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Becoming Jane Austen

By Jon Spence

(15)

| Paperback | 9781847250469

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Book Description

Jane Austen was a great novelist and one of the central figures of English literature, but she herself lived a quiet and uneventful life, mostly in the two Hampshire villages of Steventon and Chawton. Jon Spence's new biography focuses its attention away from the wider literary and intellectual currContinue

3 Reviews

1 person find this helpful

The movie Becoming Jane took its inspiration from this biography. The movie was a bit stupid, though James McAvoy is adorable. Both the movie and the book try to pass off and be marketed as the record of a romance of Jane Austen's youth. But of course in the biography hardly a chapter could be devot ... (continue)

The movie Becoming Jane took its inspiration from this biography. The movie was a bit stupid, though James McAvoy is adorable. Both the movie and the book try to pass off and be marketed as the record of a romance of Jane Austen's youth. But of course in the biography hardly a chapter could be devoted to this romance because so little is known of its details. The biography is quite good, however. The biographer tries to unveil the psychological motifs in Jane Austen's mind, and he does a good job, at least as compared to those dull portraits of a quiet spinster virtuously brushing that bit of "ivory." That the writer of six witty, engaging novels should be so uptight is unsatisfactory and unconvincing.
It has been said elsewhere that her sweetheart did buy the papers negotiating the publication of P&P. Such a waste not to include this bit in the romance.

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oriole said on Nov 17, 2007 | 2 feedbacks

experience is vital

I'm grateful to the movie "becoming Jane" because it succeded in something my english teacher failed:it gave Jane Austen body and soul;now I'm an avid admirer and a devoted fan of the writer and off course I know is impossible to know the truth about her real life and the movie is above all pure fic ... (continue)

I'm grateful to the movie "becoming Jane" because it succeded in something my english teacher failed:it gave Jane Austen body and soul;now I'm an avid admirer and a devoted fan of the writer and off course I know is impossible to know the truth about her real life and the movie is above all pure fiction...but I thank Anne Hathaway for her beautiful potrait of Jane,a living character and not a insufferable author during a boring english class!For these reasons I Wanted so much to read the book ispired the movie and now I can tell you it's an extraordinary experience!"becoming Jane Austen"is not a typical biography with simple informations about places and people in the writer's world,but above all it tries to understand Jane in a deeper way by the only istruments we can use:her novels and her few letters.Jon Spence asks himself about Jane's possible opinions, thoughts and feelings coming from her experiences,and focuses his attention to the relationship with the young laywer Tom Lefroy and how this sad story could be her real inspiration.Someone wont' like this intepretation,but I like to think Jane wrote about love because she really felt it and not just thanks to her wonderful imagination...but if you are searching for certanties,I think you should read something else.

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Alesya said on Oct 6, 2010 | Add your feedback

such a disappointment

Such a disappointment.
The stories are made up by the writer's own imagination, like James and Henry both fancy Eliza, no letters or journals show such story.
An other example, Jane being a young girl wishes to be as rich as Eliza, be cosmopolitan and fashionable, etc etc. (Again, no evide ... (continue)

Such a disappointment.
The stories are made up by the writer's own imagination, like James and Henry both fancy Eliza, no letters or journals show such story.
An other example, Jane being a young girl wishes to be as rich as Eliza, be cosmopolitan and fashionable, etc etc. (Again, no evidence) Why the hell our dear Jane become Lydia Bennet?
Waste of money.
For a serious read, try Jane Austen: A Life. Obviously, dull and boring in some people's point of view.
However, if one looks for entertainment, go for it.

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Miranda said on Nov 20, 2007 | Add your feedback