Jane Austen's love story to hit screens

The British novelist's real-life love story will find its big screen adaptation in Becoming Jane.

British novelist Austen's real life love story is set to be retold in the upcoming film Becoming Jane.

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Becoming Jane will tell the story of her doomed love for an Irish lawyer when she was 20. The role of Jane will be played by Anne Hathaway, one of the wives of the heroes in the highly acclaimed gay cowboy film Brokeback Mountain. Maggie Smith and Julie Walters are to co-star in the movie, reports Contactmusic.

The film will tell the story of how Austen met and fell in love with Tom Lefroy, a barrister who has been credited with inspiring her to become a novelist. The relationship foundered partly because Lefroy was not well off and his prospects of making a fortune did not look high, which meant opposition from Austen's family.

The theme of love between social classes was frequently revisited by Austen in books such as Pride and Prejudice.