our Pride & Prejudice read-a-long begins next week

the schedule & all the materials you need to get started

It’s time! It’s here! I am so excited!

Next week, we kick off our 10-week read of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, which was first published on January 28, 1813. (Something like 16 years after she first started writing it.)

A still from Joe Wright’s 2005 film adaptation

Our first read of 2025

On Monday, January 20th, we begin reading one of the most famous novels in Western history by an author beloved all around the world! Pride and Prejudice remains a true literary touchstone, even two centuries after its original publication, for its depth of character and culture — and for the way it manages to teach us so much about Elizabeth Bennet’s family, life, and experiences while also teaching us so much about ourselves.

The novel takes place in 19th century Britain, in a time known as the Regency era, a historical moment typified by political confusion (a young king filling in for his ailing father, King George III caused a lot of questions and strife), all while the broader culture of the time experienced a surge in luxury goods, fine arts, and an ever-stricter social structure that dictated not only who had power and who did not—but which kinds of women could marry which kinds of men (especially single men in possession of a good fortune!).

In the novel, you’ll find all kinds of themes worth tracking

• Sisterly bonds

• Motherhood and the responsibilities of women in Regency homes

• Fatherhood and the expectations of men under strict patriarchal (and colonialist!) cultural systems

• Marriage customs, traditions, dangers, and requirements (for men and women!) and how they were changing in 19th century Britain

• The inner life of a brilliant and stubborn young lady

• Social customs and behaviors, including dress, hair styles, social events, travel, hospitality and more

• Correspondence, communication technologies, and letter writing

• And, of course, social class and all its complicated tiers

The schedule

The assigned reading each week is meant to be read during that week—and you should complete it by the time new assigned chapters roll around. I’ll post a brief summary, analysis, and exercise (including writing prompts) on Monday of each week, for that week’s assigned reading, so you can reference it as soon as you’re ready for it. (I typically recommend you don’t read the guide until you’ve read the chapters, to avoid spoilers. But some readers like to read the context and analysis before reading, so they’re more prepared to annotate or understand key plot points.)

WEEK 1 | Monday, January 20
Read volume 1, chapter 1 (just chapter 1!)

WEEK 2 | Monday, January 27
Read volume 1, chapters 2-9

WEEK 3 | Monday, February 3
Read volume 1, chapters 10-16

WEEK 4 | Monday, February 10
Read volume 1, chapters 17-23 (END OF VOLUME 1)

WEEK 5 | Monday, February 17
Read volume 2, chapters 1-6

WEEK 6 | Monday, February 24
Read volume 2, chapters 7-14

WEEK 7 | Monday, March 3
Read volume 2, chapters 15-19 (END OF VOLUME 2)

WEEK 8 | Monday, March 10
Read volume 3, chapters 1-6

WEEK 9 | Monday, March 17
Read volume 3, chapters 7-13

WEEK 10 | Monday, March 24
Read volume 3, chapters 14-19 (END OF NOVEL)

If you fall behind or move slightly ahead of this schedule, that is okay! I create each weekly guide to help you get into the novel and explore new reading practices—so find the movement and timing that works best for you and your schedule.

All the resources!

Everything you need—and quite a few non-essential but nice-to-have items—are listed below.

You’ll obviously need a copy of the novel¹

• I recommend a paperback copy, preferably one with a good sized margin so you can add handwritten notes.

  • Why paperback? If you are hoping to learn how to closely read and annotate this year, nothing can replace a paperback copy of the novel. You can get messy with it and have fun exploring the styles of annotation you prefer. You can try new things. You can easily bend back pages or hold the book in many different postures. You can be very thoughtful or you can simply experiment every week. If you’re nervous about writing in a book, a used copy (without too many markings from previous readers) is a great place to start.

• If you want to use a Kindle or other digital format, you can, of course, digitally annotate as you read. I also recommend keeping a reading notebook nearby, as well, so you can jot down ideas or write down your favorite quotes as you go. Slowing down to handwrite your insights can be a big step in exploring how you want to annotate your books.

• If you’ll be using an audiobook, I love that for you — just be mindful that you may want to keep a handwritten journal, in addition to your audiobook, so you can jot down the minute markers of your favorite sentences or parts of the story.

  • If you want to practice annotating a physical copy of the text during this experience, I suggest getting a used copy of the novel, so you can follow along with your audio and practice annotating your favorite quotes.

You may want a small, durable ruler for underlining and some great pens or highlighters for annotating your copy of the novel

Relatedly, here’s my favorite legal pad to take notes on—the horizontal format, it speaks to me. And here’s my favorite reading journal.

A sexy still from Joe Wright’s 2005 film adaptation

Made for you

To help make this experience even better, I’ve created both a question form and a weekly writing guide for all readers.

Here is the form you can use to submit questions — this is one of my favorite resources from our previous read-a-longs and it can be used at any time during the next ten weeks.

• In the past, our book club readers have asked about everything from the meaning behind the title of a novel, for definitions of confusing cultural terms, and links to or summaries of historical contexts to help them make deeper connections. Sometimes, folks just ask for a summary of a complicated plot point or a reminder of who a certain character is. I’m happy to help with it all—and to help you find answers, if I’m not able to.

• One time, a reader even asked me to compare The House of Mirth with Shakespeare’s Hamlet — that was fun!

Freewrite prompts are also available.

For those of you working on writing in a reading journal or free-writing about what you’re reading, here is a basic free write template designed to help you think more deeply about the text. (Custom writing prompts will also be available in each weekly guide!)

• If you’d like, you can print 10 copies now, so you’re set for the entire reading experience! (I recommend downloading as a PDF for easier printing.)

• You can also fill it out digitally each week, if you prefer. Just make a copy of the document on your own Google Drive or save to Word.

• Finally, you could also just reference these questions and handwrite them into your reading journal—to give yourself a starting point each week.

Reasons to join

You’re ready to fall in love with Austen to see what all the fuss is about.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of reading this novel before, I really hope you’ll read it for the first time with our group. The weekly commentary is always so much fun to read!

If you already adore Austen and have read the novel once or twice or a dozen times, I hope you’ll join us to share your thoughts as you experience it again. (I bet you’ll love it even more once you’ve closely and slowly re-read it!)

You want to deepen your close reading practice with hands-on guidance.

If one of your goals is read more closely and learn how to better annotate your books, then this is the perfect experience for you! Each week’s guide includes reading questions, prompts for writing and annotation, discussion points, as well as close reading pointers and tips to help you deepen your reading of the novel and develop your close reading practice.

I have my PhD in literature—and bring everything I’ve learned to our reading guides.

I treat our reading group like a college English class. I come prepared each week with a full guide to the chapters we read. It’s like your favorite lit class, minus the grades and the homework.

Each guide is designed to help you keep going.

Adjusting to reading the classics when you’re used to other genres, time periods, or types of literature can be quite an exercise for the mind! So, when the novel feels like it’s dragging a bit, or you don’t know which people or plot lines to care about, I share helpful context and writing prompts each week to help you stay engaged and find a way back into the story.

Here we go!

I can’t wait to embark on another literary adventure with you all. Now, hop into the comments and let me know what you’re most excited about.

‘Til next time…happy reading!

1. This link takes you to my bookshop.org shop page, where I make about 10% of every sale through my shop. On bookshop.org, you can search for your local indie shop, if you’d like a portion of your sale to go to them, instead!