Jane Austen wins more fans than Zadie Smith in survey of greatest books by women writers
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The vivid and determined heroines of Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters and George Eliot have maintained their creators' standing as Britain's favourite female writers.
Despite the huge commercial success of modern authors such as J K Rowling, Zadie Smith and Helen Fielding, Austen's bittersweet social comedy Pride and Prejudice – written in 1813 – topped a survey of the greatest women writers yesterday.
Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, published in 1847, came second while her sister Emily's torrid romantic epic Wuthering Heights, published in the same year, took third place. George Eliot's 1871 novel Middlemarch was fourth in the survey of 6,000 men and women by the mobile phone company Orange, sponsor of the annual prize for women writers. Seven out of 10 of those who took part in the poll were women.
Underlining the enduring appeal of the literary grande dames, Zadie Smith's White Teeth (2001) came only 12th, while Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary was 23rd. J K Rowling took 13th place with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. One contemporary author, Carol Shields, who won the Orange prize for Fiction in 1999 with Larry's Party, made it into the top 10 with her recent novel Unless, which has been shortlisted for this year's Orange prize. Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, which came fifth, was one of only three 20th-century books to be voted into the top 10. Four books by Jane Austen and three by George Eliot made it into the top 50.
Margaret Reynolds, a Reader in English literature at the University of London, said the list showed that modern readers related to determined, bold heroines looking for recognition in society. "All of Austen's first paragraphs mention money and her books are about women's struggle for status and social power, which is an issue which has great resonance in contemporary life," she said.
However, Nicholas Clee, editor of The Bookseller, said the list was incomplete. "There are a raft of highly popular women writers who are conspicuous in their absence from this list. For example, I would expect to see Beryl Bainbridge, Anne Tyler, Muriel Spark, Penelope Fitzgerald and Joanna Trollope featuring at least somewhere and the fact that they do not suggests to me that the list is not representative."
THE TOP 50 BOOKS
1 Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
2 Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
3 Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
4 Middlemarch, George Eliot
5 Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
6 Persuasion, Jane Austen
7 Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
8 Emma, Jane Austen
9 Unless, Carol Shields
10 To Kill A Mocking Bird, Harper Lee
11 The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
12 White Teeth, Zadie Smith
13 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
14 Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell
15 To The Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
16 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
17 The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
18 Silas Marner, George Eliot
= Possession, AS Byatt
20 The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
21 Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf = The Mill On The Floss, George Eliot
23 Bridget Jones' Diary, Helen Fielding = Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
25 The Blind Assassin, Margaret Atwood
26 Chocolat, Joanne Harris
27 The Shipping News, E. Annie Proux
28 Little Women, Louisa M Alcott
29 The Sea, The Sea, Iris Murdoch = I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
31 Family Bites, Lisa Williams
32 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, JK Rowling = The Shell Seekers, Rosamund Pilcher
34 Orlando, Virginia Woolf
= The Thornbirds, Colleen McCullough
36 Fingersmith, Sarah Waters
37 The Girl With The Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier
= Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, Jeanette Winterson
= Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys
40 Clan Of The Cave Bear. Jean Auel
41 The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
42 The Secret History, Donna Tartt
43 Five Quarters Of The Orange, Joanne Harris
44 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, JK Rowling = Beloved, Toni Morrison
46 Bel Canto, Ann Patchett
47 Hotel Du Lac, Anita Brookner
48 The Bell, Iris Murdoch
49 Regeneration, Pat Barker
50 The Bone People, Keri Hulme = The Color Purple, Alice Walker
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments