Why people are still obsessed with Jane Austen today

Fans of 18th‑century author Jane Austen say her novels still resonate with modern readers more than 200 years after they were written.

From television adaptations and films to festivals and school classrooms, Austen's stories continue to find new life, even among people who have never read her books before.

Renewed interest driven by shows such as The Other Bennet Sister, alongside period dramas like Bridgerton, has encouraged fans to travel to Bath in Somerset, a city closely associated with Austen and the world she wrote about.

Many say her sharp observations of class, relationships and her portrayal of the lives of women still feel strikingly familiar.

Georgia Delve, who runs the Jane Austen Festival in Bath, said: "The city of Bath is like walking into a novel. We have two of Austen's novels based in Bath. There's street names that still exist today."

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Delve has been volunteering and helping with the Jane Austen festival since 2010 when she was just 18.

"It's very easy to feel like you're walking back into that world," she added.

"Bath is well protected from a heritage point of view, a lot of it still looks the same,

"We've had Bridgerton, whether you love it or hate it, it's opened people's eyes to the Regency era and they used Bath because it's an iconic city people associate with Austen."

Each September, the Jane Austen Festival brings together fans from across the UK and beyond, many dressed in Regency‑era costume as they celebrate the author's legacy.

Fiona Woodifield, author of The Jane Austen Dating Agency series, said Austen and the city of Bath can be an "escape from the drudgery of every day".

"I love going to Bath, it's gorgeous. There is so much connection with Jane Austen and Bath. I included it a lot in my book, I used the Royal Crescent," Woodifield said.

She added that people still feel Austen's still reflects modern society.

"Because she was middle class and she was relatively invisible as a spinster, she got to move around a lot without being noticed," Woodifield said.

"We have got such a class system in this country, it's still there. I think people can probably recognise that from her books."

Austen's novels also remain a fixture in classrooms, introducing new generations to her characters and themes.

Christine Hughes teaches Pride and Prejudice to her Year 10s at St Catherine's School just outside Bristol.

"We're at the point where Darcy's proposal is going wrong," she said.

"The reaction in the class is big, they're shocked by it, they can't believe how he can get away with talking how he does.

"It's just so relatable, there's characters that are vain, there are great moments of dialogue.

"I get the feeling we have all met people like the character in the book."

Hughes added she wonders what Austen herself would think of the continued interest in her work.

"Famously, she didn't see her name in print. I hope she would be proud or delighted that everyone finds her stories remarkable."

For some fans, the connection begins through film and television rather than books.

Bonny Wise, a self proclaimed Jane Austen superfan from the US, said she fell in love with the author after watching the 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet.

She has come to the Jane Austen festival in Bath six times.

"It's just so fun and exhilarating to be walking the streets that Jane Austen herself walked and to be there with other enthusiasts from all over the world," Wise said.

"There's nothing quite like it."

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