Becoming Jane: The Wit and Wisdom of Jane Austen

Becoming Jane: The Wit and Wisdom of Jane Austen
by Anne Newgarden

Becoming Jane: The Wit and Wisdom of Jane Austen
List Price: $12.95
Our Price: $2.15
You Save: $10.80 (83%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions


(Click here)
Buy this book at online book store in your country
Canada | UK | Germany | France

Book Summary Information

Author: Anne Newgarden
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-07-03
ISBN: 1401309046
Number of pages: 208
Publisher: Miramax
Product features:

Book Reviews of Becoming Jane: The Wit and Wisdom of Jane Austen

Book Review: will make you fall in love with Austen
Summary: 5 Stars

I have read and loved Jane Austen's novels for a long time, but I must admit that I didn't know too much about Jane Austen herself. When first glancing at the picture from the Miramax film of the same title on the cover of Becoming Jane, I figured the book was going to be solely about the romance aspect of Jane Austen's novels. I was wrong.

Becoming Jane is a small, fairly short book full of quotations and history about Jane Austen's life. The passion the editor has for Austen and her work comes through in her writing; you can tell how eager she is to show you the things she loves about Austen. Romance and love were important to Austen, and to the characters in her novels, but that is by far not the only theme to her writing.

There are chapters on everything from family to money to fashion to letter writing. She fully embraces humanity, with all of its failures and follies, and rejoices in finding the humor in life. Alongside quotes from Austen's novels are quotes from the many letters she wrote to her family and friends. It was the quotes from her letters that I found the most interesting.

I also enjoyed the historical context at the beginning of each chapter; I learned just how little control and autonomy many women of the time had over their lives. Austen was in favor of marriage and love and accepted in some ways the basic idea of the man as the main breadwinner as it was such a part of the culture she was living in, but she was able, in subtle ways, to poke fun at and expose the double standards for men and women.

For those who already know and love Jane Austen, this book will make you want to go back and reread some of your favorites. For those who haven't read her before and perhaps just saw the film version of Becoming Jane, it's a quick introduction to her wit and wisdom that hopefully will inspire you to read one of her many novels. Its size makes it perfect for a gift.

Summary of Becoming Jane: The Wit and Wisdom of Jane Austen

Inspired by Becoming Jane, the romantic film that could only make you want to know more about Jane Austen, here is a delightful collection of some of her most famous and quotable quotes -- pearls of wit and wisdom on topics like family, the sexes, friends, money, marriage, and of course love -- that are as true today as they were in Austen's time.

Jane Austen on Marriage:

"My being charming, Harriet, is not quite enough to induce me to marry; I must find other people charming -- one othe person at least."
--Emma Woodhouse to Harriet Smith, in Emma

"I am of a cautious temper, and unwilling to risk my happiness in a hurry. Nobody can think more highly of the matrimonial state than myself. I consider the blessing of a wife as most justly described in those discreet lines of the poet, 'Heaven's last best gift.'"
--Henry Crawford to his sisters in Mansfield Park

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."
--From Pride and Prejudice

General Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in More about Jane Austen
Jane Austen Miscellany ImageJane Austen Miscellany
by Bolton
Sourcebooks, Inc.; Published: 2006-05-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $1.05
Price in other shops: $9.95
So You Think You Know Jane Austen?: A Literary Quizbook (Oxford Worlds Classics) ImageSo You Think You Know Jane Austen?: A Literary Quizbook (Oxford Worlds Classics)
by John Sutherland, Deirdre Le Faye
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2009-06-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.87
Price in other shops: $11.95
Becoming Jane: The Wit and Wisdom of Jane Austen ImageBecoming Jane: The Wit and Wisdom of Jane Austen
by Anne Newgarden
Miramax; Published: 2007-07-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.15
Price in other shops: $12.95
Becoming Jane Austen ImageBecoming Jane Austen
by Jon Spence
Continuum; Published: 2007-07-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.58
Price in other shops: $14.95
Jane Austen's Letters ImageJane Austen's Letters
by Jane Austen
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 1995-05-25; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $78.88
A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen ImageA Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen
Random House; Published: 2009-11-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.51
Price in other shops: $25.00
Just Jane (Ladies of History Series #2) ImageJust Jane (Ladies of History Series #2)
by Nancy Moser
Bethany House Publishers; Published: 2007-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.57
Price in other shops: $14.99
The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen ImageThe Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen
by Syrie James
Avon A; Published: 2007-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.00
Price in other shops: $13.95
Similar Books and other products
Jane Austen's Guide to Good Manners: Compliments, Charades & Horrible Blunders ImageJane Austen's Guide to Good Manners: Compliments, Charades & Horrible Blunders
by Josephine Ross, Henrietta Webb
Bloomsbury USA; Published: 2006-10-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.77
Price in other shops: $14.95
Jane Austen: A Life ImageJane Austen: A Life
by Claire Tomalin
Vintage; Published: 1999-04-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.60
Price in other shops: $16.00
The Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World ImageThe Jane Austen Handbook: A Sensible Yet Elegant Guide to Her World
by Margaret C. Sullivan
Quirk Books; Published: 2007-04-19; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.83
Price in other shops: $16.95
Jane Austen For Dummies (For Dummies) ImageJane Austen For Dummies (For Dummies)
by Joan Elizabeth Klingel Ray
For Dummies; Published: 2006-07-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.08
Price in other shops: $19.99
101 Things You Didn't Know About Jane Austen: The Truth About the World's Most Intriguing Romantic Literary Heroine (101 Things You Didnt Know) Image101 Things You Didn't Know About Jane Austen: The Truth About the World's Most Intriguing Romantic Literary Heroine (101 Things You Didnt Know)
by Patrice Hannon
Adams Media; Published: 2007-01-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.86
Price in other shops: $9.95
The Jane Austen Book Club (movie tie-in) ImageThe Jane Austen Book Club (movie tie-in)
by Karen Joy Fowler
Plume; Published: 2007-08-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $0.24
Price in other shops: $14.00
Jane Austen's Letters ImageJane Austen's Letters
by Jane Austen
Pavilion Press; Published: 2003-05-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.94
Price in other shops: $9.95
Becoming Jane ImageBecoming Jane
Buena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2008-02-12; DVD
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops: $19.99
Becoming Jane ImageBecoming Jane
Sony; Release date: 2007-07-31; Music CD
Best price: $7.58
Price in other shops: $9.99
Becoming Jane Austen ImageBecoming Jane Austen
by Jon Spence
Continuum; Published: 2007-07-03; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.93
Price in other shops: $14.95
Book store. Illustrated catalog of books on different categories