Although mostly fictional, Kevin Hood's Becoming Jane displays a well researched, well executed plot line and character development as well as keen insight into the manners and etiquette of the period. In this short excerpt, one can experience the grandeur of the Gentry Ball: a small private party held by great gentlemen and ladies which usually included dining and dancing. The evening meal was typically held after the ball, close to midnight, consisiting of eight to ten courses, serving such items as "...soup, pigeon pie, veal, cheese, oysters, and trifles, and was typically served with wine or negus, which was a mixture of boiling water, wine, lemon, spices, and calves-foot jelly (Classes of Regency Balls By Sandra Causey)."
