--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think Jane Austen is like Shakespeare…" description: "\"I think Jane Austen is like Shakespeare, in a slightly different way. I think people will continue to revisit these stories because they remain relevan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/josh-o-connor-14437_continue_i-think-jane-austen-is-like-shakespeare_2239692.jpg" --- # I think Jane Austen is like Shakespeare, in a slightly… ![“I think Jane Austen is like Shakespeare, in a slightly different way. I think people will continue to revisit these stories because they remain relevant, regardless of how you do them.” quote by Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/josh-o-connor-14437_continue_i-think-jane-austen-is-like-shakespeare_2239692.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/josh-o-connor-14437_continue_i-think-jane-austen-is-like-shakespeare_2239692.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/josh-o-connor-14437_continue_i-think-jane-austen-is-like-shakespeare_2239692.jpg) > “I think Jane Austen is like Shakespeare, in a slightly different way. I think people will continue to revisit these stories because they remain relevant, regardless of how you do them.” [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker compares Jane Austen to Shakespeare, noting their lasting relevance and adaptability across eras. **In simple terms:** Austen and Shakespeare stay relevant and adaptable. Key Takeaway Recognize timeless themes in classic literature. Themes literature relevance adaptation Mood reflective appreciative Type analytical observational When to use this quote - teaching literature - writing workshops - publishing - film adaptations Key Concepts comparative analysis cultural endurance Questions to Reflect On - How do you make classic stories feel fresh? - What makes a story timeless? A Different Perspective Classic works may not resonate with all modern audiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/austen/) [Austen Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/austen-like-1133819/) [Continue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/continue/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Jane austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jane-austen/) [Like Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-shakespeare-950784/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Shakespeare Slightly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakespeare-slightly-5073023/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) ## Related quotes > [What I'd love to do would be to bring a person from the past to me. In that case I'd pick Jane Austen, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-beverley/what-i-d-love-to-do-would-be-to-bring-a-person-from-the-past-to-me-in/) [Jo Beverley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-beverley/) > [“A lot of aspiring writers quote the right people, but they do so like Mary Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. They quote Austen like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilson/a-lot-of-aspiring-writers-quote-the-right-people-but-they-do-so-like/) [Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) > [I mean, I knew of Jane Austen's work, and I guess I'm a fan at a distance insofar as from a literary point of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/i-mean-i-knew-of-jane-austen-s-work-and-i-guess-i-m-a-fan-at-a/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) > [No highbrow literary type would ever say 'Moby Dick' is good but it's just about a whale, or a Jane Austen would be important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hannah/no-highbrow-literary-type-would-ever-say-moby-dick-is-good-but-it-s/) [Sophie Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hannah/) > [“When you asked me to speak about women and fiction I sat down on the banks of a river and began to wonder what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/when-you-asked-me-to-speak-about-women-and-fiction-i-sat-down-on-the/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“Nick? Any idea?" Nick coughs too. "Nope. No idea at all." Wilbur gives him a stern look. "So what was the point in doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-smale/nick-any-idea-nick-coughs-too-nope-no-idea-at-all-wilbur-gives-him-a/) [Holly Smale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-smale/) > [When I was in my twenties, I strongly identified with Jane Austen's 'Emma' - her human failings mixed with a desire to do good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-i-strongly-identified-with-jane-austen-s/) [Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/) > [“Off to sell Jane Austen to the masses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-ann-nattress/off-to-sell-jane-austen-to-the-masses/) [Laurel Ann Nattress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-ann-nattress/) > [ \[On Jane Austen:\] To believe her limited in range because she was harmonious in method is as sensible as to imagine that when the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/on-jane-austen-to-believe-her-limited-in-range-because-she-was/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [I grew up on Jane Austen novels and was a massive literature fanatic when I was a kid - I read everything I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-king/i-grew-up-on-jane-austen-novels-and-was-a-massive-literature-fanatic/) [Georgia King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-king/) > [“You know, somewhere a Jane Austen angel just lost her wings over you saying that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole-van/you-know-somewhere-a-jane-austen-angel-just-lost-her-wings-over-you/) [Nichole Van](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichole-van/) > [ “\[Jane\] Austen was not a novelist for nothing: she knew that our stories are what make us human, and that listening to someone else's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/jane-austen-was-not-a-novelist-for-nothing-she-knew-that-our-stories/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [“The celestial brightness of Pride and Prejudice is unequalled even in Jane Austen's other work; after a life of much disappointment and grief, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jenkins/the-celestial-brightness-of-pride-and-prejudice-is-unequalled-even-in/) [Elizabeth Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jenkins/) > [Look at Jane Austen. Her characters derive in a reasonably straight line from fairy tales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/look-at-jane-austen-her-characters-derive-in-a-reasonably-straight/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) > [The difficulty with poetry is that it doesn't have the life that Shakespeare or Jane Austen have beyond the page. You can't make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/the-difficulty-with-poetry-is-that-it-doesn-t-have-the-life-that/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) ## More by Josh O'Connor > [If Leonardo DiCaprio calls, I'll hang out with him, sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/if-leonardo-dicaprio-calls-i-ll-hang-out-with-him-sure/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) > [Fame isn't something I signed up for, it's just a by-product of what I wanted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/fame-isn-t-something-i-signed-up-for-it-s-just-a-by-product-of-what-i/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) > [I have no memory of feeling strong and rugged at any point. I've been considering masculinity my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/i-have-no-memory-of-feeling-strong-and-rugged-at-any-point-i-ve-been/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) > [Being in 'The Crown' and being recognised in the street is weird for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/being-in-the-crown-and-being-recognised-in-the-street-is-weird-for-me/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) > [I had one lesson with Devil's Horsemen, who do a lot of the horse-riding stuff for films. They train actors to look reasonable on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/i-had-one-lesson-with-devil-s-horsemen-who-do-a-lot-of-the-horse/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) > [Well, we lived in Newbury first, until I was five. Then we went to Cheltenham, which is lovely, a really sweet town. We lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/well-we-lived-in-newbury-first-until-i-was-five-then-we-went-to/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) > [I wanted to be an artist; it was be an artist or be an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/i-wanted-to-be-an-artist-it-was-be-an-artist-or-be-an-actor/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) > [Y'know, even in a lot of heterosexual cinema it's always kind of miserable. Love doesn't work and then, if it does work, it's suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/y-know-even-in-a-lot-of-heterosexual-cinema-it-s-always-kind-of/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) > [This crew member has managed to get this picture of me to the Queen who'd said that she loved me in 'The Durrells'! The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/this-crew-member-has-managed-to-get-this-picture-of-me-to-the-queen/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) > [I love theater and I really wanted to do more theater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/i-love-theater-and-i-really-wanted-to-do-more-theater/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) > [All good art should be political, I think, and inevitably it all becomes political really, in one way or another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/all-good-art-should-be-political-i-think-and-inevitably-it-all/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) > [Regardless of the size of the budget or the name of the director, if the story is really interesting, then I can get on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/regardless-of-the-size-of-the-budget-or-the-name-of-the-director-if/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) > [Ultimately, I want a career where I get to try as many things out as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/ultimately-i-want-a-career-where-i-get-to-try-as-many-things-out-as-i/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) > [Richard II is my dream part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/richard-ii-is-my-dream-part/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) > [The thing is, I was always a republican, but I have to say I've become completely obsessed with the Queen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/the-thing-is-i-was-always-a-republican-but-i-have-to-say-i-ve-become/) [Josh O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) [Explore all 46 Josh O'Connor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/) ## More Austen quotes > [The difficulty with poetry is that it doesn't have the life that Shakespeare or Jane Austen have beyond the page. You can't make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/the-difficulty-with-poetry-is-that-it-doesn-t-have-the-life-that/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [Look at Jane Austen. Her characters derive in a reasonably straight line from fairy tales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/look-at-jane-austen-her-characters-derive-in-a-reasonably-straight/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) > [“The celestial brightness of Pride and Prejudice is unequalled even in Jane Austen's other work; after a life of much disappointment and grief, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jenkins/the-celestial-brightness-of-pride-and-prejudice-is-unequalled-even-in/) [Elizabeth Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jenkins/) > [It has been suggested that Tiptree is female, a theory that I find absurd, for there is to me something ineluctably masculine about Tiptree’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-silverberg/it-has-been-suggested-that-tiptree-is-female-a-theory-that-i-find/) [Robert Silverberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-silverberg/) > [Had Elizabeth Bennet known how wildly Darcy's heart beat for her, 'Pride and Prejudice' would barely have made it into a short story. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariella-frostrup/had-elizabeth-bennet-known-how-wildly-darcy-s-heart-beat-for-her/) [Mariella Frostrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariella-frostrup/) > [ “\[Jane\] Austen was not a novelist for nothing: she knew that our stories are what make us human, and that listening to someone else's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-deresiewicz/jane-austen-was-not-a-novelist-for-nothing-she-knew-that-our-stories/) [William Deresiewicz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-deresiewicz/) > [I'm kind of a mash-up of taste - Graham Greene and Jane Austen; W.G. Sebald and Alice Munro.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/i-m-kind-of-a-mash-up-of-taste-graham-greene-and-jane-austen-w-g/) [Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/) > [I'm sure I've been influenced by every fine writer I've ever read, from Dickens and Austen to Auden and Jane Hirshfield. And also, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-bloom/i-m-sure-i-ve-been-influenced-by-every-fine-writer-i-ve-ever-read/) [Amy Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-bloom/) > [“You know, somewhere a Jane Austen angel just lost her wings over you saying that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole-van/you-know-somewhere-a-jane-austen-angel-just-lost-her-wings-over-you/) [Nichole Van](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichole-van/) > [Great books are readable anyway. Dickens is readable. Jane Austen is readable. John Updike's readable. Hawthorne's readable. It's a meaningless term. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/great-books-are-readable-anyway-dickens-is-readable-jane-austen-is/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“Gratitude, not merely for having once loved her, but for loving her still well enough, to forgive all the petulance and acrimony of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/gratitude-not-merely-for-having-once-loved-her-but-for-loving-her/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [I grew up on Jane Austen novels and was a massive literature fanatic when I was a kid - I read everything I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-king/i-grew-up-on-jane-austen-novels-and-was-a-massive-literature-fanatic/) [Georgia King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-king/) > [“I don't care a whit for Society. I think people should only marry someone who can offer them some bit of affection. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harper-st-george/i-don-t-care-a-whit-for-society-i-think-people-should-only-marry/) [Harper St. George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harper-st-george/) > [“Does everybody know everything in this town!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaishnavi-nair-k/does-everybody-know-everything-in-this-town/) [Vaishnavi Nair K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaishnavi-nair-k/) > [“People don't say what they mean very often. You have to read between the lines of their behavior, of what they say, to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-c-frank/people-don-t-say-what-they-mean-very-often-you-have-to-read-between/) [M.C. Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-c-frank/) [Browse all 292 Austen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/austen/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think Jane Austen is like Shakespeare, in a slightly different way. I think people will continue to revisit these stories because they remain relevant, regardless of how you do them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Josh O'Connor" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/i-think-jane-austen-is-like-shakespeare-in-a-slightly-different-way-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Austen" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/i-think-jane-austen-is-like-shakespeare-in-a-slightly-different-way-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/josh-o-connor-14437_continue_i-think-jane-austen-is-like-shakespeare_2239692.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/josh-o-connor-14437_continue_i-think-jane-austen-is-like-shakespeare_2239692.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/663/josh-o-connor-14437_continue_i-think-jane-austen-is-like-shakespeare_2239692.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think Jane Austen is like Shakespeare, in a slightly different way. I think people will continue to…” — Josh O'Connor", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Josh O'Connor", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-o-connor/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think Jane Austen is like...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/i-think-jane-austen-is-like-shakespeare-in-a-slightly-different-way-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-o-connor/i-think-jane-austen-is-like-shakespeare-in-a-slightly-different-way-i/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```