More BJ music videos

The YouTube is flooded with Becoming Jane music videos now, so I might not be able to post all the links here due to time restriction :-(

But I love this one I found by SilverPetticoat, with 'Once Upon a December' (Anastasia) as the background song. Title of the song truly suited the story of Jane and Tom, who met for the first time in Christmas 1795.




The other one is by Darkangelcaz with Dido's Don't Leave Home.




There is another one I found that used the same Who Knew song with the previous one by Kelseylynn, but I lost the link (found it as I watched in the blog, not in YouTube). Will post it as I find the link.

Another BJ music video and sequel to 'If I Loved You Less'

Dear friends,

Big hugs for Rachel for her beta, here's chapter 2 of If I Loved You Less, where Tom found out about Jane Austen's death. Please read and review, and thanks a lot!

Also, thanks to Kari and Josie for the tips, there is another Becoming Jane music video in YouTube, this time from Kelseylynn00, with 'Who Knew' as the background music.




I especially love sliding the bannister scenes, also many other scenes like Jane walking down the stairs in Lady Gresham's manor while Tom was watching her... and Tom's painful expressions as Jane left her (she was not deprived of suffering, either). Ooohh... l'amour!

'Becoming Jane' Vignette: Meeting Mrs. Radcliffe

Hi y'all!

After more than a month hiatus, here's Becoming Jane: the Vignette, chapter 13 (A Mrs. Radcliffe) where Jane Austen met Ann Radcliffe. Special thanks to dearest Rachel for her beta.

Also, I have tried to look for extra fan-fictions out there about Becoming Jane, but still found no new ones. Hence, if any of you ladies and gents spot another BJ fan-fic, do let me know and I shall be more than happy to post the link and summary here.

Pic: Ann Radcliffe, from Wikipedia

Michelle’s collections of BJ reviews

I would like to thank Michelle for providing me this great article, and also sorry for the delay, been extra busy than usual lately (the findings of Anthony Lefroy did nothing to reduce my schedule, of course!). Please visit the links to see the entire reviews, for I only put the excerpts here.

True Romance: Jane Austen herself would approve of this sad love story, by Maryann Johanson, Charleston City Paper.

OK, I know it's not real. I know it's a bit of speculation wildly spun out of, like, one mention made in, like, one letter that Austen flirted with this Lefroy guy — but so what? So what if it's a fantasy, a "fictional biography"? Didn't Austen write fantasy, too? Don't her books end up with all the deserving young women married to generous and worthy husbands? Austen herself knew how unlikely that was.

I love Becoming Jane even if it is almost entirely invented, because it captures both the aching romanticism and the cold, hard practicalities of Austen's fiction. And in a way, it even does Austen one better: it's laden with all of the angst and heartbreak and tears we've come to expect from a Sense & Sensibility or a Pride & Prejudice, but because it is adhering to the spirit of Austen's life — she never married, never enjoyed any kind of long-term romantic entanglements that posterity is aware of — it doesn't indulge in a happy ending. How can it? Spoiler alert! Anne Hathaway's charming and independent Jane does not end up happily ever after with James McAvoy's handsome and roguish lawyer Tom Lefroy. But I've "spoiled" the movie only for those who aren't familiar with Austen or her work, and I promise the movie works far better as a "fictional biography" — an enrapturing, spirited one with the foreknowledge of her bittersweet yet independent, unmarried life — than it does as a silly sitcom that hangs on the fulfillment of romantic dreams. Becoming Jane is too heartfelt to be dismissed as that.
…

I keep coming back to one scene, mid-film, when Jane has finally realized that, gods yes, she wants Tom. She's at a ball that she thinks he might be at, too, and she keeps glancing around for him while she twirls unhappily on the dance floor, hoping to see him, needing to see him. And director Julian Jarrold (who made the wonderful Kinky Boots) lets the suspense build and build — will she see him? is he there? — until suddenly, he is there, at her side, dancing around her, and the ache on both their faces is so extraordinary that it made me burst into tears. It's a perfect moment, full of longing and love and the total attainment of that pining, which must, inevitably — if you know Jane's story — be lost. I burst into tears, because, like Jane, like many of us, I've tasted that, and lost that, too.

And that's what makes Becoming Jane so just-right. It recognizes the dream and recognizes how unattainable it often is.

I think Jane herself would approve.

“Gracefully Austen”; Excerpts from James Stanford’s review:

…Utilizing a lovely British accent and a graceful way with words, Hathaway communicates Austen's predicament beautifully. When she was creating her immortal heroines, such as Elizabeth Bennet of "Pride and Prejudice" and Elinor and Marianne Dashwood of "Sense and Sensibility," the real Jane Austen must have pictured someone like Hathaway, with skin like milk in the moonlight and hazel eyes that sparkle with expectation, hopefulness and perhaps the faintest hint of lustiness when she looks at Lefroy.

McAvoy brings out the tug-of-war going on in Lefroy's mind between the pursuit of pleasure and the desire to please his benefactor, a prickly judge (Ian Richardson) who looks for opportunities to disapprove. As Lady Gresham, who has long been accustomed to being a puppet master and has no desire to relinquish the job, Smith is the embodiment of supreme snobbiness.

Director Julian Jarrold gives "Jane" a mellow, suitably unhurried pace that fits the story's setting and allows ample time to understand the characters and the codes of the culture they inhabit. Men are permitted to have their fun (Lefroy and a friend cool off after a cricket game by skinnydipping in the river), while women are expected to be models of decorum and demureness. Step out of line or fail to hold your tongue, and you risk becoming "tainted with suspicion," which is the next best thing to being shunned.

Austen may have challenged the rules, but the movie also shows her abiding by them. Even when her novels win her admirers who seek her out at parties, Austen shyly requests that she be allowed to retain her anonymity

Celebrities passing up a chance to toot their own horns? That's so 18th century.”

Anne Hathaway glows in period drama, by Masha Savtiz

Four out of Five stars

From the church podium at Sunday services, Jane's father Reverend Austen warns the women in his congregation, "A profound mind should be kept a profound secret."

Fortunately neither Jane nor director Julian Jarrold heeds this advice.

Becoming Jane is a beautifully imagined portrait of the aspiring writer in 1795 as she embarks on a life/career that will herald her as one of the great novelists of all time.

Anne Hathaway ( The Devil Wears Prada ) is luminous on screen as the 20-year-old Jane Austen. We watch her grapple with art, passion, and loyalty as distant relative Tom Lefroy, played by James McAvoy (The Last King of Scotland ), is sent to spend time with her family deep in the English countryside to temper his insolent and wily ways.

The sharp-witted dialogue and attraction that ensues between Tom, the sophisticated law student, and Jane portends the romantic escapades and sagas that Austen is renown for in later works such as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.

This romantic period-piece drama set in 18th century England is both stunning and sensual while still conveying the strict standard of propriety of the era. We are lulled into the elegance and charm of the highly ordered life of ritualized gentility and refinement. Frames are filled with striking images of nature—the bare winter trees against a carpet of ochre leaves or lush green foliage. The attention to detail in the lace of a nightshirt or pillowcase along with lovely costumes and music truly captures the authenticity and appeal of the time.

Though there is a bit too much "drama" in the drama, Becoming Jane is a well–made film and a well-told story. It examines the sacrifices in staying true to one's dreams, and making peace with the consequence of our choices.

Mississippi’s Clarion-Leger gives “Becoming Jane” four stars:

"Will all your stories have happy endings?" a suitor inquires of young writer-to-be Jane Austen in "Becoming Jane."

Of course, we know the answer. Pretty much so, yes, with weddings and young ladies of "no money, no importance" marrying well by the final page.

But that was the fantasy that Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) created for her world. A pretty young woman of no property and few prospects in early 19th-century Britain, she went on to write half a dozen of the finest novels ever written in English - lovely, aching, witty romances full of agonizing longing, class consciousness and withering put-downs.

And she couldn't have done it without that one heartbreak she had on her way to "Becoming Jane."

Anne Hathaway stars as the youngest daughter of a parson (James Cromwell) and his worrywart wife (Julie Walters). She has an older brother in the army and an older sister (Anna Maxwell Martin) engaged to an army chaplain.

The Austens of Hampshire are people of quality, not cash.

That's why Jane's prospect, the only heir (Laurence Fox) to wealthy Lady Gresham (Maggie Smith, of course), holds such promise. To her mother, that is.

"The man's a booby," dad whispers. Jane agrees.

"You know our situation, Jane," her mother hisses.

The girl still wants to marry for love.
…
And celebrate the glories of British character actors, especially Richardson, whose visage always suggested a scathing insult about to be hurled. When he calls Jane "a penniless little husband hunter," it hurts her and us.

Great art, the cliche goes, emerges from great suffering, so even if you don't know Austen's life story, you have an idea what to expect. And if you know her timeless novels and the glorious films made from them, it's great to get a sense of what shaped her, of what made Jane so becoming.

Pic 1: Mrs. Austen and Jane, from www.annie-hathaway.com

Pic 2: Jane and Tom dancing, from www.james-mcavoy.net

Pic 3: Jane and Eliza de Feullide, from www.annie-hathaway.com

Pic 4: Jane, Eliza and Henry, from www.annie-hathaway.com

Pic 5: Jane and Tom, from www.james-mcavoy.net

Tom Lefroy’s siblings

In the light of my recent post on Anthony and Thomas Lefroys, and the very big possibility that Tom went to Ireland in the mid of November 1798 to save his brother and his family, this is an excerpt from Cranfield’s From Ireland to Western Australia, page 9-10. In the earlier post, I also revealed the fact that Anthony was indeed the first sibling who got married (November 5^th, 1798), followed by Tom (March 16^th, 1799) and then their sister Sarah, who married Captain Thomas Courtenay in May 9^th, 1799. By the time Anthony got married in 1798, none of Tom’s siblings (including himself) was married. Hence, as Anthony was kicked out of the financial support of Ben Langlois, Tom should really come forward and save his family (including his six sisters). I also include a scan of the page containing Thomas, Anthony and Sarah, for readers’ convenience in following the latest information on the siblings.

Page 9 and 10 of From Ireland to Western Australia:

Children of Anthony Peter Lefroy, and Anna [Ann Gardner]:

1. Lucy, born January 1^st, 1768. Married June 6^th, 1803, to Hugh Ryves Baker, of Massy Park, County Limerick. She died in May, 1853, leaving issue.

2. Phoebe, born April 15^th, 1770. Married January 22^nd, 1825, to Captain Richard Butler, 27^th Regiment, of Castlecomer, County Kilkenny. Died without issue December 5^th, 1839.

3. Catherine, born September 18^th, 1771. Died umarried September 3^rd, 1805.

4. Sarah, born March 18^th, 1773. Married May 9^th, 1799, to Captain Thomas Courtenay, of Grange, County Antrim. Died in 1836, leaving issue.

5. Thomas Langlois, born January 8^th, 1776. Married March 16^th, 1799, Mary, only daughter and heir of Jeffry Paul, of Silver Spring, County Wexford. Died May 4^th, 1869, leaving issue.

6. Anthony, born October 19^th, 1777. Became Captain in 65^th Regiment. Married on November 5^th, 1798, Elizabeth, daughter of William Wilkin, of Appleby, Westmorland. Died September 7^th, 1857, having had, with other issues, Thomas Edward Preston, M.A., Q.C., born August 30^th, 1815, who married September 9^th, 1846, Anna Jemima (died October 17^th, 1855), eldest daughter of Reverend Benjamin Lefroy, and died July 25^th, 1887, leaving issue.

7. Elizabeth, born April 17^th, 1780. Married February 13^th, 1817, to Richard Sadleir, of Scalaheen, County Tipperary, and died July 22^nd, 1867, leaving issue.

8. Benjamin, of Cardenton House, County Kildare, J.P., Captain Royal Artillery. Born May 5^th, 1782. Married firstly, October 31^st, 1807, Margaret (died July 18^th, 1815), daughter of Philip Savage, of Kilgibbon, County Wexford, by his wife Mary, daughter of James Agar, of Ringwood, County Kilkenny, and niece of George, 1^st and last Baron Callan, and had issue one son, Anthony George who settled in Canada. Secondly, he married in 1817, Catherine Tessier, daughter of Henry La Nauze, of Aubawn, County Cavan, and by her had issue two sons, George, and Benjamin Langlois.

9. Christopher, Midshipman, R.N. Born June 26^th, 1784. Killed in action on board H.M.S. San Fiorenzo, February 14^th, 1805.

10. Anne, born January 26^th, 1786. Married February 13^th, 1817, to Major William Middleton Power, 28^th Regiment. Died without issue.

11. Henry (Reverend), M.A., Vicar of Santry near Dublin. Born May 5^th, 1789. Married in 1814, Dorothea (died 1865), second daughter of John, The O’Grady of Kilballyowen, and died January 29^th, 1876. They had issue, sons: Anthony O’Grady, Gerald de Courcy, and Henry Maunsell (q.v.). Daughters: (1) Elizabeth Waller, born April 11^th, 1817. Died unmarried, December 23^rd, 1875; (2) Ann Langlois, born September 9^th, 1818, married September 9^th, 1847, to James Stein, of Chalmington, Dorset and Kennetpans. Died January 4^th, 1898, leaving issue. (3) Mary Elizabeth O’Grady, born June 19^th, 1824; died unmarried October 1^st, 1875. (4) Dorothea Thomasina, born November 17^th, 1831; died unmarried February 28^th, 1901.

PS 26 May 2010:

Ms. Anne Wilmot, the great-great-great grand daughter of Benjamin Lefroy of Cardenton House (TLL's younger brother, # 8 on the list above), has kindly informed us that from his marriage with Catherine Tessier de la Nauze, Benjamin Lefroy actually also had a daughter (Lucy) who was Ms. Wilmot's great-great grandmother. Thank you very much Anne for the interesting information.

Reference:

Cranfield, R. E. 1960, From Ireland to Western Australia: The Establishment of a Branch of the Lefroy Family at Walebing, Western Australia, 1842 to 1960, Service Printing Perth.

Pic 1: James McAvoy as Tom Lefroy in Becoming Jane, from Jane Austen's Regency World Magazine, March/April 2007

Pic 2: The scanned page of Cranfield’s passage about Tom and Anthony

The Jane Austen Book Club

As I wrote a post focussing on the theme of latest Jane Austen productions, I thought that it was only right to mention another one that will be gracing our screens shortly. It is The Jane Austen Book Club directed by Robin Wicord (responsible for the screenplay of two of my favourite adaptations; Memoirs of a Geisha and Little Women) and based on the popular book by Karen Joy Fowler.

I read the book being a lover of Jane Austen novels and I thought it was a very clever way of introducing a more modern audience, that would not necessarily read Jane Austen, to the novels in an indirect fashion. It was very enjoyable.

It has a great cast list, starring Maria Bello, Emily Blunt and Hugh Dancy, to name just a few.

In the latest Jane Austen's Regency World Magazine there is a feature about the film in which Diana Birchall and Natasha Zwick (JASNA members) spent an afternoon on the movie set and reported their adventure. There are some great pictures.

Pic: The cover of The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler from http://www.turnerbooks.co.uk/

Article taken from Jane Austen Regency World Magazine: July/August 2007, issue 28, pages 10-14

Anthony and Tom: Brotherly Love

First of all, ladies and gents, allow me to express my utmost surprise on my own silliness of not detecting the fact I am about to present sooner. Secondly, allow me to express such surprise by this one:

Oh. My. God. Oh my God. OH MY GOOOOOD!!!

Phew. There. Now, then.

In the light of my recent post re: Thomas Edward Preston Lefroy (TEPL) and his father Anthony Lefroy and their relationship with Tom Lefroy (see this post), I have suggested that the fate of Anthony Lefroy was one of the main (if not indeed THE main) reasons for Tom to leave Jane and marry the Wexford Mary Paul (there you go, name your daughter ‘Mary’ and she will marry one of the utmost important people in the history – pardon my pun!).

Now, in this post, I shall reveal a bit more of Anthony Lefroy, Tom’s younger brother. But let me reiterate what Deirdre Le Faye wrote in her Jane Austen’s Letter (page 545):

Anthony Lefroy (1777-1857) became a Captain in the 65^th Regiment, the commission being purchased for him by his Langlois great-uncles. Unfortunately, Anthony married in 1798 Elizabeth Wilkin, who was considered in some way undesirable, and the Langlois family refused to provide any further financial assistance. Tom Lefroy was eventually able to obtain for his brother the position of Barrack-Master, first in Arundel and later in York, where this branch of the family therefore remained. One of their sons, Thomas Edward Preston Lefroy (1815-1887), married in 1846 his cousin Anna-Jemima Lefroy (daughter of Anna Austen and Benjamin Lefroy; see below).

Now, I’ve been wondering the exact date of Anthony’s wedding, and I was silly enough not to cross check my other reference: Cranfield’s From Ireland to Western Australia. Here’s what I found from page 9 of Cranfield’s book, which I have read before actually, but did not see the relevance. It’s #6 of the list of the children of Anthony Peter Lefroy and Anna Gardner:

Anthony, born October 19^th, 1777. Became Captain in 65^th Regiment. Married on November 5^th, 1798, Elizabeth, daughter of William Wilkin, of Appleby, Westmorland. Died September 7^th, 1857, having had, with other issues, Thomas Edward Preston, M.A., Q.C., born August 30^th, 1815, who married September 9^th, 1846, Anna Jemima (died October 17^th, 1855), eldest daughter of Reverend Benjamin Lefroy, and died July 25^th, 1887, leaving issue.

Now, dear friends, lovers of Jane and Tom, let us see the date of Anthony’s wedding: November 5^th, 1798. In another word, twelve days before Jane Austen’s letter to Cassandra dated November 17^th, 1798 telling the departure of Tom Lefroy to Ireland (and his possible visit to Ashe without subsequent visit to Jane). This is the extract of the letter:

Mrs. Lefroy did come last Wednesday, and the Harwoods came likewise, but very considerately paid their visit before Mrs. Lefroy's arrival, with whom, in spite of interruptions both from my father and James, I was enough alone to hear all that was interesting, which you will easily credit when I tell you that of her nephew she said nothing at all, and of her friend very little. She did not once mention the name of the former to me, and I was too proud to make any inquiries; but on my father's afterwards asking where he was, I learnt that he was gone back to London in his way to Ireland, where he is called to the Bar and means to practise.

So, bearing in mind that:

1. Tom Lefroy had been called to the Bar since 1797 (Memoir of Chief Justice Lefroy);

2. Tom went to Ireland in two weeks after Anthony’s unblessed wedding;

3. Tom helped his brother Anthony to be the Barrack Master later on after Uncle Ben Langlois cut off his financial assistance to Anthony;

4. TEPL obtained the Cadell letter, a case that, to me, has Tom Lefroy’s finger prints all over it;

5. TEPL was also the very person the old Tom Lefroy confided in about his ‘boyish love’ towards Jane Austen

I am very much inclined to propose that the main reason for Tom going to Ireland in November 1798 was Anthony’s wedding. Tom needed to discuss the urgent matter with his family, and I am certain that the discussion would then lead to Tom’s wedding with Mary Paul.

I am also inclined to suggest that one of the reasons for Tom’s deferring his wedding with Mary (to whom he had engaged in Easter 1797) was Jane Austen. I am not in favour of the ‘study’ reason, for Tom still returned to London after his wedding with Mary on March 16, 1799 to finish his study.

And, upon checking the list of Jane's letters to Cassandra in Oct/Nov 1798, I found out that there was indeed more than a month's gap of no records between 27-28 Oct to 17-18 Nov 1798. Both letters (27-28 Oct and 17-18 Nov) were addressed to Cassandra from Steventon to Godmersham. My suggestion is that Jane found out something strange about Tom (could it be that Tom already knew of Anthony's plan to get married/elope since October 1798?), and she told Cassandra about it. Or... Tom also said that he might have to leave for Ireland and there was no way they could communicate again as 'friends' afterwards.

I am interested to know what you dear friends think of the suggestions. To close this post, I shall insert an excerpt of a brotherly love poem by Millette Addison (titled Entertain Angels Unaware):

What If I was an angel?
Sent from God above.

To test man of,
His brotherly love?

You will never know,
If you never give true brotherly love

~ Millette Addison

Reference:

Cranfield, R. E. 1960, From Ireland to Western Australia: The Establishment of a Branch of the Lefroy Family at Walebing, Western Australia, 1842 to 1960, Service Printing Perth.

Faye, D. L. 1997, Jane Austen's Letters, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Lefroy, T. 1871, Memoir of Chief Justice Lefroy, Hodges, Foster & Co., Dublin.

PS 23 August 2007:

I just would like to add the fact from Cranfield’s book that Anthony was indeed the first offspring of Anthony Peter Lefroy and Ann Gardner that got married (November 5^th, 1798), followed by Tom (March 16^th, 1799) and then their sister Sarah, who married Captain Thomas Courtenay in May 9^th, 1799. By the time Anthony got married in 1798, none of Tom’s siblings (including himself) was married. Hence, as Anthony was kicked out of the financial support of Ben Langlois, Tom should really come forward and save his family (including his six sisters).

I will post an article about verbatim quotes from Cranfield on this matter soon.

Pic 1: Young Tom Lefroy by G. Engleheart (1799), from the Carrigglas website

Pic 2: A portrait of two boys by David Allan (c1785), from Clacksweb.org.uk. I especially love the brotherly expression; the older boy protecting his little brother, and the mischievous smile of the younger brother. So like Tom and Anthony. The older boy was possibly James Floyer Erskine, later became the 7^th Earl of Mar, and his little brother might be John Thomas Erskine, later became the 8^th Earl of Mar. The interesting thing is, James was later disinherited by his father, thus John became the next Earl of Mar. The opposite of Tom and Anthony, whereby Anthony was the one who was cut off from his uncle.

More news on 'Miss Austen Regrets'

Thanks to Michelle and Linda for pointing out some more information on Miss Austen Regrets.
There is a cast listing at imdb http://imdb.com/title/tt1076240/fullcredits#cast

which highlights that there will be some great talent in this production.

Olivia Williams (Jane Austen) played Jane Fairfax in Emma (1996: Kate Beckinsale version), Greta Scacchi (Cassandra Austen) played Mrs Weston in Emma (1996: Gwenyth Paltrow version) and Phylidda Law (Mrs Austen) is a wonderful actress in her own right but is of course the real-life mother of Emma Thompson who was astounding as Elinor Daswood in Sense and Sensibility(1995)

There is a bbc press office release about the film pasted below:

"Olivia Williams, Greta Scacchi and Hugh Bonneville lead an all-star cast in BBC One's feature-length period drama Miss Austen Regrets.

Based on the life and letters of Jane Austen, Miss Austen Regrets imagines the story of the novelist's final years.

Written by Gwyneth Hughes (Five Days) the drama provides an insight into Austen's own romantic life, examining why, despite setting the standard for romantic fiction, she died having never married or met her own Mr Darcy.

Displaying all the wit which one would expect from Austen herself, Gwyneth feels that she cannot claim sole credit for the drama, commenting: "The script is very tightly based on Austen's surviving letters to her sister and to her young niece, Fanny. So I must share the credit for quite a lot of the dialogue with Miss Austen herself!

"And I must say, it's been a strange and humbling experience to feel this genius of English literature peering critically over my shoulder as I write. But I have loved every moment in her company."

Olivia Williams (The Sixth Sense) plays Jane, who, approaching her 40th birthday, appears happily unmarried displaying all the assured wit and charm of her novels' young heroines.

Yet when asked by her young niece Fanny, played by rising star Imogen Poots (28 Weeks Later), to help her vet potential husbands, Jane's confident composure is threatened as she finds herself looking back on her own potential suitors and the choices she has made.

A chance meeting with former acquaintance Rev Brook Bridges (Hugh Bonneville – Five Days, Tipping The Velvet) sees her reflect on a marriage that never was, while when her family faces financial ruin it is revealed that it all could have been very different had she only accepted a marriage proposal from a wealthy landowner.

And when her brother Henry (Adrian Edmondson – Bottom, Holby City) is taken ill Jane's passions are ignited by his handsome young physician, Mr Charles Haden – played by the up-and-coming actor Jack Huston (Factory Girl).

Greta Scacchi (Daniel Deronda, Tom's Midnight Garden) plays Cassandra Austen, Jane's older sister, companion and confidante.

Speaking about her reasons for wanting to write about Austen's life, Gwyneth Hughes says:

"Everyone knows Jane Austen never married. For her millions of fans this can only be a relief, because it's hard to see how a 19th century wife and mother could have found time to write her six wonderful novels! All the same, you do wonder whether she minded – how this spinster lady felt about the absence of a real Mr Darcy in her life."

"And then I read the most extraordinary fact. Jane Austen did receive a proposal of marriage from a wealthy young neighbour. And she accepted! She actually said yes to him – till after a long night of discussion with her sister Cassandra, she changed her mind. This intriguing decision inspired the story of Miss Austen Regrets."

Additional cast members include: Phyllida Law (Mrs Austen), Pip Torrens (Edward Austen-Knight), Sylvie Herbert (Madame Bigeon), Tom Hiddleston (John Plumptre), Sally Tatum (Anna Lefroy) and Jason Watkins (Rev Clarke).

Commissioned by Jane Tranter, Controller, BBC Fiction, Miss Austen Regrets will be co-produced by WGBH.

Directed by Jeremy Lovering, the Executive Producer is David Thompson, Head of BBC Films. The Producer is Anne Pivcevic. The Co-Producer is Jamie Laurenson.

Filming is underway and the drama will air on BBC One along with the BBC's adaptation of Sense And Sensibility."

Although this is another perspective on the romantic life of Jane, we thought that it was important to acknowledge. It is of course another speculative piece for all we know is that she accepted a marriage proposal from the only son of the Bigg-Wither family and changed her mind during the night. What thoughts were running through her mind that night we will never know…..could have been the memories of her true love for Tom Lefroy??

Overall I think that this production is very important to further increase the public awareness of Jane Austen.

Pic 1: Jane Austen by Jane Odiwe

Pic 2: Olivia Williams from www.imdb.com

'Becoming Jane': Memories

Kari directed me again to this lovely music video of Becoming Jane (thanks so much, Kari!).



Kazaamestisa, the video maker, used 'Memories' performed by Within Temptation in their 2004 Silent Force album, and I have to say that it was the perfect choice for the theme in this video. The decision to use black/white pictures to represent the past is indeed a wise choice as well, contrasting with the coloured scene of the 'present' time inside the opera house. And of course, Anne Hathaway's expression as the elderly Jane Austen that caught a glimpse of Tom Lefroy was a treasure! Come to think of that, the meeting was indeed orchestrated by Henry and Eliza, for both of them cast the knowing smile.

The only thing I wish for is that the extension of the video to include the last reading scene... for oh how I love that scene... (wailing helplessly)!

A new YouTube video and a new fan-fiction!

Thanks to Kari, here's another beautiful YouTube music video of Becoming Jane, made by Tomomi012. The song is Ronan Keating's In This Life, very lovely for Jane and Tom's love. There are lots of new clips I have not seen before outside the cinema, hence it adds to the excitement of watching the video. Tomomi included Jane and Tom quarelling in Judge Langlois' house in London, Jane denying her love to Tom in the woods (and Tom's subsequent hot kisses over her!), their elopement, their discussion in the tavern, and Tom's despair as Jane left her.



The finale is the final reading, showing the aging Tom Lefroy listening to Jane Austen reading Pride & Prejudice to Jane Lefroy. I'm only a bit concerned with the rather abrupt inclusion of James McAvoy's scene at the end (I'm yours, heart and soul), but otherwise, the video is so lovely!

In addition, I know I'm breaching the 'rules' of fan-fiction for starting a new fan-fic before finishing the old one (BJ Vignettes), but Thomas Edward Preston Lefroy and his father visited me, demanding that I write about them and the old Tom Lefroy. So, here's If I Loved You Less, with Jane Christmas Lefroy and Mary Paul as well there. Special thanks to Rachel for the excellent beta. Please read and review. And I also promise to start working on BJ Vignette this week :-D

More film reviews

After Michelles comment on a recent blog, she has provided us with yet more reviews for the film and I am going to present some of them below. Thanks again to you Michelle!

My favourite of this set is written by Bruce Westbrook and I have pasted the whole article below and highlighted the bits that I particularly like (link is a http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/movies/reviews/4990504.html)

"Becoming Jane is a gem of a period piece showing how a 1790s British woman, repressed by sexist conventions, became an enduring novelist.

The rub is that Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) drew her novels from her life, so showing that life with fitting fictional flourishes feels too familiar after a rich diet of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. In effect, their inspiration — her own experiences — become Jane's inadvertent clichés.

Yet, like Jane's handsome beau, the film seduces. Beautifully produced, from production design and costumes to music and performances, it's also faithful to the genteel spirit and repressed passions for which she's known.

Much like Renée Zellweger's Beatrix Potter in the recent Miss Potter, Hathaway's Austen yearns for freedom to express herself, whether as an empowered female and an author or simply as a woman in love. Yet she's smothered by class strictures, male dominance and brittle rules of propriety.

Enter Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy), a reckless young lawyer who depends on the allowance of his uncle, a tyrannical "hanging" judge. Tom's impetuous freedom and Jane's hunger for a hunk are a combustible combination, sparking scenes of rare romantic fire. Tom can promise nothing but the affection Jane craves, unlike wealthy but bland Mr. Wisley (Laurence Fox), whose proposal could lift her family from financial ruin.

What's a young woman to do? Follow her heart, of course, though circumstances won't make that easy.

Hathaway may be too identified with modern young women via The Princess Diaries and The Devil Wears Prada to embody tentative feminism of the late 18th century. But she's had her moments in costumers, too, from Ella Enchanted to Nicholas Nickleby, and her soulful radiance, much like Kate Winslet's, is durable and transcendent.

Austen's stifling world is oversold, given the fact that she has a large, warm family who live in modest — yet far from rustic — rural calm. With others making stiff-upper-lip sacrifices, she seems guilty of selfish entitlement.

Then again, passion makes fools of us all, as she says, and there's no denying her strong case for vaulting socioeconomic chasms, which seem quaintly dated today.

In America, the romance of lovers split by money crested and ended in the 1960s, when songs such as the Four Seasons' Dawn warned, "Think what the future would be with a poor boy like me." But as songs also say, all you need is love. Austen may have been born in the wrong place and time to make that truth work for her, but that didn't mean she couldn't bestow it on her characters."

The second review is from total film (link is http://www.totalfilm.com/cinema_reviews/becoming_jane)

I have to agree with Michelle that this review is not my favourite although it is positive but I also cannot fail to include this line which is just over mid-way through the review:

"The role carries echoes of Sense And Sensibility’s Willoughby, just as Laurence Fox’s straight arrow could be a blueprint for P&P’s awkwardly undemonstrative Darcy."

I had not thought of Wisley with a Darcy likeness but it is very funny to think of him this way.

The third review: http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/columnists/lratliff/stories/MYSA081007.WK.becomingjane.a316b4.html

written by Larry Ratliff at Express-News.

I like this line:

"the screenwriters use sketchy historical facts to place one of the world's most notable writers into a witty, heartbreaking romance of her own."

Although I obviously dont see all the facts as sketchy, I do think that the film is indeed witty and heart-breaking.

The last review that I am going to present here is from LA weekly film and tv and is written by Ella Taylor. Here is the link: http://www.laweekly.com/film+tv/film/becoming-jane-romp-and-circumstance/16951/

It is a somewhat controversial review but there is a line that stands out for me (the same line that Michelle highlighted in her comment):

"...But two centuries after her death, Austen’s most potent theme —unavailable men, and the women who love them — continues to speak to women around the world, whether they’ve read her directly or through the romance novels (and, yes, self-help manuals) she inspired. This may be why, to the evident disgust of the manly critic sitting next to me, I wept like a baby when love lay bleeding on the ground."

This could not be more true! This picture of Jane looking so forlorn is heartbreaking.

After you have read the reviews, we would be most grateful for any comments that you may have.

Pic 1: Jane and Tom in library scene http://www.annehathawayfan.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=405

Pic 2: Jane and Tom dancing at Lady Greshams ball http://www.annehathawayfan.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=405&pos=17

Pic 3: Jane reading http://www.queensfilmtheatre.com/files/page_720/294Becoming_Jane.jpg

Pic 4: Jane and Mr Wisley http://www.annehathawayfan.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=405&pos=37

Pic 5: Jane after leaving Tom at the inn. http://www.annehathawayfan.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=405&pos=40

A day around Hampshire

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to take myself on a Jane Austen pilgrimage across Hampshire to look at some of the sights that still remain which are linked to her. I just wanted to share my journey and show some of the pictures that I took on my travels.

I started by travelling to Chawton in Hampshire; Janes home during the last 8 years of her life. I have been to visit the house at Chawton before but since learning so much more about Jane in the past few months, this visit was so much more rewarding. Just opposite the house is now a tea room named 'Cassandra's Cup'. It is obviously there for tourism purposes but it is the perfect place to sit to enjoy a cream tea and reflect on Jane.

There were many people visiting the house; varied ages, backgrounds and cultures. It was fascinating. I know there is considerable criticism of Becoming Jane and other tv/film adapatations of her novels but I am just happy that they serve the purpose to increase the public's awareness of Jane Austen's existence and wonderful novels.
At the back of the house is where the Austen women kept their Donkey carriage which still exists today. This is thought to have been in their possession during the latter years, i.e. in the years leading up to Jane's death. Also on display is an original corner stone which was taken from Steventon Rectory, the adored home in which Jane lived in whilst growing up.




















I did take some photos inside the house- i am not sure that i was allowed to (!) so i am not going to risk posting them here and breaching any copyright laws. What I can describe, however, is my opinion of the house. Although small, it has an immense amount of charm and cosiness. The bedroom that Jane and Cassandra shared is rather small and this just highlighted to me how close they must have consistently been to each other throughout their lives, both physically and emotionally.

I imagined the numerous discussions they must have shared at night in their bed; discussions that Cassandra probably told no one else and kept to herself; discussions that we will never know and can only imagine.


I drove down the road to where St Nicolas Church stands next to Chawton library. In the graveyard, the graves of Cassandra Austen and Mrs (Cassandra) Austen can be found next to each other. The inscriptions are still very clear as can be seen from the photo. As has been mentioned before, Mr Austen is buried in Bath and Jane is buried in Winchester Cathedral which is also well worth a visit.


















Next I left Chawton and travelled via Basingstoke to Deane, Ashe and Steventon. I attempted to find the spot in Basingstoke where the Basingstoke Assembly once stood. It is now a Barclay's bank and although I drove around for what seemed a long time, I could not find it so I must return another day as I am determined to find where Tom and Jane once shared a dance!

I arrived at Deane to find some wonderful houses and the church, All Saints. I am sure that many people that Jane interacted with would have been parishioners here. In 1764 when Steventon parsonage was not habitable, George and Cassandra Austen rented the Deane parsonage.


















About 2 miles from Deane is Steventon where Steventon Church still remains. The rectory no longer exists but a feeling of warmth and tranquility still fills the air. There was no one around on the thursday afternoon that I visited and it was a truly beautiful few moments. I just sat and imagined that little over 200 years ago when all these people that we are so frequently reading and learning about here on this blog were in the spot that I was standing. I wonder what they were thinking and feeling......? On my drive back towards Ashe and Deane I stopped besides the woods. The very trees that I was looking at were most likely to have been there when Jane was. I am sure that she would have walked through these very trees to visit Ashe, the home of the very special family to her, the Lefroy's..........


















I hope you like the pics

All pics taken by me.
Pic 1: Chawton House view 1
Pic 2: Plaque presented on the wall of the house, acknowledging the Jane Austen Society
Pic 3: Corner Stone from Steventon
Pic 4: Donkey Carriage belonging to the Austen women.
Pic 5: Chawton House view 2
Pic 6: Chawton Library
Pic 7: St Nicolas Church, Chawton
Pic 8: The graves of Miss Cassandra Austen and Mrs Cassandra Austen (Jane's sister and mother)
Pic 9 and 10: All Saints church at Deane
Pic 11 and 12: Steventon Church
Pic 13: The woods at Steventon

Like an Austen novel, 'Jane' touches the heart

After reading several harsh comments on Becoming Jane, it's very nice to read a review from someone who understood that the movie was not a biopic, and it was a homage to Jane Austen's life and novel. So, here's the excerpt of a review by Donald Munro of Fresnobee.com; the entire review can be found in this link.

Like an Austen novel, 'Jane' touches the heart

Into the stomp and clatter of the summer movie season comes a tender little film that curls up in your heart. "Becoming Jane," a dramatization of the life of Jane Austen, presents a thoughtful Anne Hathaway as the title character. Though its story in some ways resembles the plot of -- you guessed it -- a Jane Austen novel, there's something refreshingly spare and rough-hewn about this big-screen experience. As a die-hard Austen fan, I was captivated, but I suspect that even the most casual admirer of "Pride and Prejudice" could find plenty to love.

Much of the film's success has to do with Hathaway and a sterling cast of beloved actors -- Julie Walters as Jane's mother, James Cromwell as her father, Maggie Smith as the snooty old biddy who trumpets her pedigree over all -- that never overwhelms the delicate material.

Hathaway, in particular, is radiant without shining too brightly, if that's possible. The last thing we needed in the story of Austen's life was movie-star glamour. Granted, Hathaway can mesmerize the camera. But she seems to realize that Austen was not an Elizabeth Bennett -- the gorgeous if diffident "Pride and Prejudice" heroine -- at least not in any way but her own mind.

...

In "Becoming Jane," we trace the story of a tenuous love affair between Jane and the dashing Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy). Most of this is conjecture, of course. There are no archived MySpace pages from the 18th century to measure their interactions, no tabloid headlines, no tell-all autobiography. Just several letters from Austen to her sister mentioning his name. Could Austen's infatuation been as fully realized as shown in the movie? Perhaps. Or it could be that it was little more than a crush from afar.

It doesn't really matter, though, because we aren't dealing with straight biography here but more of an impressionistic spattering of a life. What "Becoming Jane" does so eloquently is weave tidbits of her novels into the author's story. Thus her mother reminds us of the blustery Mrs. Bennett, her clergyman father the kindly Mr. Bennett. Maggie Smith's character could be a dead ringer for Lady Catherine. Jane's relationship with her sister evokes the fierce sibling bond depicted in several of her novels.

...

The best part while watching "Becoming Jane" is thinking that this sweet, mild- mannered yet sharp-tongued woman will go on to achieve lasting fame. In the scene of the inevitable country dance -- filmed with a welcome homespun simplicity -- she doesn't stand out in the crowd. But it is she who will be remembered, whose words will be read and treasured, whose stories will inspire beautiful movies of loss and love. It's nice that the big-screen imagining of her life does her such justice.

Pic: Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy) carrying Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway), from the U.S. Official Site of 'Becoming Jane'