Why does the bbc seem to favour Jane Austen over the Bronte sisters?

[KillingEvesbestmate]

It seems very unfair as the brontes are vastly superior.

Austen was not a contemporary of the Brontes and was dead before they were born, so a comparison is a bit moot.

I would say Austen is perhaps easier, or more aesthetic, in terms of dramatisation, as @TiredofLDN suggests. Austen is more interior, which lends itself to sets and studio filming, whereas the Brontes favour landscape and nature, so location shoots are more complex?

Obviously (obviously!) the Brontes are far superior to Austen, though. On that I agree.

I tend to think of the works of the Brontë sisters more epic and vast than that of Austen.

I think, despite their chronology, people tend to find the romanticism of the Brontës rather more dated.

Bronte novels are all just too miserable and rarely have a happy ending. It's totally understandable given the life experiences of the authors, and as novels to read and appreciate some are very good, but they are not going to be that appealing to a modern general audience.

I much prefer Jane Austen to the Brontes. They were very clever women, and I do love the Tenant of Windfall Hall, Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre, but I think the rest of their books are humourless and practically unreadable.

I think there is a lot more content in Austen that is still relevant today compared to in Jane Eyre (only work by the Brontes that I've read). Pride & Prejudice - don't marry someone much stupider than you, don't jump to conclusions & be careful with charming con artists.

Jane Eyre - don't marry someone with hereditary early onset dementia/major psychiatric disorder, and if you do don't let her burn the house done - or maybe do let her burn the house down but make sure you get proper medical attention for your injuries. The plot of Jane Eyre is wildly improbable to say the least, and the hero is an abusive lier.

Yes, I think those where the best Bronte novels too!

Me too! I much prefer the Brontes, I’ve always been fascinated by their lives up on the isolated moors, and how it shaped their novels. However, I can absolutely see why the general public would prefer lighter more accessible works like Austen’s.

Agree. I love Jane Eyre but Austen makes for lighter more enjoyable watching.

Northerners

With your username, I should hope so 🤣🤣.

Jane Austen writes at many different levels (which is her genius), she can be more caustic than Swift, and I think the humour in her social observation is almost unique. And she’s almost as obsessed as MN about money, but much wittier, thankfully.

I never really watch the adaptations as I find the focus on the saccharine lovey doveyness beyond irritating.

The Brontes are a bit one dimensional in comparison, in my opinion.

I find her more tedious to be honest.

I've never managed to read Wuthering Heights. I've tried several times.

How very dare you!

I think Jane Austen wrote books that we still can relate to and are adaptable to modern day as well. Bit more lighthearted too. I prefer them, especially, well particularly a certain adaptation involving a shirt

Disgraceful! 😄

There are also a lot of Brinte obsessive!

Another reason, I suspect, is that Austen novels are more tightly plotted so adapt better to television than the larger, wilder canvas of the Brönte novels.

Austen is funnier and less melodramatic

This.

Charlotte Bronte did not like Jane Austen's writing. She called it superficial and lacking in sentiment.

😀 Can you expand on this?

She wasn't reading it closely enough.

Because she's better. 🪶💪😄

HeadyLamarr: Austen is like Shakespeare, writing stories about the human condition that are still true.
A twisted and abusive set of relationships like those in Wuthering Heights holds no universal truths.
Agreed.
Also, I don't think that the Brontes do subtlety, do they?

I like the darker theme that the Bronte sisters wrote about. I first read the books in my teens and the darker and more melancholy the better!

Oh god - dont make me choose🫣