Quiz: Taylor Swift or Jane Austen? Play along with BBC Radio 1 presenters

“Friendship is certainly the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.”

The immortal words of Jane Austen from her coming-of-age novel 'Northanger Abbey', which could just as well serve as a descriptor for the 20-year music catalogue of American artist Taylor Swift.

Like Austen's novels, Swift's work has been a balm to the soul of the lovesick for generations, with both women centring their work around femininity, sisterhood, romance and resilience. But how well can you tell their writing apart?

Well, here at BBC Bitesize, we put the presenters of BBC Radio 1 to the test, to see how well they could distinguish between the esteemed pair!

Watch the presenters of BBC Radio 1 take on the 'Swift or Austen' challenge, before testing your own skills below, with our extended 'Who said it: Taylor Swift or Jane Austen?' quiz!

Or, jump straight into the quiz yourself, and come back to see how some of radio's finest compare!

Born 13th December 1989, Taylor Swift is an American singer-songwriter known to millions across the globe. Taylor released her first album – the self-tited 'Taylor Swift' – in 2006, continuing to rise in profile and popularity ever since, garnering a reputation as one of modern music's most iconic superstars.

Known for her heartrending lyricism and fearless genre-hopping, Swift has dabbled in the worlds of pop, folk and country, becoming one of the most popular artists the world over, as evidenced by her recent 'Eras' Tour, which quickly became the highest grossing music tour of all time.

Alongside her status as a singer-songwriter, Swift has tried her hand in other artistic pursuits, including directing a 10-minute short film for her song 'All Too Well'. The video, which starred Stranger Things alum Sadie Sink, was met with widespread plaudits, with Swift later announcing she was to make her feature-film directorial debut for Searchlight Pictures, a project that has yet to come to fruition.

Taylor may be a little busy to get back behind the camera at the moment, however, with a tour and album rollout only recently in the rearview, and the small matter of a wedding with NFL star Travis Kelce on the horizon. What's more, Taylor was recently photographed arriving at a New York music studio, with more songs thought to be on the way in the not too distant!

What do you think is next for the internet's favourite tortured poet? Speak now or forever hold your peace!

Taylor Swift is a songwriter of significant repute, with writing credits on hundreds upon hundreds of tracks, having solo-written 67 of her own.

Thus far, Taylor has released 12 original studio albums: Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, Reputation, Lover, Folklore, Evermore, Midnights, The Tortured Poets Department and The Life of a Showgirl. All of her albums feature songs Swift either wrote or co-wrote, some of which Swift re-recorded for her 'Taylor's Version' strand – a project which allowed Swift to regain the rights to her old music.

Most recently, Taylor co-wrote and performed the song 'I Knew It, I Knew You' for Toy Story 5, one of a number of songs Swift has contributed for films over her career.

Born 16th December 1775, Jane Austen is one of the most iconic and well-renowned authors in history, whose classic novels have spawned numerous adaptations over film, stage and radio.

Jane was born into a tight-knit, wealthy family – a fact that would inform a great deal of her work – and was the second youngest of eight children in total.

Known for her strong female characters and sharp observations about the English gentry, Austen began her forays into writing as a teenager and would go on to produce six full-length novels.

Austen's work was initially published anonymously, with her identity only revealed following her death in 1817. She had two further novels published posthumously, and has grown to be one of the most iconic English novelists of all time, with her novel 'Pride and Prejudice' standing as a core pillar of the GCSE English Literature curriculum.

Austen is celebrated for her wit and the use of social commentary within her work, serving as a significant inspiration to authors all across the globe.

Jane Austen wrote and published four novels during her lifetime: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma. Austen had two further novels published posthumously (after she has passed away): Persuasion and Northanger Abbey.

Despite the settings and society of Austen's work being dated, her novels are some of the most timeless ever written, in large part due to their well-drawn characters and astute observations about relationships – both romantic and familial.

As such, Austen's work continues to be adapted and reinvented in a variety of different forms. 1995's Clueless is (or I suppose, was) a modern adaptation of Austen's Emma.

Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice are both set to receive new adaptations this year, with Emma and Persuasion both commanding new feature film adaptations over the past few.

Whilst popular BBC drama The Other Bennet Sister, an adaptation of a 2020 novel that serves as a continuation to Austen's Pride and Prejudice, was recently re-upped for a Christmas special at the end of this year.

Looking for more Taylor Swift in your life – BBC Bitesize have you covered! Test your Swiftie credentials with our Quick-fire Taylor Swift quiz, or Other Side of The Story's Fact or Fake: Era's Tour edition! You can also check out this article from BBC Bitesize Study Support, which breaks down three study tips inspired by Taylor.

To learn more about Jane Austen, you can check out these great GCSE English Literature guides on the plot, characters and themes of Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Or for more general English Literature support, check out Bitesize's English revision podcasts!

This article was published in June 2026