a Jane Austen noob ranks her novels

Hello! Ben here.

So I'm a new fan of Jane Austen! I recently finished reading Jane Austen's finished novels and thought it would be fun to rank and discuss them based on my initial read.

Timestamps!
#6 03:13
#5 06:05
#4 08:53
#3 12:55
#2 14:51
#1 18:57

The books:
Sense and Sensibility (1811)
Pride and Prejudice (1813)
Mansfield Park (1814)
Emma (1815)
Northanger Abbey (1818)
Persuasion (1818)

What are your favourites?

Thanks everybody!

x

[SandKeats]

The feathers on persuasion's cover : i think it's because of the famous scene where Captain Wentworth writes the letter.

[susiematthews]

Have you read Lady Susan? It’s part of Austen’s juvenilia and an epistolary novel, and I absolutely adore it. And I love that you love Fanny! She is infamously unloved, especially by screenwriters adapting Mansfield Park.

[GitanAnimex]

I'm surprise and happy that Mansfield Park is your number 2 that's not common in the "Jane Austen community" and to hear you are rooting for Fanny! a lot of people hate Fanny Price I think is a very underrated novel with a very underrated main character

[lydiahawke]

I would love a Dickensian style adaptation of all the Austen characters together since they are in a shared universe.

[catrionahall]

So glad you enjoyed Mansfield Park so much, it is a great book and Fanny is fascinating.

[_negentropy_]

Loved your ranking! If you haven’t seen the film version of Northanger Abbey (with Felicity Jones), I thought it brought the latter half of the story to life in ways my imagination couldn’t when reading it.

[jamgart]

I’m so glad your order isn’t the same as everyone else’s! It always seems to be P&P, Emma and S&S in the top 3 spots. So very refreshing. My order is..
1. Persuasion
2. Pride & Prejudice
3. Mansfield Park
4. Sense & Sensibility
5. Emma
6. Northangar Abbey

[rachaeldiviney]

So the idea behind those covers is they take an object to represent a pivotal moment or important theme in the book, but not one that people usually think of.
So for Emma I think it's meant to represent the dance where Knightly rescues Harriet and dances with Emma
Persuasion it's a quill to represent the letter
Sense and Sensibility it's the flowers for Maryanne
Really not sure about P&P though

[annalund]

I can't possibly get through Emma without sleeping through chapters or gaining a headache. I'm so surprised to find someone who also doesn't think Emma is the best book to have been printed. So refreshing.

[GKReads]

Loved this! The description of Persuasion’s drama as “oh no, she’s hit her head” is perfect. I also think Mary Elliott is my favourite of Austen’s awful snobby characters

[malexander]

Just finished & loved "Mansfield Park." My 2nd Austen. You're right about the things that set it apart. One thing I feel like I never hear about it though is....it's SO steamy! Not the least of which is because of the whole subplot around "Lover's Vows." It felt so unique. From boredom & undercurrents of desire, these people decide to put on the raunchiest play ever while Papa is away...? and upstanding Edmund the clergy-to-be is weirdly roped in? I just loved that, and Fanny's reactions to it all. I also think it's interesting that Austen was herself the daughter of a clergyman & the novel is certainly about what is the authentic moral life.

[selisagrimes]

We agree on 1, 5 and 6. I think the videos had an influence on me for the ranking. I will not re-read our #6 - I just can't but do enjoy. Thank you for reading them. Looking forward to watching all of your videos.

[beatrixscudeler]

Interesting that you put Mansfield Park at number 2 as that's quite unusual! I'm going to make a video soon trying to make a case for Mansfield Park not being as 'boring' as people think and for Fanny not being a one dimensional 'perfect' heroine as many people see her! So I'm glad you were rooting for Fanny, I think she's more interesting than she's given credit for!

Also the idea of Mansfield Park being about 'sticking to your guns' is basically what I just discussed in my video on the concept of duty in Austen. 😊

[deanjonasson]

Hilarious but also helpful. (Never would have checked out the Emma Bunton video, otherwise!) I haven't yet read all of the Austen novels (but I've seen most of the movies/series).
Austen's use of language and the subtly of her character development are the big draws for the novels.
Good work, Ben!

[carlatate]

I enjoyed your rambling ranking! I have read the 6 novels 3 times each over the last year and now rank them:

1. Emma
2. Persuasion
3. Mansfield Park
4. Sense & Sensibility
5. Pride & Prejudice
6. Northanger Abbey

Please understand I love them all and the ranking is not based on quality, as each book is so entirely its own and equally well executed (with perhaps the exception of Northanger Abbey) but for the shere pleasure I have in the reading and with what relish I find myself devouring them, this is the ranking. I adore the little pond in which Emma is such on overpowered fish, and Mr Knightley is my favourite Austen hero. I can see that Lizzie Bennet is a sparkling little firebrand, but I am not as interested in her problems or Arsey Darcy as I am in the characters in other books. In fact on my last reading I found Jane Bennet a more appealing person. Controversial? Northanger Abbey is by far my least favourite. Austen herself did not consider it ready for publication. I wonder how she would have reworked it.

[ranikster]

Love this! 😍 Great ranking. I was surprised though. Persuasion is my absolute favorite of my favorites

[dianaboatwright]

The Emma movie was my first exposure to Jane Austen and I loved her language construction. As a middle aged American I find it complex and delightful. Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam brought it to life for me. It's my #2. Follows P & P of course!!

[Djcooksandbooks]

The Classics intimidate me due to English being my second language. However, after hearing your interesting explanation of it, I've been persuaded to try reading Persuation.

[rachaeldiviney]

When you re-read Emma, do it as a mystery! Obviously you know the twists now but you'll be shocked how many clues there are, I find more every time I reread it. It really is a masterpiece

[ForEverKath]

The chair is Knightley's chair, the one his always sitting in :)