Jane Austen is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated authors of all time, with her novels being discussed in many English Literature classes across the globe (including here in our very own university). I’m making my way through her works right now, but after having read (and watched!) two of them, I thought it would be interesting to compare the two of them and decide which makes the better love story. 

I read Pride and Prejudice last summer and just finished up Persuasion as a class reading assignment — and I enjoyed both of them. I also watched both of the adaptations right after finishing the novels; here are my thoughts on both forms of media below! 

Persuasion is the last completed novel written by Austen. It tells the story of Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth, who meet again after a seven-year gap. Anne was persuaded to break off the engagement, but Wentworth returns seven years later a rich sailor. I was surprised at the little interaction between the two characters, and also at how horrible Anne’s family was to her, and how their opinions of her affected the way she thought about herself, too. My copy is littered with shocked and sad little emoticon faces drawn in the margins at some of these moments. The novel has a more slow-burn romance feel, which makes it quite different from Austen’s other works, like Pride and Prejudice. That novel is more of a classic romance story, with a lot of interactions between the two protagonists, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, and a clear understanding and development of their relationship laid out before us. Darcy is Pride, and Elizabeth is Prejudice, and reading about them both overcoming these personal hindrances is truly entertaining. If I were to assign a trope to this book as I did Persuasion, I’d choose enemies-to-lovers. 

My copy is littered with shocked and sad little emoticon faces drawn in the margins at some of these moments.

Both novels end with happy marriages and comment on the society of the time period, though they explore the relationship dynamics between the two love interests very differently. So how did all this translate to the movie screen? 

The movie adaptation of Pride and Prejudice (2005) is well-loved and seen as the “only correct adaptation” (quoting a classmate of mine) with some alterations made to the original story. Alterations must be made to screen adaptations, but a lot of the original dialogue was included in the movie, which I thought fit in just right and was a great way to pay homage to Austen. Some of the social commentaries were dimmed down a bit in the movie, but I let it slide because of all of the other elements that make it a great movie (the acting, soundtrack, setting, cottagecore aesthetics, to name a few). 

On the other hand, the movie adaptation of Persuasion (2022) was not as well-received, even by me, and I enjoy pretty much any movie I watch. Despite a great cast, the breaking of the fourth wall waa major turn-off for me. This, and the added attempt at humor, came out of nowhere — especially because I’d just finished reading the novel. The costume design was also a personal pet peeve (and the wine drinking?), but I digress. The movie tried to bring in some present-day elements into the past, but it just didn’t land as they thought it would. Jokes like “a 5 in London is a 10 in Bath,” and other similar dialogue. 

Ultimately, it is up to the viewer to decide which movie adaptation they prefer, and whether it does justice to the original novel. But I think the Pride and Prejudice movie was much better than Persuasion. 

Ultimately, it is up to the viewer to decide which movie adaptation they prefer, and whether it does justice to the original novel.

As to which one is the better love story: I think this depends on what kind of romance you are looking to read or watch. Persuasion has that slow burn added in, though at times it feels a bit too slow, and it has some stings of melancholy interwoven throughout, a different spin on love stories. Pride and Prejudice is your classic (maybe the classic) enemies-to-lovers story, with a witty main character, and a more common love story layout. 

I think Pride and Prejudice was the best overall, both as a novel and movie adaptation love story. I watched Persuasion with my friend, who endured my commentary, and she said it didn’t seem to do the book much justice, and was a bit of a waste of Henry Golding — which I wholeheartedly agree with. But I do recommend giving it a watch if fourth-wall breaking is your thing!

 —Melissa Mora-Gonzalez, Spring 2023 Staff