How old were you when you first read Jane Austen?

[Usha]

17

[Pragya]

I was 13 when my father got me a copy of Pride and Prejudice from his college library. Within a year, I had read them all. Until I passed high school, it was almost an annual ritual to re-read The Complete Works of Austen in the summer vacations.

[Mary]

The first time I read this wonderful was when I was 14 or 15 years old.
We studied it for a state exam so my book has lots of paragraphs underlined in red pen,with lots of notes in the margins!
Plus,I made notes about who lived in which great house and the relationship between characters!
I don't think I fully appreciated the beautiful love story then,the different nuances at play,but I do remember loving the story.

[Amanda]

I was 12 or 13. I wanted to read P&P before going to see the movie. In the end, the movie helped me understand certain parts of the book more because I easily got confused on which Miss Bennet was which at times.

[Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂]

11 or 12. But with each reading comes more understanding.

[Rosie]

I first read Jane Austen & started to watch all the movie adaptations of her books as a senior in high school. I struggled with math but loved literature. My math teacher bribed me with another Austen tale if I did well on my tests. I became an English lit major.

[Rosie]

I started reading Jane Austen when I was 17 & a Senior in high school. I've always loved Lit & my math teacher would give me an Austen movie or book to read every time I'd ace her tests. Bribery worked. I went from a D student in her class to an A student.

[Andreia]

I discovered Jane Austen at the British Council. In our English classes we saw BBC's TV series "Pride and Prejudice". I loved it so much that I searched and read "P & P", "Sense and Sensibility" and "Persuasion". I was about 14-15 years old, I'm not sure.

I recently read "Emma", "Lady Susan" and "Catherine". I keep on loving them.

After reading "Mansfield Park" and "Northanger Abbey", I think I'll re-read the first novels mentioned...

[Rikka]

15

[QNPoohBear]

I am starting the children in my life young. I gifted my sister's daughter when she under 2. It continues to be a favorite when playing school with her toys (She's now 6 1/2 going on 14). I gifted my cousin's girls (7 years old and 4 months old at the time) and when I went to JASNA in October. I just gave my cousin the BabyLit P&P for her daughter who isn't even born yet! I kept the playset that came with it LOL!

[Pragya]

QNPoohBear wrote: "I am starting the children in my life young. I gifted my sister's daughter when she under 2. It continues to be a favorite when pl..."

Lol! I hear you! Recently, I acquired Pride and Prejudice: A Coloring Classic and it is magnificent! I kept thinking how great it would have been to have this while growing up.

[QNPoohBear]

Pragya wrote: "Lol! I hear you! Recently, I acquired Pride and Prejudice: A Coloring Classic and it is magnificent! I kept thinking how great it would have been to have this while growing up. .."

That one is beautiful! I almost bought it and I probably will when my nieces are a little older. I also have to read to them. I highly recommend the Cozy Classics. I saw Jack Wang at JASNA and he was a great speaker. He sold out of books in the amount of time it took people to get from the ballroom to upstairs and in line. I bought mine used and had him sign them. Emma is my favorite. She has the cutest facial expressions.

[Pragya]

QNPoohBear wrote: "Pragya wrote: "Lol! I hear you! Recently, I acquired Pride and Prejudice: A Coloring Classic and it is magnificent! I kept thinking how great it would have been to have this while growing up. .."

..."

Thanks for some really great info. I have to admit I didn't even know about JASNA and the AGM- it has opened a whole new world!

[[deleted user]]

QNPoohBear wrote: "I am starting the children in my life young. I gifted my sister's daughter when she under 2. It continues to be a favorite when pl..."

You really had no choice..... ;-)

[QNPoohBear]

Pragya wrote: "I didn't even know about JASNA and the AGM- it has opened a whole new world! "

There are Jane Austen Societies all over the world. I saw an interesting panel discussion with several Jane Austen society leaders at JASNA including Jane Austen in Pakistan, which has 1000 members on Facebook. They have some great pictures from JASNA. I'm slowly blogging about my experiences. The only books I bought were the board books for my cousin's kids as a thank you for letting me stay with them/new baby gift. I made a wish list if I ever have a larger bookcase! My Jane Austen/Georgette Heyer/Downton Abbey shelf is already doubled up.

My sister won't read a classic novel so I have to keep giving her kids mini classics so they don't grow up like her. Jan Brett is big right now. It would be nice if she adapted a Jane Austen novel so I could get my niece on board as a little Janeite.

[[deleted user]]

I've really enjoyed reading how everyone got started on Austen. Many different avenues - same result!

[Pragya]

QNPoohBear wrote: There are Jane Austen Societies all over the world. I saw an interesting panel discussion with several..."

Is your blog published? If so, where can I access it?

[QNPoohBear]

Pragya wrote: "QNPoohBear wrote: There are Jane Austen Societies all over the world. I saw an interesting panel discussion with several..."

Is your blog published? If so, where can I access it?"

https://bluestockingmusings.blogspot.com

I have one more day left to blog about. I've had other things to do but maybe I can get to that this weekend.

[Julia]

I first read Austen in 8th grade. My dad found an anthology of Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma. I read them in that order and was hooked for life. I watched the movies after reading the books and fell in love even more. I'm VERY particular about my Austen book-to-film, as any good Austenite should be. :)

[Anne-Lise]

I read Emma when i was 13, and then had read all of the others by the time i was 15

[voidslantern]

it was 2005 when I first learned about JA, "P&P" was out and I fell in love with Darcy. I was 12, gosh. Then, at nearly 16, I finally had the chance to start reading Austen novels. Would've loved to start sooner, but was pretty preoccupied with life being difficult.

[Michaelle]

I was 15/16, I guess. I read Pride and Prejudice and I was in love and a little obsessed with it. So I started to read all Jane's books, I still am.

[Martin]

62. Typical male. P&P is chick lit, right?

[Marian]

Gosh,I think I was in my teens when I started reading Jane Austen..which to me is a great age to be reading it.

[Laura]

I was 18 and had not heard of Austen until college in my Women in Literature class. The BBC movies on her books got me hooked and then I had to read the books knowing they had to be better.

[D.G.]

Lottie wrote: "I started reading her when I was 11; it was pride and prejudice and I've been obsessed with her work ever since"

Me too Lottie! 11. My longest author love affair

[Mara]

I was about 15 when I first picked up Pride and Prejudice. I picked it up because I had just finished watching Sense and Sensibility with Alan Rickman, and I knew I had to read the book. However, for some reason, I could never really find S&S, but I did find P&P. I began reading it and I could not put it down. My senior year of high school we got into Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights and I wanted so badly to do a Jane Austen book, but we did not have enough time. It wasn't until 2017 (21 years old) that I finally picked up a copy of S&S and I love it just as much as I loved the movie. S&S and Mansfield Park are my favorite!

[rimbluebooks]

my 1st time reading for J. A when I was 19 years old. I remember that I picked Sense and Sensibility and I couldn't put it down then I read P&P and I was hooked for eternity. Am 25 years old and still read J. A books and each time feels like the 1st

[Tongtong]

13, in Chinese version...

[Ice]

1st time was when I was around 14 or 15 and I read Sense and Sensibility. All I can say about that experience was that it made me think that classics may not be a total waste of time. And then a few months later I read P&P. Same reaction. A year later I read P&P again and I was hooked beyond measure and went on to not only finish all 6 books but also reread most of them more than a couple of times. J.A. is now my number one classics writer.

[Rosie]

I was 17 when I first started to read Jane Austen. I read through all of her books by the time I finished college. I had a math teacher who knew I loved her works. I always struggled in her class. When I aced one of her tests, she would let be borrow one of her movie adaptations of the novels. She was a big fan as well.

[Peekablue]

I was 16 and had to read two books by the same author for my sophomore literature class. I chose Emma and Pride and Prejudice. I had previously seen the film versions of Emma (Paltrow) and Sense and Sensibility (Thompson)...also Clueless, LOL, and recognized it as a modern retelling. Around the time of my first reading, I caught a late night showing of P&P (Garson) on PBS.

[Michaela (Journey into Books)]

I was about 15 or 16 when I first read them. My grandma loves her books and so I borrowed them from her. I read them all one after another and have been obsessed with them since.

[Joanna Loves Reading]

I was 13, possibly 12. My grandmother loaned me her favorite, P&P, which will always hold a special place in my heart for that reason.

[NorikoY]

I was about 30? I think.
But, if I had read Jane Austen when I was younger, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate it anyway.

[NatyMaui]

I was 30, first I saw the movie Pride and prejudice (2005), and then I wanted to know more about this history and started to read all Jane Austen´s books!

[Luana]

I think I was 18 after seen The Pride and Prejudice filme of 2005.