Pride and Prejudice vs The Great Gatsby: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Drama, Romance, Fiction
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…
The Great Gatsby
“In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since.”
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Here is a novel, glamorous, ironical, compassionate – a marvelous fusion into unity of the curious incongruities of the life of the period – which reveals a hero like no other – one who could live at no other time and…
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Pride and Prejudice highest: Pride and Prejudice 4.3 · The Great Gatsby 3.9.
- Pride and Prejudice is the quickest read — about 5 hours vs 7 for The Great Gatsby.
- The Great Gatsby has the widest readership — 6120259 ratings behind its score.
- The Great Gatsby runs the darker storyline; Pride and Prejudice stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Pride and Prejudice | The Great Gatsby | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (4989220) | 3.9 (6120259) |
| Hardcover | 4.2 (3205) | 4.5 (2) |
| Google Books | 4.5 (9) | 5.0 (1) |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (30521) | 4.5 (806) |
| LiveLib | — | 4.0 (5) |
Reception
| Pride and Prejudice | The Great Gatsby | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 4989220 | 6120259 |
| Editions | 4039 | 1179 |
| Citations | — | 24 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 2911553 | 2127185 |
| Reading it now | 259375 | 85180 |
| Written reviews | 158595 | 138625 |
| Wikipedia attention | 99265 | 94574 |
| Pages | 320 | 431 |
Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Pride and Prejudice or The Great Gatsby?
Pride and Prejudice has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Pride and Prejudice 4.3/5, The Great Gatsby 3.9/5).
Which is shorter to read: Pride and Prejudice or The Great Gatsby?
Pride and Prejudice is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Pride and Prejudice (320 pages, ≈ 5 h 56 m); The Great Gatsby (431 pages, ≈ 7 h 59 m).
Which is harder to read: Pride and Prejudice or The Great Gatsby?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Pride and Prejudice: Demanding; The Great Gatsby: Moderate.
Have both books been made into films?
Pride and Prejudice: 5 film adaptations; The Great Gatsby: 5 film adaptations.