Becoming Jane Austen | 
 enlarge | Author: Jon Spence
Publisher: Continuum
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $8.00
You Save: $6.95 (46%)
New (35) from $8.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 21537
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 294
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 4.9 x 1.1
ISBN: 1847250467
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.6
EAN: 9781847250469
ASIN: 1847250467
Publication Date: July 3, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Jane Austen was a great novelist and one of the central figures of English literature, but she herself lived a quiet and uneventful life, mostly in the two Hampshire villages of Steventon and Chawton. Jon Spence’s new biography focuses its attention away from the wider literary and intellectual currents that informed her writing and instead concentrates on the immediate influences on her life and work. Becoming Jane Austen shows how Jane Austen’s own personal experiences resonated throughout her work, from her juvenilia to Sanditon.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 The Story Behind the Stories June 19, 2008
I really enjoyed this one! I read it right after taking a course on Jane Austen's novels, and still learned even more. This book really helped to point out the parts of Jane's life that made it into her books. It is a great read for a Jane Austen fan.
Very good source. June 4, 2008
I bought this book because I'm preparing to teach a Jane Austen class. Spence makes some interesting points and does a good job of backing them up. I don't think we can take everything as fact, but he does support his arguments very well. Unfortunately, there is so much left up to guesswork when it comes to Austen. When it comes to Austen biographies, this book is very easy and enjoyable to read. It reads more like a novel than a biography. The movie that is based on this book takes a few more liberties than the books does. Considering all of the books that I have used in preparing my class, this is one of my favorites.
 engaging investigation into the character of our favorite old maid March 17, 2008
A well-written, well-researched biography of our beloved, complex spinster. While the book doesn't annoyingly dwell on its far-fetched claim to be the "true love story that inspired the classic novels", it does often try to make some leaps of faith (most notably the weight it places on the character names of novels as evidence). Some of the interpretations of her novels are equally improbable. But this is an engaging, interesting biography woven with Jane's letters and her novels. It is the story not only of her life and her times, but also of the people who surrounded and influenced her. It is a story of how she saw the world, of her complex character, and how the woman in love with marriage chose her novels to be her children. Well worth the read. Grade: B+
Everything you ever wanted to know and more December 17, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
If you are looking for every detail of Jane Austen's life and works, this is the book for you. For me, there was so much detail that it made for slow reading, but if I was an Austen fanatic (instead of an enthusiast), this would be the book for me.
Loved It! October 5, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I was skeptical about this book when I got it. But I ended up loving it. The information is presented in a way that makes it very interesting. You get to know more than just Jane, you get to know her family and friends too. I would recommend it to any Jane fan.
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