News for Austen Enthusiasts: February 2026

February, though only two or three days shorter than the other months, feels so brief. This month, I read Mansfield Park with a friend, and found myself scrambling to finish the last few pages on the train to meet her. I recommend buddy-reading Mansfield Park. It's a chunky one, for Austen, and not particularly pacy at the start. There's a good chance that you, too, have just this one title to tick off. Find a friend, pair up, set a deadline, and you're sorted!

Here's all the Jane Austen news and updates you might have missed in February!

New Jane Austen-inspired cosy mystery hits shelves

We never tire of hearing about fun new interpretations of Jane Austen's work. Just hitting shelves is Dr Lucy Andrew's new title, A Very Vexing Murder, which reimagines Emma for the cosy crime crowd. In this first Harriet Smith Investigates novel, Emma's sidekick is reimagined as a sleuth charged with solving a murder that has yet to be committed. Now is the perfect time to get in on the ground floor of this thrilling new series!

Author Ben Markovitz revisits his preconceptions about Jane Austen

In his recent Books of My Life feature for The Guardian, author Ben Markovitz has confessed that he used to doubt that books about love and romance could be good. It's only since revisiting Jane Austen that he has come to correct his opinions about her work, and now sees her for the genius she is.

Martin Jennings discusses his Jane Austen statue

The decision to erect a statue of Jane Austen at Winchester Cathedral was met with some consternation about its appropriateness to the venue. However, sculptor Martin Jennings's portrait of Austen has generally been well-received. However, Jennings was recently spotted responding to a Facebook comment about his depiction of Austen:

"I thought it was important to contradict the erroneous impression of Austen as a soft homely figure and to emphasise not only her very slight frame (historically accurate despite the implications of her sister's sketch) but her authority in the field of social observation and of course in the writing of novels.”

Netflix shares first-look teaser for Pride and Prejudice starring Emma Corrin

The hotly anticipated Pride and Prejudice adaptation is finally on its way, with Netflix dropping a less than one-minute-long teaser trailer for the movie. In it, we get our first glimpses of Emma Corrin as Elizabeth Bennet, and Jack Lowden as Mr Darcy (looking, mercifully, not too blonde!). There has been some consternation about whether we really need another adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, but I think - hey- it's been 20 years, why not?

Watch it at Vogue >>

Book bag charms delight New York Fashion Week

Labubus are no more - this season's accessory is a book. Specifically, it's the tiny keychain versions of novels produced by Coach and sported by everyone who's anyone at New York Fashion Week. Elle Fanning was spotted with a tiny copy of Sense and Sensibility, with other titles including Untamed by Glennon Doyle and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou making appearances. How chic!

Aimee Lou Wood to star in new Jane Eyre

It's Brontë season, apparently, and another adaptation is on the way. Working Title have commissioned a new series adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. The heroine will be played by Aimee Lou Wood - Northern fans of the Brontës' work may be relieved to know that she should have less trouble with the accent than some *ahem* Aussies. What do we think?

**Fennell Wuthering Heights fails to impress literature fans**

Emerald Fennell's production of Wuthering Heights has drawn scepticism from fans of classic literature from the get-go, with the casting of Australian actors Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi drawing criticism for many reasons, from Robbie's age to issues with casting a white man to play a character who was not portrayed as white in the novel. Though the Charli XCX soundtrack and ambitious costuming have drawn some praise, fans of the novel will be calling this one a flop for years to come.

AS ALWAYS, WE WOULD LOVE TO KNOW IF WE HAVE MISSED ANYTHING, AS WELL AS ALL YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE NEWS!

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