Jane Austen's novels have been popular for over two hundred years—despite the fact that the world she lived in no longer exists. Pride and Prejudice, in particular, has been repeatedly adapted for plays and movies, and other novels about Darcy and Elizabeth have been spun off it. Why is Austen's novel still so popular, with people returning to the story and adapting it to different cultures and times? What is it about her characters, their relationships, and her writing that has enduring resonance?

Jane Austen's novels have persisted far past the early 1800s (in which they were written) for two main reasons: the characters and their experiences, and Austen's writing style. The plot lines of Austen's novels are relatively universal across time; they focus on dysfunctional families, misguided attempts at love, and the distinctions between money and class. There is a particular focus on why women marry and who they marry—a very common theme even in today's media and arts.
The fussiness of Mrs. Bennett is not unlike many sitcom mothers, and Mr. Wickham is surprisingly similar to a cast-member on the Bachelor. Many central characters in Austen's novels experience the same comical ups-and-downs in romance as characters in modern TV shows such as Girls and Broad City. While the actual situations may be different, we can identify and understand the emotions tied to them. It is easy to get lost in the plot of the stories and forget that they are set in historic English society; the reader can connect to the tension between class, love, and family as well as the struggle between choosing one's own path while still meeting societal expectations.
A significant portion of this "relatability" is a result of Austen's writing. It is simple and straightforward; it is comical and sarcastic at times without losing the structure nor flow. The characters are richly developed, and Austen's focus on their daily lives gives the reader an opportunity to understand their flaws and motivations. This writing style lent itself to film scripts, and modern film adaptations of Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion have cemented Austen's novels in popular culture. Readers and viewers of all ages can connect to Austen's work and pass that connection on to the next generation.