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This week Miramax and Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released Becoming Jane, a modern romantic comedy that looks at how Jane Austen’s real life love affair - and her desire for an independent life - inspired her novels.

I was delighted to receive a review copy from the folks at Click-Comm.com since I think Anne Hathaway from The Devil Wears Prada (Widescreen Edition) and The Princess Diaries (Special Edition) is a fantastic actress that teens and young women can relate to. It also stars James McAvoy, James Cromwell, Maggie Smith, and Julie Walters.

A synopsis:

When 20-year-old Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) meets up with the roguish Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy), sparks begin to fly. Initially repelled by his arrogance, the emerging writer slowly realizes that she has finally found a man who appreciates her intellect as well as her beauty. As her parents (Julie Walters and James Cromwell) arrange a wealthy, aristocratic husband for her, Jane begins a clandestine romance with Lefroy. The young man proposes marriage, but his wealthy guardian, who holds his purse strings, disapproves of Jane’s outspoken manner and ambition to be a writer, and threatens to cut Tom off. In a world where marriage determines a woman’s fate, will they risk everything, including family and friends, for the sake of romance?

Becoming Jane is the true story of how a young Miss Austen dared to hope to marry for love and to support herself through her writing, two very unusual acts in her day. Not only would this movie be a great introduction to Austen’s books, but it would make for a wonderful discussion with your teenage daughter about how a young women’s place in society has changed since Austen’s time.

Becoming Jane is the best kind of chick flick - smart and thought provoking. It’s also funny, romantic, and full of wonderful dialog, gorgeous costuming and handsome men. (James McAvoy - oh my!) All in all, a perfect video rental for an evening of mother-daughter bonding.

Discovering Jane Austen through food

If you’re interested in learning more about Jane Austen and her life, you must check out The Jane Austen Cookbook by Maggie Black:

One of Jane’s dearest friends, Martha Lloyd, lived with the family for many years and recorded in her “Household Book” over 100 recipes enjoyed by the Austens. A selection of this family fare, now thoroughly tested and modernized for today’s cooks, is recreated in The Jane Austen Cookbook, together with some of the more sophisticated dishes which Jane and her characters would have enjoyed at balls, picnics, and supper parties.

A fascinating introduction describes Jane’s own interest in food, drawing upon both the novels and her letters, and explains the social conventions of shopping, eating, and entertaining in late Georgian and Regency England.

It includes authentic recipes of her time (modernized for today’s kitchen) such as:

• Buttered Prawns
• Fish in Corbullion
• Broil’d Eggs
• White Soup and Salmagundy
• Pyramid Creams
• Martha’s Almond Cheesecakes

I was able to find a couple of Maggie Black’s Jane Austen recipes at the BBC radio’s website. For another source of how people really ate in Jane’s time check out the Regency Recipe section at the Jane Austen Centre website.

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