Which is the Best Jane Austen Novel? | Tier Ranking Jane Austen's Finished Books

Hello. In today's silly little video I am asking myself which is the best Jane Austen novel? I made my own tier ranker and ranked each of Austen's finished novels in 6 categories to see which one is my favourite overall. Enjoy!

Books Mentioned
Pride & Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Mansfield Park
Persuasion
Emma
Northanger Abbey

[darianasosa]

Captain Wentworth's letter is top for me, but also the way Anne indirectly confesses her own feelings for Wentworth, the moment she reads the letter, and then when they get to walk together. It's top tier for me.

[callawright]

I love this!! TBH my favorite Jane heroines are the shy duty bound girls who make themselves miserable by being horrible people pleasers.... I REALLY empathize with Anne and I vibe with Fanny.

[philtheo]

10/10 Persuasion
9.9/10 Emma
9.8/10 Pride and Prejudice
9.7/10 Mansfield Park
9.6/10 Northanger Abbey
8.5/10 Sense and Sensibility

[sabinamcdaniel]

I LOVED that you preferred Henry Crawford. I wish he had actually fully reformed.

[susiecollier]

I'm sorry, but I cannot agree with you about Mansfield Park. I find Fanny Price to be the strongest heroine, due to her unswerving sense of duty in the things she cannot say but must do, and due to her rigidly and consistently adhering to her own impeccable sense of morality, even when events test and challenge her. Also, I think it is clear from the novel that Edmund always loved her; although, of course, this love changes and develops throughout the course of the novel, and perhaps he should and would have realised it sooner, if not for his own fickleness and hypocrisy in his infatuation with Mary Crawford.

[leasnow]

This is the first time I watch someone who shares many of my Jane Austen opinions closely: I agree about the heroines but I enjoy Catherine Morland a bit more, Darcy is a little higher for me although I agree he's not very nice in general just because of the romance, but I agree on Mr Knightley who is my number 1 as well and Henry Tilney is tied with Darcy at number 2 for me, he's very underrated. John Thorpe was the most irritating bad boy for me, and his sister is also awful so they're up there. Also, Edmund is the worst and MP in general is the weakest novel by far. And I agree on the book ranking completely (PP and Persuasion are also tied at number 1 for me for years now) but I'd rank Northanger Abbey over Sense and Sensibility (I prefer the movie adaptation for this book honestly, Hugh Grant massively improved Edward Ferrars who's a complete bore in the text)

[sofiamtz]

Pride and prejudice and Persuasion ❤️ Can't decide which I like best honestly

[KierTheScrivener]

I really love Mansfield Park 😂😂 Fanny is great, Edmund is the worst. I am Team Henry Crawford, too.

It is so hard for me to rate them because I love them all so much but differently. Emma is my favourite, and then Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion would be tied for second, then Mansfield Park in fourth, Northanger Abbey in fifth and Sense and Sensibility. Though I do think Marianne loves Brandon, she meets him at sixteen almost seventeen but doesn't marry him until around twenty. And I took that scene saying 'she grew to love him' as being sometimes it takes longer to fall but that doesn't make it any less deep. Think of Knightley and Emma.

[bethanieb.]

I think maybe you need to read Mansfield Park again. Henry Crawford is despicable. Edmond definitely sucks, but Mary and Henry are really messed up people preying upon someone who can't stand up for herself very effectively because of her lower class. Also, yes Fanny is boring, but we have a lot of privilege in our day and age to express ourselves and lean into our idiosyncrasies. That would have been catastrophic for women to do throughout most of history.

[CoynieReads]

Ooh I love this! For me:
Heroine- Emma
Hero- Mr Knightley
Satire- probably Northanger Abbey (but P&P not far behind)
Family- Pride and Prejudice
I can't really pick my bad boy but it is between your top three!
Declaration- Emma (I have a print of "If I loved you less I might be able to talk about it more" in my office!) 😂

BUT I would still say that overall my favourite is Pride and Prejudice! My most controversial take is probably that I cannot get onboard the Captain Wentworth train, bitter boy just does nothing for me!

[Luciachan]

Mostly in agreement but I find it funny that Henry Tilney is mentioned to be the only one to flirt, but Darcy DOES make the comment about the admiring women turning the room! 😂

[HBoyle]

If you add them up, you get:

P&P= 14
E= 17
S&S= 20
Pers.= 20
NA= 26
MP= 29

[everausten]

Oh this is fun! Your rankings are interesting and I respect them!
Heroine: (best) Lizzie, she works for her positive change and has the courage of her convictions, (fave) Eleanor, being the stoic rock for her effusive family
Hero: (best) Darcy, works hard to get out of his own way, (fave) Mr Tilney, he's wholesome
Satire: (best/fave) P&P, wittily sending up the marriage mart (special mention) MP, dragging the uber rich
Family: (best) P&P, a box of chocolates who end up apart, (fave) S&S, they love each other and stay together
Bad Boy: (best) Willoughby, impregnates and abandons a 15yo - terrible!, (fave) Mr Crawford, Fanny could have been lady of her own house with someone who appreciates her qualities and aside from being a cad and manipulative, is otherwise respectable (like a Jane Fairfax/Frank Churchill arrangement), (special mention) John Thorpe, for being so punchable
Declaration: (best) Persuasion, "Half Agony Half Hope" seven years of pining and regret, (fave) P&P, "You Are Too Generous To Trifle With Me" not too proud to ask again, doesn't manipulate her into obligation, waits until he learns she's receptive, gives her option to stop him and he'll never mention it again, growth!
Overall: Mathematical, (1) P&P (2) S&S (3) MP/NA (4) P (5) E. Fave (1) P&P (2) P/S&S (3) NA (4) MP/E

[SingularlySelena]

I would love to do this and share it with you and other Austen fans.

[RobynCoburn]

I think you forgot how selfishly Mr Eliott behaved towards Mrs Smith, a supposed friend.

[shannonholly]

Mr. Knightley would have been lower for me. Good person and character? Absolutely. Good hero? No. His lecturing and paternalism of Emma borders on condescension, in the modern sense, and I just can't accept that in a hero.

[kevinrussell]

Your ranking of Mansfield Park is in perfect accord with mine; it IS boring and I can't drum up any enthusiasm to give it a re-read.
Wentworth IS the hero, as he is self-made and truly loves our Anne, even though he was angry with her for being persuaded against him the first time around.
I think Mr. Tilney is great, especially since his father was such a monster. I love the way he teases and flirts with Catherine, but never in a mean fashion.
Emma is the heroine for me because she is believable and she learns and changes. Anne is too perfect, and Lizzie strikes me as mercenary and (in the final analysis) not always sincere. She makes me suspicious, and her being fooled for so long by Wickham makes me suspect she is not as perceptive as she thinks. At a certain level, both she and Darcy are self-contained and selfish, only having sincere liking for those they respect.
I like Darcy, although he is a snob, and think he is the most admirable character in the novel.
I think Emma is Jane's best novel, although me having read P&P the most times tells you which is actually my favorite.
S&S and MP are bottom-dwellers for me. They seem like the longest books. The quality of satire in the former makes it the superior of the two.
If you were going to add another column to the matrix, it ought to be "Mean Girl". Isabella Thorpe and Lucy Steele would receive top billing.
If "Top B*tch" were added, it would be Fanny Dashwood, hands down.