Jane Eyre vs Pride and Prejudice: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Drama, Romance, History, Fiction
Jane Eyre
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The novel is set somewhere in the north of England. Jane's childhood at Gateshead Hall, where she is emotionally and physically abused by her aunt and cousins; her education at Lowood School, where she acquires friends…
Pride and Prejudice
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
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Pride and Prejudice is an 1813 novel of manners written by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Pride and Prejudice is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 8 for Jane Eyre.
- Pride and Prejudice has the widest readership — 4989220 ratings behind its score.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Jane Eyre | Pride and Prejudice | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.2 (2404942) | 4.3 (4989220) |
| Hardcover | — | 4.2 (3205) |
| Google Books | 4.5 (152) | 4.5 (9) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (3488) | 4.5 (30521) |
Reception
| Jane Eyre | Pride and Prejudice | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 2404942 | 4989220 |
| Editions | 1170 | 4039 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 1742045 | 2911553 |
| Reading it now | 99285 | 259375 |
| Written reviews | 87752 | 158595 |
| Wikipedia attention | 58205 | 99265 |
| Pages | 468 | 320 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice?
Pride and Prejudice has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Pride and Prejudice 4.3/5, Jane Eyre 4.2/5).
Which is shorter to read: Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice?
Pride and Prejudice is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Pride and Prejudice (320 pages, ≈ 5 h 56 m); Jane Eyre (468 pages, ≈ 8 h 40 m).
Which is harder to read: Jane Eyre or Pride and Prejudice?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Jane Eyre: Challenging; Pride and Prejudice: Demanding.
Have both books been made into films?
Jane Eyre: 5 film adaptations; Pride and Prejudice: 5 film adaptations.