Becoming Jane: The Wit and Wisdom of Jane Austen

I just visited Amazon.com out of impulse, and found out that Becoming Jane: The Wit and Wisdom of Jane Austen by Anne Newgarden is already available there! I thought that we have to wait until July 3 before the book is available, but it is not the case. Hence, you can buy it now, and if you order it together with Jon Spence's Becoming Jane Austen, you will get a better shipping price for combine shipment. I just ordered it together, and I am very excited! I have to wait until June 14 before Spence's book is available, but it's only two days away!

The books will arrive at my place on July 3, hopefully, so I can drop a short 'First Impression' on them.

James McAvoy's birthday

I just want to (again) thank Rachel for the absolutely beautiful bio of James McAvoy and add that in GMTV Entertainment Today, he also said that he was born on January 1st, so it was confirmed.



Thanks, Rachel for notifying me the YouTube link!

James McAvoy ('Tom Lefroy') Biography

There is some debate over the birth month of James McAvoy but many biographies claim that it is January 1st 1979. He was born in Scotstoun, Glasgow to James, a builder, and Elizabeth, a psychiatric nurse. When young James was 7 they separated and James and his younger sister, Joy, went to live with his grandparents.


James was pushed from a young age to be independent and was enrolled at St Thomas Aquinas, a Roman Catholic secondary school. This religious foundation prompted an interest in James to become a priest. At age 16, however, James had an encounter with a film-maker, David Hayman, which was to change his life. Rather confidently he asked David Hayman whether he could be involved in his next project in any capacity. Four months later James was remembered and given a very small role in the thriller, The Near Room.


Whilst working in the bakery at Sainsbury’s supermarket, James decided to apply for a place at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and was accepted. For the next three years James McAvoy’s screen work was limited but he graduated from the Royal Academy and decided to try his luck in London, moving to the East End with his long-term girlfriend, Emma Neilson. James’ career was developing at a fast pace and he was cast in an adaptation of Lorna Doone and soon after, Band of Brothers, produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg.


The year of 2001 would see James appearing at the theatre on a couple of occasions. A role in the adaptation of White Teeth, a novel by Zadie Smith, and the miniseries Children of Dune would ensure that James was to become more recognised as a young talent. By 2004 James had amazingly not been out of work since he left drama school and the parts he was playing were all so diverse that he was gaining valuable experience.

A break would come when he played the comical brother of Paul Bettany’s character in Wimbledon, also starring Kirsten Dunst. James then attempted a far more serious challenge by playing the character of Rory O’Shea who suffers from muscular dystrophy in Inside I’m Dancing. Next James returned to TV and starred in Shameless, the series depicting life on a tough estate in Manchester. James reached an emotional low at this point in his life, probably a result of the strains of having no breaks since acting school. Anne-Marie Duff, his Shameless co-star was there to guide him through this difficult time, and they would marry in October 2006.

His next character, Mr Tumnus in The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe (the first release from the Chronicles Of Narnia franchise) would bring fame his way; he was now popular across many audiences. He received the Rising Star of 2006 award at the BAFTA’s, and was then to impress Kevin Macdonald, director of The Last King of Scotland, who cast him as the amazing character of Nicolas Garrigan. The film was a triumph.

On a personal side, James made a very important emotional journey whilst tackling the themes of this film. After the film was complete, James returned to Uganda to visit some of the real people who live there and to learn more about them. I think that this shows an amazing side to this talented actor; the roles he takes affect him and he is able to absorb this new knowledge and learn from it. I really respect that. In particular, James visited a project, Tiger’s club, which helps children to get off the streets and allows them to interact with other young people and play games such as football and learn other various skills. James actually narrated a short documentary called ‘On the Tigers Trail’ which has been aired on the community channel in the UK and shows him talking to these young people and allows the world to see the great work that this project is doing in order to helping the young people reintegrate into Ugandan life. Here is the link on youtube where you can see some of the work he did out in Uganda: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjt5NDXRbUM
Here is also another short clip of James in Uganda with the Red Cross: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4aVIK2DzkI&mode=related&search=

If you want to find out more about the work that James was trying to promote then it is well worth visiting this site: http://www.retrak.org/

Only a day after returning from Uganda, we would see James start filming Starter For Ten, produced by Tom Hanks and Sam Mendes. Becoming Jane was released in the UK in March 2007 and James has captured the world (and most visiting this site) with his charming and flawless performance of Tom Lefroy. It is only hoped that he receives the praise that he deserves for his tremendous talent. Also this year we are to see the release of Atonement, with Keira Knightley, Penelope, with Christina Ricci and Wanted, with Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie. He is only traveling in one direction and that is up.


I know that both myself and Icha have particular favourite roles that James has played (other than Tom Lefroy of course) so I have included a few other pictures of his characters below.


I also found this article (pasted below) in the ‘Jane Austen Regency World, Issue 26’ magazine. I hope that you enjoy.

Pic 1 and 2: James McAvoy taken from google images
Pic 3: James and his wife Anne-Marie Duff, co-star in Shameless. Taken from google images.
Pic 4: James appealing for donations for the work being done in Uganda. Taken from http://www.retrak.org/
Pic 5: James as Mr Tumnus in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’. Taken from ‘Zap2it’ photo galleries.
Pic 6: James as Tom Lefroy in ‘Becoming Jane’. Taken from http://www.jamesmcavoy.com/
Pic 7: James as Rory O’Shea in ‘Inside I’m Dancing. Taken from http://www.jamesmcavoy.com/

Anne Hathaway ('Jane Austen') Brief Bio

We are expanding our categoriesinto another one: ‘Cast & Crew’, which is about the brief biography of cast and crews of Becoming Jane (click on the left-side bar , below the Heartland Award icon, for all categories). Rachel is doing James McAvoy’s, and I do Anne Hathaway’s. We will alternately post the bios of other cast and also crews here, including (of course) Julian Jarrold’s, Maggie Smith’s, Julie Walters’s, James Cromwell’s and Anna Maxwell Martin’s, but now I will start with Anne’s. Rachel will post James’s after this. There are many sites that wrap up Anne Hathaway’s biographies, e.g. www.annie-hathaway.com and Wikipedia, hence I will be very brief here, and the readers can refer to those sites for further reference.

Anne Hathaway was born on November 12, 1982 in Brooklyn, New York. She was the first teenager to be admitted to the Barrow Group Theater Company's acting program and she shows interest in choirs as well. In fact, she is a good soprano, and we can listen to her singing ‘Somebody to Love’ in Ella Enchanted.

So, anyway, as many AH fans, I first saw Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries (2001) where she was this shy Mia Thermopolis who, as many teenagers were, was unsure how to be herself. Though the movie was not her debut (the first one was Get Real, a TV series), Princess Diaries surely launched Anne to the sky of Tinseltown. Between 2001 and 2004, Anne took several roles, including the sequel of Princess Diaries (Royal Engagement), The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickelby (based on Charles Dicken’s novel with the same title where Anne played as Madeline Bray, the love interest of Nicholas Nickelby).

Anne Hathaway took more heavy roles as Allison in the R-rated Havoc (2003) and Lureen Newsome in the critically acclaimed Brokeback Mountain (2005). According to Wikipedia, her sensuous role in Havoc even prevented the movie to be screened in North America, due to concerns of conflicting interests and image with Anne’s other role as Princess Mia in Princess Diaries: Royal Engagement that was released in 2004. After Brokeback Mountain, Anne voiced the Red Puckett in the Hoodwinked animated movie that was loosely based on the story of Little Red Riding Hood.

The year 2006 was a very busy and stressful year for Anne, for she had to cope with the legend of Meryl Streep ('Miranda Priestly')in The Devil Wears Prada. I, and many fans and critiques, believe that she was amazing as Andrea Sach and she stood tall, in a very nice way, next to Meryl, the way she did with Julie Andrews in Princess Diaries (I prefer the portrayal of Andy Sach here than the one in the novel, to the original novel was also a fun to read). The movie was an enormous fun to watch and it gained many positive reviews.

After ‘escaping’ Meryl Streep (Meryl is actually Anne’s favourite actress), Anne jumped to an even more challenging role as the Jane Austen, face to face with the Oscar winner Dame Maggie Smith, Julie Walters, BAFTA-winner Anna Maxwell Smith, James Cromwell and, of course, the very talented James McAvoy. I also have to say that James was the first actor that, at least to me, showed very authentic screen-chemistry with Anne's character. Prior to Becoming Jane, I sometimes thought of how great Anne's acting ability was, but it was a pity that she never found a screen-partner that truly clicked with her. That was, until she was paired with James McAvoy as Tom Lefroy. (Is there any award for 'Best Screen-Chemistry of the Year'? I think James and Anne deserve it!).

Anne Hathaway took quite a preparation for her role as Jane Austen. Prior to the filming, she spent a month in England to do research and adjusting to British accent. In Jane Austen’s Regency World, March-April 2007, she said, ‘I re-read Jane Austen’s entire canon and read quite a few biographies. I also read critical essays on her, read her letters and researched the Regency period. I really tried to leave no stone unturned. By the end Julian was prising the books out of my hands because I was just pointing out details that incongruent with the script and the period. We all sat down early on and agreed that we were going to make a movie that may be contrary to the traditional perception of Jane Austen and her world. In some of her own letters she wrote about how she was hung-over after attending a ball and that’s not something we necessary think of when we think about Jane Austen. But I was very excited to present a woman who was flesh and blood and not simply someone who had an icy wit and tea running through her veins.’

Well, that’s exactly what Anne Hathaway presented us: a very charming, lively and energetic Jane Austen. An intelligent writer who had the full capacity to love and to be loved. At the same time, Anne has proven that she is indeed a very talented actress, capable of not only fresh comedian roles, but also heavier stuffs like reviving the legend of Jane Austen. Her concerns for humanitarian works, i.e. for the Nicaragua Hepatitis A Program, have made her my personal favourite actress as well.

Pictures: www.annie-hathaway.com

Persuasion: Jane & Tom

I just want to drop a note to thank Rachel for her speedy posting of the Persuasion summary below; for she will actually do the summaries of Austen's juvenilia, so she is quite busy! And before I go to see His Holiness Dalai Lama in Melbourne here (my, am I not excited!), I just want to say that I agree with Rachel's analysis of Persuasion, that it was written with a more (for the lack of better term) matured mind than Jane Austen's other novels. That is not to say that other novels are not great, though... they are!

I also agree that Persuasion pretty much reflects what Jane felt about Tom Lefroy; that Anne Elliot and Fred Wentworth could not be together because Wentworth had been considered... not worth it. That he was poor, and hence could not possibly be Anne's husband. But when Fred became a famous captain, Anne's family began to change their opinions to him. I sometimes wonder if Jane pondered... if Tom Lefroy had been a famous MP, or at least a richer lawyer by that time, or if Jane herself had been a rich gal... would they be together? I suppose, there was the possibility that those ponders created Persuasion.

In that note, I could not help thinking that Anne Elliot actually mirrored Jane Austen very much, and that Frederick Wentworth had a Tom Lefroy there. I also think that Lady Russell was a bit of Anne Lefroy, Tom's aunt that was also Jane's mentor, for Anne Lefroy might think that she did the best for Jane by sending Tom away, the way Lady Russell wanted the 'best' for Anne Elliot. Afterall, Jon Spence speculated that Anne Lefroy might try to make up with Jane by arranging a meeting between Jane and Judge Langlois, Tom's uncle and care taker (see Letter from Cork Street). Unfortunately, that event did not go well, for Jane Austen remained alone, and Tom (unlike Wentworth in Persuasion) married another girl.

By and by, I wrote my first Becoming Jane Fan-fiction based on Persuasion (Countenance So Beloved), with Rachel's beta editing. Please read and drop your comments.

Pic: Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth, illustrated by C. E. Brock, 1898.

Persuasion Summary

Notable Characters: Anne Elliot, Frederick Wentworth, Sir Walter Elliot, Lady Russell, Henrietta Musgrove, Louisa Musgrove, William Elliot.

Synopsis:
Persuasion was written between 1815 and 1816 and was Jane Austen’s final completed novel. The heroine is a young woman, Anne Elliot, who is 27 years old at the start of the novel and is the second of three daughters of Sir Walter. She is treated like a Cinderella figure by her widowed father and older sister Elizabeth, who at age 29 years; runs the home. Sir Walter is in debt and is forced to move from the family home, Kellynch-hall, to a more modest dwelling in Bath. Kellynch-hall is leased to Admiral and Mrs. Sophia Croft; the latter has two brothers, Mr. Edward Wentworth and Captain Frederick Wentworth.

Eight years before the story begins, Anne was in love and briefly engaged to Frederick Wentworth. Financial stability parted them however, as Anne was discouraged by her father and a close friend, Lady Russell, due to Frederick’s limited means.

Sir Walter and Elizabeth visit Bath and send Anne to visit her other sister, Mary, who is married with children. Anne loves the children and is respected and praised by Mary’s in-laws, the Musgroves. Their son, now deceased, had been aboard the ship that Captain Wentworth commanded and the Captain arrives at the Musgrove residence to visit the family. Anne and Frederick share a very awquard moment and he is stunned by her change in appearance since their last meeting, 8 years prior. He is still angry and unforgiving towards Anne for her betrayal and during dinner that evening, he is very unresponsive to her.

That November they visit Lyme, where Wentworth’s friend Captain Harville lives and a mutual friend, Captain Benwick, is staying. Anne finds she has common interests with Captain Benwick and they have many conversations regarding prose. One of the Musgrove daughters, Louisa, spends much time with Wentworth and it is suspected that he cares for her. Whilst out walking, Louisa jumps from high steps and she sustains a head injury. She is taken to the Harville residence and nursed back to health by Mrs Harville and Anne’s sister, Mary. Anne leaves and Lady Russell takes her to Bath to meet her father. Anne dislikes Bath, feeling it a place of confinement. Anne is told by her sister that Louisa Musgrove is now engaged to Captain Benwick and that her sister, Henrietta Musgrove has also become engaged to a cousin of the family.

Anne and Wentworth reunite at a concert in Bath and Wentworth professes that he could never have loved Louisa, providing Anne with hope that he may be returning to her. An estranged cousin of Anne, William Elliot is trying to court Anne but due to her love for Wentworth, she does not respond. Upon her firm decline, Anne is told the true character of William by a close friend. He does not love Anne but believes that through their courtship he can have an influence and ultimately prevent the marriage of Sir Walter to a woman, Mrs. Clay, which will protect his inheritance. Anne believes she should tell Lady Russell at once of William’s true nature but she then sees William and Mrs. Clay meeting on the street and a number of questions occupy her mind.

The Musgrove daughters and their fiancés arrive in Bath and the wedding preparations begin. At a social engagement, in a very poignant scene, Wentworth gives Anne a letter which asks her whether it is too late for her to love him again and proclaims to her that he has never loved anyone but her. They exchange their beloved feelings for each other. Wentworth apologises for the misunderstanding concerning his affections for Louisa and Anne explains that her behaviour 8 years prior was a result of the duty that she felt towards Lady Russell. They are engaged to be married and Anne feels that she has been offered a second chance of happiness. The engagement disrupts the sly plans of William but his true intentions are soon discovered when he takes Mrs. Clay into protection again to prevent her marriage to Sir Walter. Persuasion was published after Jane Austen’s death, along with Northanger Abbey.

Jon Spence states in his biography of Jane Austen that “Persuasion is the most unsettled of Austen’s novels.” He believes that the transition from prudence to romance that Anne takes is not in terms of romantic love but instead in her perception of the world.

I personally feel that this was a very special novel for Jane Austen. Until this point, her heroines always were between the ages of 17 and 21. She was 40 when she wrote this novel and I think that it is from a very different perspective. Anne, the heroine of Persuasion, is fully mature in mind and feels at age 27, that the chance of love has passed her by, but she is given another chance. I like to think that this is a reference to what Jane Austen may have felt about her own life and her love for Tom Lefroy. She was not given a second chance for happiness and fulfilment due to the social and financial barriers that divided them. I feel that perhaps this novel, her last, is a way of giving a happy ending to a very beautiful and tender love story.

Famous Adaptations:
Persuasion (1995). Directed by Roger Michell. Starring Amanda Root, Ciaran Hinds, Susan Fleetwood, Colin Redgrave. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114117/
Persuasion (2007; TV production). Directed by Adrian Shergold. Starring Sally Hawkins, Rupert Penry-Jones. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0844330/

Possible Similarities:
Anne Elliot: There is the possibility that Anne Elliot is very similar to Cassandra Austen. They both have a reserved nature and also remain very dedicated the memory of their lost love. If this is the reality, then the character of Anne pays wonderful tribute to Cassandra.
As mentioned above, there is also a similarity between the circumstances of Anne and Wentworth’s original separation and the experience that Jane and Tom encountered.

Frederick Wentworth: Two of Jane Austen’s brothers, Francis and Charles, pursued naval careers which Jane would have respected immensely. She would have also known significant details of the profession which would have aided the development of her hero’s character.

Pic 1: Penguin Classic cover of Jane Austen's Persuasion
Pic 2: Wentworth giving Anne his letter. Taken from the Jane Austen Society website.

Last year's interview of Film 2006 with James, Anne & Julie Walters

Okay, before I fly to Melbourne this evening (to see HH Dalai Lama, yay!), I think I will close the day with this post re: interview of the 'Film 2006' crews with James McAvoy, Anne Hathaway and Julie Walters. It was done last year, October 2006 at least, but it worth putting it here. A very interesting piece, including a scene of Elizabeth and Darcy (Pride & Prejudice 2005) and we have a bit of dance scenes here, plus James' very sexy way of saying 'sexy' (true!). Yumm!



This is the link to the YouTube video.

Dances in Becoming Jane

It is the truth universally acknowledged among Jane Austen fans that Jane Austen loved to dance. Her letters to her sister Cassandra showed how the former loved dancing, e.g. as expressed in her letter on December 24, 1798:

‘There were twenty dances, and I danced them all, and without any fatigue. I was glad to find myself capable of dancing so much, and with so much satisfaction as I did; from my slender enjoyment of the Ashford balls (as assemblies for dancing) I had not thought myself equal to it, but in cold weather and with few couples I fancy I could just as well dance for a week together as for half an hour. My black cap was openly admired by Mrs. Lefroy, and secretly I imagine by everybody else in the room.’

In fact, Austen’s first surviving letter (January 9, 1796) described her first interactions with Tom Lefroy through dancing:

‘You scold me so much in the nice long letter which I have this moment received from you, that I am almost afraid to tell you how my Irish friend and I behaved. Imagine to yourself everything most profligate and shocking in the way of dancing and sitting down together. I can expose myself however, only once more, because he leaves the country soon after next Friday, on which day we are to have a dance at Ashe after all. He is a very gentlemanlike, good-looking, pleasant young man, I assure you. But as to our having ever met, except at the three last balls, I cannot say much; for he is so excessively laughed at about me at Ashe, that he is ashamed of coming to Steventon, and ran away when we called on Mrs. Lefroy a few days ago.’




According to family records, Jane Austen excelled in dancing and sometime took the role of the leading lady who started the dance (‘I opened the ball with Edward Bridges’ - Austen’s letter on September 5, 1796). Apparently, she was also considered as a popular dance partner, as observed in the following paragraph from Austen’s letter on January 9, 1796:

‘I danced twice with Warren last night, and once with Mr. Charles Watkins, and, to my inexpressible astonishment, I entirely escaped John Lyford. I was forced to fight hard for it, however.’

Austen’s aficionado towards dancing was often reflected in her novels; in fact, none of her novels were devoid of dancing scenes, including Sense & Sensibility (1811), although the dance in this novel was not conducted by the hero(s) and heroine(s) as a couple.

During Austen’s time, dance was an excellent tool for match-making and socialising. In the 18th century, English dance consisted of traditional ‘country dance’, minuets, European dances such as the waltz (which was considered rather improper due to the close physical contact with the partner) and sometimes Boulangeries (a type of French dance, see Austen’s letter dated September 5, 1796). However, dances performed in assembly rooms were usually minuets and the traditional country dance; both dances adhere to the rule of only holding one’s partner by the hand and at arm’s length.

A ball usually began with minuet, a more stately and elegant form of dance performed in similar fashion to the country dance, yet danced in the same steps regardless of the tunes. In minuets, couples performed a two-line set and began to dance their way up the row as the leading couple danced down the set. Every couple who had reached the top row would then have to turn and dance down as well. The set in minuets could be very long, ergo giving the couples the (sometimes long-awaited) chance to converse without anyone’s notice (not even the chaperon’s). Balls in Pride & Prejudice (1995, 2005) had such minuets, in which Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy had the opportunity (or rather, adversity) of somewhat frosty conversations due to the latter’s indifferent demeanour. See this link to learn how to dance Mr. Beveridge’s Maggot, the famous country dance number in Pride & Prejudice (1995) and Emma (1996).

The second ball in Becoming Jane in Lady Gresham’s manor also began with a minuet, in which Jane Austen half-heartedly danced with Mr. Wisley. Many movie fans praised the particular scene, for in this scene one would enjoy a perfectly choreographed dance in which Tom Lefroy suddenly ‘appeared out of nowhere’ in front of the gloomy Jane. The set in the particular dance was rather long; hence Jane could not see Tom’s presence beforehand (even though she had looked for him earlier). I used the minuet scene in Becoming Jane in Chapter 8 (Dance of the Heart) of Becoming Jane: the Vignette, with the courtesy of Rachel’s beta editing.


English country dance was sometimes performed in a circle, but more often in a set consisted of several couples facing each other (the number of couples could increase depending on the situation and room capacity – as in the party the Dashwood sisters attended in Sense & Sensibility 1995). As in minuets, country dance involved each couple working their way from top to bottom (or bottom-up if they were down the bottom) of the set and, all the way, dancing with every other couple in turn until they returned to the original position or until the music stopped. In such a fashion, Emma Woodhouse had the opportunity to have one or two turns with Mr. Knightley, although her dancing partner was Frank Churchill and Mr. Knightley was actually Harriet Smith’s partner (Emma 1996). Tom Lefroy and Jane Austen also performed the country dance during the Basingstoke Assembly, where the couple incessantly criticised each other’s flaws.

Music to country dance in Basingstoke Assembly had similar quick and merry tones with the ones Elinor Dashwood had in London when she accidentally met Willoughby in the same room (Sense & Sensibility 1995). In the London dance, Elinor could not detect Willoughby’s presence first hand due to the length of the dancing set; the way Jane did not initially see Tom during the second dance in Lady Gresham's manor. Nonetheless, Elinor meeting Willoughby produced very uncomfortable and undesirable effects to both parties (plus Marianne later), as opposed to the delight of Jane when Tom suddenly appeared in front of her.


There were several occasions when a gentleman could breach the etiquette of dancing; i.e. when he did not dance when a lot of young women standing idly, when he refused a lady’s invitation to dance yet afterwards danced with another person or when he left the dance floor before the dance was finished. In Becoming Jane, Jane heavily criticised Tom Lefroy who did not dance with any women at all during the Basingstoke Assembly, despite the unequivocal evident that there were many women who did not have a partner that time. An amusing scene, for Tom was actually standing behind her, listening to all her complains.

For further reading, see Wikipedia’s English Country Dance and Regency Dance and Balls and Dances in Jane Austen’s Day (Jane Austen’s World). The edited version of this article is already posted in Wikipedia.


Reference:
Chapman, R. W. 1979. Jane Austen's Letters to Her Sister Cassandra and Others, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Jones, V. 2003, 'Dancing (Appendix C)', in Jane Austen Persuasion, ed. J. Kinsley, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 219-222.

Saskiruleseva, 2007, Favourite expressions [Online], IMDB Available: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416508/board/flat/72539275?p=1.

Pic1 & 5: www.annie-hathaway.com
Pic 2: Basingstoke Assembly from Jane Austen's Regency World Magazine March 2007
Pic 3: Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) & Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfayden) in Pride & Prejudice (2005)
Pic 4: Caricature of a "longways" country dance by Rowlandson, 2nd half of the 1790's, Wikipedia

BBC interview with James McAvoy re: Becoming Jane

Okay, now that I have learned how to insert the YouTube videos, I will begin to insert interesting clips and interviews of Becoming Jane. The first one is of James McAvoy, interviewed in the BBC Breakfast in March 2007. He's so cute here!




I actually also want to insert his other interview (also with Julie Walters, playing Mrs. Austen), but it's from the BBC microsite and I have yet figured out the embedded HTML. Here's the link to the BBC microsite, though.

A lovely painting of Jane and Tom!

I found this nice painting of Tom Lefroy dancing with Jane Austen in Austen Effusions, that I visited through the link in Jane Austen's World (thanks, Ms. Place!). It has possibly the earliest rendition of Jane Austen and Tom Lefroy, as Ms. Jane Odiwe painted it in or pre 2003 at least. I love the idea that she caught Jane-Tom fandom before the movie was even made, though I am not sure if she had the idea after reading Jon Spence's Becoming Jane Austen, or independent of it. Either way, this is what she wrote:

The first letter that Jane wrote to Cassandra, wishes her sister a happy birthday and then introduces us to a young man she cannot stop talking about. She is obviously very keen on Tom Lefroy, this "very gentlemanlike, good-looking, pleasant young man" and his name is written again and again. She tells her sister how shockingly she has behaved with him and seems to be relating these incidents to provoke a reaction from Cassandra, who has already scolded her in a previous letter. They have danced three times in a row, sat down with each other and it seems had little time for anyone else.

One of the first images I wanted to produce, was that of Jane and Tom dancing together and I thought it would be fun to imagine the sort of letter Cassandra might have written to Jane, perhaps warning her to be cautious in her behaviour towards Tom, rather in the way that sensible Elinor tries to curb Marrianne's passionate excesses in Sense and Sensibility This illustration and Cassandra's first 'lost' letter inspired a whole series of paintings and letters, which I later turned into my book "Effusions of Fancy".

Interestingly, Ms. Odiwe rendered Tom Lefroy with light-coloured hair, the same way he was depicted in 'Who Was the Real Tom Lefroy'. This is a sketch of Tom Lefroy in his youth (circa 1800), possibly drawn by John Warren. I will try to get a better reference of the portrait, possibly from this book (Jane Austen's World). Tom was gorgeous, is he not? But I am happy that the make up designer retained James McAvoy's dark hair - he is much better with dark hair!

PS, 10 June 2007: I just bought Claire Tomalin's Jane Austen: A Life, and there I found the same picture of Tom Lefroy as the one above (without the bluish tone). It was not painted by John Warren as I thought, but by a G. Engleheart in 1799, a few years after Tom broke up with Jane. Sob sob! Still, he was a handsome lad, eh? Though... again, I have to be honest here; I think that James McAvoy's Tom Lefroy was more dashing than the real one, heheh...

I will put my short review of the excellent book later.

Another nice review from New Zealand

The following is a review from Times New Zealand (!) with a four-star credit for Becoming Jane by Barbara Weil. Short, but nice.

Becoming Jane

IF your partner or whatever is a SNAG it would be a grave error to take him to see Becoming Jane.

It’s not exactly a chick movie in the usual sense, but it’s more likely to attract women, especially avid readers of Jane Austen. In 1795 Britain was class obsessed. One never never married for love or affection (although it was vaguely desirable)—one married for money and a position in society.

Twenty-year-old Jane lives with her family in a country parsonage (which these days would be described as a manor house). Her father (Cromwell) is the vicar who preaches on Sundays on the duty of women in society. The mother (Walters), played with her usual panache is more tolerant, or at least as far as she can be in the confines of the late 18th Century.

Then there is Lady Gresham (Smith) who has eyes on Jane as a marriage prospect for her rich but bumbling nephew. Although Smith, all in grey with a large bonnet only makes a few appearances in Becoming Jane she dominates the screen when she’s there.

The clumsy nephew has no appeal for the very independent Jane who spends most of her time writing, making lots of ink blots) and playing the piano (very loudly—a sign of frustration perhaps). The last straw when the erstwhile suitor steps on Jane’s foot during a dance at the many parties held at the vicarage.

Lady Gresham remonstrates with Jane, telling her that nephew may be her last chance for marriage. “Do you want to end up an old maid scribbling your life away?”

In this fictionalised biography Jane has already met the love of her life, an impoverished Irish lawyer Tom Lefroy (McAvoy, playing a much more sympathetic role than he did as the ambitious doctor in The Last King of Scotland). Their relationship is a bit frosty at first. Tom cannot understand Jane’s obsession with writing, warning her that she must experience ‘life’ before she can write about it.

In an inspired gesture he presents Jane with a copy of Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones. This inspires Jane’s novel writing career with books that still enthral legions of dedicated fans.

There’s not much more to say about this film. It is beautifully presented, the casting is inspirational and the scenery stunning. Recommended (but not for action men).

– Barbara Weil

Husband and Lover scene

I just learned how to display the YouTube scenes here (silly me), so to share the happiness, I want to insert this 'Husbands and Lovers' clip from YouTube. Forever thanks to RQS11 for posting the video; Rachel and I have grown so fond of it, and we have watched the scene many times for fan-fiction guide.



I just hope soon we will learn of the title of the dance song, it's a great pity it was not there in the OST...

This is the link of the YouTube video in case anyone wants to put that in their 'favourite list' (I do!).

I have also updated the U.S. official trailer, and now it has the direct YouTube video. I learned the simple way of attaching YouTube from this site:
http://exelearning.blogspot.com/2006/11/inserting-youtube-video-into-exe.html

Trivia: The Irishman

The following paragraph is found in the Original Soundtrack of Becoming Jane:

Special thanks to the Jane Austen Memorial Trust at Chawton, Hampshire for permission to study the surviving music books and manuscripts which once belonged to the Austen family. Particular thematic reference is made to 'The Irishman' (anon) in tracks 3 and 18...


In the OST, tracks 3 and 18 are respectively Bond Street Airs and A Letter; both are played during scenes principally involving Tom Lefroy. The Irishman is an original piece of music obtained from a music book belonging to the Austen family and now on display in Chawton House (where Jane Austen lived from 1809-1817). It is possible that the music book was used by Jane to play pieces on the piano for her family’s enjoyment. It is also speculated that Tom Lefroy may have given her this book. Therefore, when creating the soundtrack, ‘The Irishman’ was taken into consideration as thematic reference. The melody is particularly apparent when listening to ‘Bond Street Airs’. Visit Jane Austen’s Songbook at www.amazon.com or www.cduniverse.com for accessible track samples.

Trivia: Deh vieni, non tardar

As Rachel and I have written several trivia of Becoming Jane in Wikipedia, I just thought that it might be good to post them here as well. The first trivia is about the song Deh vieni, non tardar; I posted the entire text in the first post of this blog, actually.

The last scene in Becoming Jane shows Jane Austen, Eliza de Feullide and Henry Austen enjoying an aria performance in London. The soprano sang Deh vieni, non tardar, an aria from ‘The Marriage of Figaro/Le Nozze di Figaro’, composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Tom Lefroy was also present in the scene but hiding behind some decorative plants whilst observing Jane from a distance. The scene was a haunting parallel to the second part of the aria as shown below:

Qui mormora il ruscel, qui scherza l'aura
Che col dolce susurro il cor ristaura
Qui ridono i fioretti e l'erba e fresca
Ai piaceri d'amor qui tutto adesca.
Vieni, ben mio, tra queste piante ascose.
Vieni, vieni!
Ti vo' la fronte incoronar di rose.

Translated as:

Here the river murmurs and the light plays
That restores the heart with sweet ripples
Here, little flowers laugh and the grass is fresh
Here, everything entices one to love's pleasures
Come, my dear, among these hidden plants.
Come, come!
I want to crown you with roses.

My heart sank to recall the particular scene, especially the look of Tom when he gazed at Jane later on. Sob-sob! Too bad, I don't have the pictures of the old Tom and Jane, but as soon as I do, I will post it here.

By the way, Elizabeth Bennet (Jennifer Ehle) also sang an aria of The Marriage of Figaro (titled 'Voi, che sapete' - 'You ladies who know what love is, see if I have it in my heart') in the 1995 Pride & Prejudice.

Pic: Jane Austen's Regency World March/April 2007

New 'Becoming Jane' U.S. official site!

Thanks to www.annie-hathaway.com, I found out that Becoming Jane has another official website for the U.S.

http://becomingjane-themovie.com/

Not yet complete at all, but it's a start! Hopefully it will be completed by mid June.

Becoming Jane receives 'Truly Moving Pictures' Award!

BJ lovers, another news I just got from Wikipedia: Becoming Jane just received the Truly Moving Picture Award. It means that the Heartland Truly Moving Pictures recognizes Becoming Jane as a movie that 'can move you to laughter, to tears, to make a difference. These films offer heartfelt visions of life that are as hopeful as they are entertaining.' Sounds very much like Becoming Jane. By the way, there are precedents that movies awarded with the Truly Moving Picture Award later on were nominated or received the Oscar. So here's to the hope that Becoming Jane will line herself in the Oscar nominations, at the very least.

http://www.trulymovingpictures.org/movie-view.aspx?id=361

Below is the explanation from TMP website:

Heartland Truly Moving Pictures, a non-profit organization, recognizes and honors filmmakers whose work explores the human journey by expressing hope and respect for the positive values of life.

Its flagship event, the Heartland Film Festival, launched in 1991 and runs each October in Indianapolis, Indiana, screening independent films from around the world. Every year, the Festival awards $200,000 in cash prizes and presents its Crystal Heart Awards to the Festival's top-judged submissions. Heartland has awarded more than $1.6 million to support filmmakers during the last 16 years.

The Heartland Truly Moving Picture Award was created to honor films released theatrically that align with Heartland’s mission. By bestowing a watermark to honored films, the award allows studios and distributors to inform potential audiences of a film's uplifting message and appeal. Submissions are received directly from studios and producers for consideration. The award is given prior to the film's release with the goal of encouraging moviegoers to support the film, especially on opening weekend.

What is a Truly Moving Picture Award winner?

It is a film that unlocks the vast potential of the human spirit and enables us to view stories that display courage, integrity and hope, taking entertainment to a higher level.

A Truly Moving Picture Award winner can move you to laughter, to tears,
to make a difference.
These films offer heartfelt visions of life that are as hopeful as they are entertaining.

Heartland knows filmmaking requires a leap of faith. That's why Heartland created the Truly Moving Picture Award, to honor the best of these works and to provide an incentive for studios to make more movies that have an uplifting message.

New U.S. Trailer for Becoming Jane!

Guys, I just got it from the YouTube link, and saw it again in YouTube, that the trailer for U.S. is different from the one in UK/Europe/Australia. Not less beautiful though; it's GORGEOUS! Well... the U.K. one is more classical, with Sense & Sensibility and Little Women tracks and all, but the U.S. one has more dancing scenes between Tom and Jane; including the Basingstoke Assembly (where Tom sported the light-coloured coat) and when they KISSED!

Aahhhh! So gorgeous, I almost faint!



These are the links, by the way:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q4FqBQw1ww&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD6sN3rP0Q8

Sense and Sensibility Summary

Notable Characters: Elinor Dashwood, Marianne Dashwood, Edward Ferrars, Willoughby, Colonel Brandon, etc.

Synopsis: Sense and Sensibility was initially called Elinor and Marianne. The story revolves around the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne. Elinor is sensible and acts based on reason, whereas Marianne is wildly romantic and passionate.

The Dashwood family; Mr and Mrs Dashwood and their three daughters Elinor, Marianne and Margaret, live at Norland Park in Sussex. When Mr Dashwood dies, he leaves his entire estate to his son from his first marriage, John, and his wife Fanny who do little to help his mother and half-sisters, leaving them impoverished. This lack of fortune affects the marriageability of both Elinor and Marianne.

Elinor meets Edward Ferrars, the very shy and unassuming, but kind brother of Fanny (Mrs John Dashwood) and is instantly attracted to his intelligence and good manners. She is not convinced their feelings are mutual and it is obvious that Edward’s family do not consider the match suitable as they have high hopes that he will marry well.

Sir John Middleton, a relative of Mrs Dashwood’s offers her and her daughters a cottage in Devonshire and the family know they must accept, despite their sadness in leaving their home. They like the countryside, however, and are frequently invited to dinners at parties at the home of the Middleton’s.

The Dashwood’s soon meet Colonel Brandon, a gentleman and a bachelor. He becomes very fond of Marianne although she objects to this older match. One afternoon Marianne is out walking and falls, spraining her ankle. This leads to her rescue by a very handsome man named Willoughby. They share the same passions and their attachment begins to grow and blossom. Willoughby openly confesses his affections for Marianne and this convinces the entire family that an engagement will soon be announced.

Then one morning, Elinor and Mrs Dashwood return home to find Marianne crying and Willoughby hastily departing for London. They are unsure of the cause of this incident and are left unsure whether to presume that the couple are engaged.

Edward makes a visit to Barton and does not seem happy or attentive to Elinor. It is apparent that he is wearing a ring and has a lock of hair that is not Elinor’s. This leaves Elinor distressed and confused.

Elinor and Marianne meet the Middleton’s new guests, the Miss Steeles. They find neither sister anything remarkable although Lucy is very pretty. Lucy takes to Elinor and reveals a secret that years ago she had secretly become engaged to Edward Ferrars. This angers Elinor although she appreciates the punishment that Edward will endure by having to marry Miss Steele.
Elinor and Marianne attend a party and they see Willoughby. He avoids Marianne and his behaviour is immensely rude; this devastates Marianne. They later learn that he is marrying a Lady Grey, solely for financial gain.

Months later and Marianne is still feeling grief over Willoughby; she walks in the rain and gets a serious fever. Colonel Brandon and Elinor stay with Marianne as they are both very anxious over her deteriorating health. She recovers and appreciates the kindness that the Colonel showed to her during her illness.

Edward visits again and tells Elinor that his brother has married Lucy Steele and not him. He proposes to Elinor and she is overjoyed. They marry at Barton that fall.

Over the next two years Marianne becomes more mature and finally accepts an offer of marriage from the Colonel, based more on respect than passion. She soon, however, grows to love him as truly as she ever loved Willoughby.

Famous Adaptations: Sense and Sensibility (1995)- Directed by Ang Lee. Starring Emma Thompson (Elinor), Kate Winslet (Marianne), Alan Rickman (Colonel Brandon), Hugh Grant (Edward Ferrars) and Greg Wise (Willoughby).

Possible Similarities:

Edward Ferrars: He does indeed have some similarities to Tom Lefroy. He was engaged before meeting the love of his life. For Tom, this 'engagement' was somewhat different- his families lives depended on what decisions he made. It would have always been harder for Tom and Jane to be together. Edward had less to lose by declaring his love for Elinor.

Willoughby: I think that Willoughby represented the pressures that were present in society at that time. He had the firm expectation to marry for money placed on him, as did Tom. In Sense and Sensibility Willoughby does have the opportunity after he has married someone else to confirm his true feelings of love for Marianne. I think that this declaration is something that we all want to be true of Tom and Jane, i.e. a reunion years later.

Elinor and Marianne: I think that Elinor's sense and Marianne's sensibility may just represent two very existent sides of Jane Austen. Biographies have described her as sensible and practical. I think that this was a very important trait for her to hold and display in her life but I think that Tom Lefroy brought out the sensibility within her and this was transferred into her writing of such passionate feelings and emotions.

Pic1: Penguin Classic cover to Jane Austen's 'Sense and Sensibility'.
Pic 2: Willoughby cutting a lock of Marianne's hair, picture by Hugh Thomson (1860-1920) Pic 3: Marianne and Colonel Brandon's wedding, scene from Sense and Sensibility (1995)

Costumes of Becoming Jane – male characters

When Tom Lefroy met Jane Austen for the first time in 1795/96, Regency clothing had begun to seep into the daily life of Englishmen. Laces and decorative embroideries that had been essential in the early and mid 18^th century were abandoned, replaced with more sensible and carefully-tailored plain clothes. Breeches (an early incarnation of short trousers covering the body from the waist down, usually followed with silk white stockings) were out of fashion and being replaced with real trousers or pantaloons. Essential parts of men fashion in the late 18^th century now included: linen shirt (without pleated frills at the cuffs and front opening), high-waisted waistcoat (vest), trousers, and cravat (a long clothe, usually white, tied around the neck several times; the predecessor of modern ties) and a coat with long tail and tall standing collar. Men in the late 18^th century also often wore overcoats or greatcoats, such as the ones Joe Anderson (Henry Austen) often donned in Becoming Jane. The gentlemen also wore high boots (usually Hessian boots) and tall hats and carried batons.


In the movie, James played a very fashionable Tom Lefroy. However, he once wore a white coat in the first ball (Basingstoke Assembly) in the movie, though white coat was not a fashion (see Pride and Prejudice Oxford edition 2004, explanatory note #6 p. 313, referring to p. 6 where Charles Bingley wore a blue coat on his first visit to Longbourn). On January 16, 1796, Jane Austen wrote to Cassandra about Lefroy’s wearing a white coat and how she had disliked it (‘I rather expect to receive an offer from my friend in the course of the evening. I shall refuse him, however, unless he promises to give away his white coat.’ – Jane Austen’s Letters, Chapman 1979). The fact that light-coloured coats were not fashionable during Jane Austen’s time might trigger Ms. Mhaoldomhnaigh’s witty idea to put James in a light-coloured coat for the first ball. He did not wear a very white coat though, as seen up here (James and Anne talking to Julian Jarrold), but it still counted as light-coloured, and definitely not blue, which was a fashionable colour at that time. I will try to get a better picture of James in the white/cream coat.

James always wore cravat – except when boxing – and he looked sooo good in cravats! Well... he looked good bare-chested as well, actually... Ahem. James often wore a tall hat and carried his baton (e.g. to Selbourne Wood and London). James also wore dark trousers, which looks better for him than the light one (both Colin Firth and Matthew Macfayden occasionally wore light trousers during their roles as Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride & Prejudice 1995/2005, but I still prefer it when they wore the dark trousers).

As Tom Lefroy, James had many dark velvet coats to wear; dark blue (during his first visit to Jane’s house), dark brown (in London), black (during the walk in the woods) and dark green (during the ball in Lady Gresham’s manor). Apparently, Basingstoke Assembly was the only time he wore light coat, possibly to receive a comment on Jane afterwards (referring to JA’s letter on January 16).

James also wore an ochre-coloured vest during the assembly and when he played cricket with Henry and Jane, but I am sure that Jane did not mind his ochre vest. He looked dashing there! During their elopement, James’s Tom Lefroy sported a very nice greyish or brown double-breasted overcoat that Jane would later hold on so dearly after she read the letter from Tom’s mother (See the article re: female costume to see James' grey overcoat). Do you remember that particular scene when Tom asked Jane if she was alright? I do… and I still feel broken-hearted. Sobs…sobs… Nooooo!!!

Ahem. Anyway. Joe Anderson was a handsome Henry Austen, and as an Oxford militia officer, he got to wear a beautiful scarlet uniform! Remember what Eliza (Lucy Cohu) said: ‘Scarlet looks good in you’? It was indeed! See the picture here on their wedding day. Also, here’s a picture of Joe/Henry with a brown overcoat that suited him very well.

The edited version of this article has been posted in Wikipedia.

Pictures:

Tom Lefroy in frame, Eliza & Henry: Jane Austen's Regency World March/April 2007
The rest: www.annie-hathaway.com

Reference:

Austen, J. 1813, Pride and Prejudice (2004 edition), Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Chapman, R. W. 1979, Jane Austen's Letters to Her Sister Cassandra and Others, 2nd edn, Oxford University Press, Oxford.