity production of the Austen novel directed by an Oscar-winning actor and his odd choice for Lizzie Bennet--Jasmin Field, a strong-minded columnist for a trashy women's magazine.

Persuading Annie, by Melissa Nathan. Avon, 2000.
This time, Nathan puts a contemporary spin on Persuasion. Seven years ago, the interference of Annie Markham's godmother put an end to her relationship with Jake Mead, a young man with apparently no prospects. Now Annie's wealthy family is heading toward bankruptcy, and the man brought in to save the sinking ship is none other than the spurned Jake. Will true love overcome the hurts of the past?

The Darcys Give a Ball, by Elizabeth Newark. Sourcebooks, 2008.
What sort of romantic escapades are in store for the next generation of the Darcys, Bingleys, Collinses, De Bourghs, and Bennets?

Lydia Bennett's Story, by Jane Odiwe. Sourcebooks, 2008.
The adventures of Elizabeth Bennet's willful and naughty younger sister who having impulsively married the dashing George Wickam has a hard time keeping her jealousy in check as he continues his notorious flirting his ways.

The Man Who Loved Jane Austen, by Sally Smith O'Rourke. Kensington, 2006.
In a novel alternating between past and present, an artist finds a cache of secret letters suggesting that Mr. Darcy may have been more than one of Austen's fictional characters.

Cassandra & Jane, by Jill Pitkeathley. Harper, 2008.
The dreams, secrets, friendship, and romantic disppointments of Jane Austen and her sister, the only girls born to the large but impoverished Austen family. By the same author: Dearest Cousin Jane (2010).

Me and Mr. Darcy, by Alexandra Potter. Ballantine, 2007.
Mr. Darcy strikes again in this comic tale of a young woman who, after a string of disastrous dates, decides she’s had it with modern-day love and would much rather curl up with Pride and Prejudice and spend her time that dashing hero. She ends up in England on a guided tour of Jane Austen country with a bunch of old ladies and little old ladies and one man--Spike Hargreaves--a handsome but ill-tempered journalist writing an article on why Mr. Darcy is so lusted after by inane women. Things get complicated when the real Mr. Darcy shows up.

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World, by Abigail Reynolds. Sourcebooks, 2010.
What if Lizzie Bennet had not declared Darcy as "the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry," and had accepted Darcy's first marriage proposal?

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, by Laurie Viera Rigler. Dutton, 2007.
After her fiance's betrayal, heartbroken, Jane Austen fan Courtney Stone is transported back in time 1813 England where she wakes up in the body of Miss Jane Mansfield.

Mr. Darcy goes Overboard: ATale of Tide & Prejudice, by Belinda Roberts. Sourcebooks, 2011.
In this modern-day take on Austen's classic tale, Mrs. Bennet and her gaggle of unmarried daughters live in the seaside resort of Salcombe. When Mr. Darcy sails into the harbor on his yacht, mrs. B. decides that he would make a wonderful son-in-law.

The Private Diary of Mr. Darcy , by Maya Slater. Norton, 2009, 2007.
In his journal, Fitzwilliam Darcy's writes of his relationships with the fairer sex, his friendship with the Bingleys and Lord Byron, his beloved sister, Georgiana, and his struggle to conquer his longing for Elizabeth Bennet.

The Confession of Fitzwilliam Darcy, by Mary Street. Berkley, 2008, 1999.
Pride and Prejudice is retold from the point of view of Fitzwilliam Darcy, from his relationships with his sister Georgiana, aunt Lady Catherine, cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam, the rake Mr. Wickam, and best friend Bingley, to his romantic pursuit of the unsuitable but intriguing Elizabeth Bennet.

Emma in Love, by Emma Tennant. Trafalgar, 1998.
Four years after her marriage to Mr. Knightly, Emma tries to escape her boredom by taking up match-making again.

Pemberley, by Emma Tennant. St. Martin's, 1993.
A year after her marriage to Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth frets over her failure to conceive a child.

An Unequal Marriage, or Pride & Prejudice 20 Years Later, by Emma Tennant. St. Martin's, 1994.
Although they are still very much in love, Elizabeth and Darcy are sorely tested by an unwelcome marriage proposal to their daughter and by their son's misadventures which threaten the family fortune

Jane Austen--Sleuth

This mystery series by Stephanie Barron turns our intrepid Jane into a solver of mysteries.

Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor. Bantam, 1996.
Jane and the Man of the Cloth. Bantam, 1997.
Jane and the Wandering Eye. Bantam, 1998.
Jane and the Genius of the Place. Bantam, 1999.
Jane and the Stillroom Maid. Bantam, 2000.
Jane and the Prisoner of Wool House. Bantam, 2001.
Jane and the Ghosts of Netley. Bantam, 2003.
Jane and His Lordship's Legacy. Bantam, 2005.
Jane and the Barque of Frailty. Bantam, 2006.
Jane and the Madness of Lord Byron. Bantam, 2010.
Jane and the Canterbury Tale. Bantam, 2011.

In 2004, Carrie Bebris began her series featuring Austen's fictional newlyweds, Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy, as a Regency version of Nick and Nora Charles.

Pride and Prescience, or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged. Forge, 2003.
Suspense and Sensibility, or, First Impression, Revisited. Forge, 2006.
North by Northanger, or, The shades of Pemberley. Forge, 2006
The Matters at Mansfield: Or, the Crawford Affair. Forge, 2008
The Intruigue at Highbury: Or, Emma's Match. Tor, 2010

FEED YOUR NEED TO READ...

Biographies of Jane Austen

Becoming Jane Austen: A Life, by Jon Spence. Hambledon and London, 2003. [B 823.7Austen S]

Jane Austen, by Carol Shields. Viking, 2001.

Jane Austen, by Deirdre Le Faye.Oxford University Press, 1998.

Jane Austen: A Life, by Claire Tomalin. Knopf, 1997.

Jane Austen: Her Life, by Park Honan. Griffin, 1996, 1987.

Jane Austen, Obstinate Heart: A Biography, by Valerie Grosvenor Myer.Arcade, 1997.

Jane Austen, The Woman: Some Biographical Insights, by George Holbert Tucker. St.Martin's, 1994.

Jane Austen: A Literary View

Becoming a Heroine: Reading about Women in Novels, by Rachel M. Brownstein. Columbia University Press, 1994. [823.009 Brownstein]

A Fine Brush on Ivory: An Appreciation of Jane Austen, by Richard Jenkyns. Oxford University Press, 2004. [823.7 Austen J]

Ghosts of the Gothic: Austen, Eliot, and Lawrence, by Judith Wilt. Princeton University Press, 1980. [823.09 W]

Jane Austen, ed. by Harold Bloom. Chelsea House, 1986. [823.7 Austen J]

Jane Austen, by Margaret Kennedy. Arthur Barker, Ltd., 1950. [823.7 Austen K]

Jane Austen, by John Lauber. Twayne 1993. [823.7 Austen L]

Jane Austen: A Companion, by Josephine Ross. Rutgers University Press, 2003, 2002. [823.7 Austen R]

Jane Austen: New Perspectives, ed. by Janet Todd. Holmes & Meier, 1983 [823 Austen J]

Jane Austen and Her Art, by Mary Lascelles. Athlone, 1995. [823.7 Austen L]

Jane Austen in a Social Context, ed. by David Monaghan. Barnes & Noble, 1981. [823 Austen]

Jane Austen the Novelist: Essays Past and Present, by Juliet McMaster. St. Martin's, 1996. [823.7 Austen M]

Jane Austen's Novels: Social Change and Literary Form, by Julia Prewitt Brown. Harvard University Press, 1979. [823 Austen B]

Jane Austen's Novels: The Art of Clarity, by Roger Gard. Yale University Press, 1992. [823 Austen G]

A Reading of Jane Austen, by Barbara Hardy. NY University Press, 1976, 1975. [823.7 Austen H] Recreating Jane Austen, by John Wiltshire. Cambridge University Press, 2001. [823.7 Austen W]

Jane Austen for Dummies, by Joan Klingel Ray. Wiley, 2006. [823.7 Ray]

Life in Regency England

An Elegant Madness: High Society In Regency England, by Venetia Murray. Viking, 1999, 1998. [306.0942 Murray]

Jane Austen, And Her World, by Marghanita Laski. Viking, 1969. [823.6 Austen]

Jane Austen and Representations of Regency England, by Roger Sales. Routledge, 1996. [823.7 Austen S]

Popular Culture And Custom In Nineteenth-Century England, ed. by Robert D. Storch.St. Martin's, 1982. [942 Popula]

What Jane Austen Ate And Charles Dickens Knew : From Fox Hunting To Whist : The Facts Of Daily Life, by Daniel Pool. S&S, 1993. [820.9 Pool]

Websites of Interest  

The Jane Austen Information Page

Jane Austen (Victorian Web)

The Jane Austen Centre (Bath, England)

The Jane Austen Society of North America

Jane Austen on Film (Internet Movie Database)

Read the works of Jane Austen

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