What is so special about Jane Austen, and why are her works still celebrated today? BYU students might just have the answer.
Men and women—but let’s be honest, mostly women—dressed in regency attire and flocked to the JFSB courtyard, where the English Department was celebrating one of literature’s most beloved authors: Jane Austen. Over the course of Wednesday, September 24, participants took turns reading aloud the entirety of Pride and Prejudice. That night, at an Austen-themed tea party, many competed in costume and calligraphy contests, and participants even went head-to-head on a specially themed Jane Austen Kahoot.
As the event came to a close every participant agreed that Austen’s life and legacy will always be remembered—for more reasons than you’d expect.
A Timeless Voice and Eternal Characters
For many students, Austen’s enduring relevance comes down to her ability to make readers feel at home in her Georgian-era world. Sydney Spencer (International Relations ’26) explains that Austen’s personal and conversational prose draws her into the pages. Comparing Austen’s prose to Charles Dickens’s, which is full of flowery and excessive descriptions, Spencer says, “It’s almost like a diary, or like your best friend telling you something.”
Austen’s works also continue to resonate because of the personalities she captures. Shem Marsden (Construction Management ’29) says, “We’ve all had our Elizabeth or Mr. Darcy in our lives.” Austen’s witty and flawed characters are so insightfully designed that Julianna Bounds (Communication Disorders ’29) says, “I feel like all of us are still looking for what these characters are looking for.”
A Community Built for Everyone
Beyond the characters, students appreciate the layers within Austen’s novels. Eliza Whiting (Anthropology, Linguistics ’27) notes, “You can see the social commentary; you can see the political commentary. Or you can read it, and you can find a love story.”
Many students also commented on Austen’s ability to give voice to women in a time when women’s rights were severely restricted. “It kind of sounds weird to say this,” Morgan says, “but I feel like she did kind of what Taylor Swift does in capturing the female emotional experience in words.”
While Austen’s books have become classics, her greatest impact may extend beyond publishing to the community her works continue to foster. Spencer says in Austen’s books “people are running the story. And I think that makes [them] really appealing because we still care about people, and people haven’t changed that much.”
Find more upcoming events on the English Department’s website.