Author Topic: Persuasion by Jane Austen ~ October Book Club Online (Read 33910 times)

JudeS · « **Reply #80 on:** October 02, 2013, 12:35:15 PM »

The Book Club Online is the oldest book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone. We offer cordial discussions of one book a month, 24/7 and enjoy the company of readers from all over the world. Everyone is welcome.

October Book Club Online

Persuasion by Jane Austen

“My idea of good company...is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation; that is what I call good company.'
'You are mistaken,' said he gently, 'that is not good company, that is the best.”
― Jane Austen, Persuasion

Come join us for the best company as we read this classic. Here, Austen abandons the young heroines of her earlier works and presents us with a fully mature woman who fears that her chance of happiness has already passed. Austen finished Persuasion just before her death at age 41. It is her last book, and some feel her best.

Discussion schedule:

Oct 1-7--Chapters 1-6

Some things to think about: Chapters 1-6

1. There are two examples in these early pages of Persuasion that changes people's lives. What do you think of them? Who instigates them? Can you find more examples?

2. Austen is known for her sharp characterizations. Which of the characters in this opening section seem most true to life to you? Which the least? Do you feel you have met any in real life?

3. Anne, the middle child is ignored, put down, and expected to serve the others. Why? Do you feel this reflects anything in Austen's real life? How do you feel about her response to this?

4. How did Captain Wentworth become rich? What is Austen's treatment of the wider events of the day? Does this affect how you feel about the book?

5. Austen often indicates people's character by their manners. What examples can you find here?

6. Anne Elliot goes from the family estate, Kellynch Hall, to her sister's cottage at Uppercross, and the Musgrave house there. How are the environments different? How are the three sisters different?

DLs: PatH & JoanK

Being quite ill right now (diverticulitis) I don't want to write a long analytical post. However two short remarks.

1)I was shocked to find that the book is not shelved in the adult section of the library but exists only in the teen section. Did anyone else have that experience?

2) I had forgotten what a wonderful writer Austen is. When I am reading her words it is though I am transported to her imaginary world. As I continue reading it is as though her world becomes more real than my own. When I stoop reading it is like awakening from a dream.

JoanK · « **Reply #81 on:** October 02, 2013, 02:46:06 PM »

JUDE: so sorry you're ill. take care of yourself. Miss Jane is as good as chicken soup.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #82 on:** October 02, 2013, 04:59:31 PM »

Oh Jude hope it is just a temporary illness that a little bed rest and soup will have you back on your feet again.

Found it - yes, reading this on the kindle so no page numbers at 13 hours and 28 mins left in the book - sheesh anyhow here it is.

"Her attachment and regrets had, for a long time, clouded every enjoyment of youth, and an early loss of bloom and spirits had been their lasting effects."

ginny · « **Reply #83 on:** October 02, 2013, 09:18:41 PM »

Jude, I am so sorry to hear you are ill!

Here is our Official SeniorLearn Chicken Soup which will make you well in no time!

Hope you feel better soon!

PatH · « **Reply #84 on:** October 02, 2013, 10:05:07 PM »

Goodness, Judy, I hope you get better quickly.

I own Persuasion, but I just checked our library's online catalog. They have a huge number of copies, a few in "reading list", and all the rest in "adult fiction".

JoanP · « **Reply #85 on:** October 02, 2013, 10:05:12 PM »

Quote

"When I am reading her words it is though I am transported to her imaginary world."

Hopefully Miss Jane's words will continue to transport, Jude...and with the chicken soup, you will feel better soon.

Shall we keep track of the number of times Anne's appearance, her lost "bloom" is described, Barb? It seems she is still affected by her broken engagement eight years later, the "bloom" is still off the rose.

It's funny, I can empathize with Anne, feel I really understand her, but other characters are so exaggerated - they seem to be caricatures - especially her father, her sisters...

PatH · « **Reply #86 on:** October 02, 2013, 10:11:19 PM »

How about Lady Russell? She's realistic, though not someone I empathize with. Austen is certainly using the rest of Anne's family to laugh at some human traits.

bellamarie · « **Reply #87 on:** October 02, 2013, 10:17:04 PM »

I hope you feel better soon Jude, I had a bout of that years ago and had to adjust my diet to prevent another flare up. Antibiotics helped me immensely. I so agree with you, that Austen's writing is like traveling into her world. Such wonderful descriptions of the estates she speaks of. I can't imagine having to leave my home and letting it out to a family, due to careless spending.

Ciao for now~

JoanP · « **Reply #88 on:** October 02, 2013, 10:21:26 PM »

Yes, Lady Russell is "real" - has a good head on her shoulders, and Anne's well-being in mind. Unlike other characters she is without personal ambition. She could have married Sir Walter -maybe even produced the Elliot heir. Is she young enough? I'm forgetting that minor detail.

PatH · « **Reply #89 on:** October 02, 2013, 10:47:14 PM »

I'm not sure how old she is. Sir Walter is now 54, so he was 41 when his wife died. If Lady Russell is of similar age, or slightly younger, she night have produced an heir had she married Sir W. soon after his bereavement.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #90 on:** October 02, 2013, 11:29:08 PM »

Didn't Jane Austen tell us as she described Lady Russell she was married and he died - need to find it again but something about Sir Walter becoming widowed soon after her own widowhood so that she was not thinking another relationship.

PatH · « **Reply #91 on:** October 03, 2013, 09:44:08 AM »

Lady Russell is the widow of a knight. I'm guessing she was already widowed when she moved to the village of Kellynch to be near Anne's mother. Austen says "this friend and Sir Walter did not marry, whatever might have been anticipated on that head by their acquaintance".

PatH · « **Reply #92 on:** October 03, 2013, 09:53:26 AM »

Part of the opening situation of the book is the result of a decision made by Anne eight years before. When she and Wentworth became engaged, Lady Russell, panicked by the riskiness of such an engagement, urged her to break it, which Anne reluctantly did. What do you think of this? Was Lady Russell's advice reasonable? Is it realistic that Anne would accept this advice, and persist in the face of Wentworth's objections?

JoanP · « **Reply #93 on:** October 03, 2013, 11:17:30 AM »

Remember Sir W. was noticing " the rapid increase of crow's foot about Lady Russell's temples"? (Sounds like some sort of disease the way it's written, doesn't it?) I guess this means she will not be the one to produce the male heir after all.

Though they will probably never marry, Lady R's opinion does matter to Sir Walter...and to Anne. They agreed at 19 that Anne was too young to marry - especially this young man who lacked background or promise. I don't think Lady R. liked him much for Anne -all other objections aside. I can't say I'd have reacted differently if she had been my daughter. (I don't have a daughter.

) Rather than act contrary to Lady R's opinion - Anne let herself be persuaded to break the engagement. The first instance of "persuasion" in the tale.

We're told of another reason she did this - which she told no one about - that she sacrificed her own happiness "for his advantage." I wasn't exactly clear why she thought this...but he didn't take it well...and they broke it off for good- well, for the last 8 years, anyway...

Frybabe · « **Reply #94 on:** October 03, 2013, 11:58:31 AM »

I think that most young ladies still deferred to their elders, or betters, opinions at that time. If marriages weren't outright arranged, they were still very heavily influenced by others opinions as well as future economic benefit.

JudeS · « **Reply #95 on:** October 03, 2013, 01:48:55 PM »

Thanks all for the good wishes. Two different anti-biotics plus senior learn chicken soup will soon make me well.

When I am feel better I will give some serious thought to this wonderful (and soothing) book.

JoanK · « **Reply #96 on:** October 03, 2013, 05:21:02 PM »

Looks like we don't blame Lady Russell for persuading Anne not to marry Wentworth.

The other example of persuasion is more clear --Lady Russell also takes the lead in persuading Sir Walter to rent his house. Cleverly and persistently done. I, for one, was cheering her on, and it was so clear to the bystanders that it was necessary that they were helping. Even so, it took work to get past Sir Walter's fantasy world of himself and his things as the pinnacle of creation.

What is Austen telling us about "persuasion" and what role it should play in how we live our lives? Can you think of instances where you have changed your life as a result of persuasion by others? How did it work out for you?

marjifay · « **Reply #97 on:** October 03, 2013, 07:06:13 PM »

I'm afraid this will be my first and last Jane Austen book. I struggled thru 6 chapters, but am tired of reading a page umpteen times trying to figure out what the h... Austen was talking about. I'm not finding the book that interesting. What is it you all find so fascinating about this book?

I guess I'm just not up to trying to decipher Austen's 1700-1800s British language writing. Altho' they were a bit later, I believe George Eliot and Charlotte Bronte were also British, and I had no trouble reading, and loved Eliot's Middlemarch and Bronte's Jane Eyre. Just can't seem to care much for this Austen novel.

Marj

bellamarie · « **Reply #98 on:** October 03, 2013, 11:03:14 PM »

Yes, Marj, I too was finding the first chapters very difficult to follow. It was not like this with Pride and Prejudice, but I do remember thinking Sense and Sensibility very difficult to follow. Now that I have finished chapter 6, and have gotten all the characters straight it is much easier for me. I remember saying to my friend, who is a huge Jane Austen fan, that I feel Austen uses 50 words to describe something, I would use 5 words. And my friend's comment was interesting, she said, "That's what she likes so much about Austen's books, she uses words a plenty, and fears today's authors have lost that style, and are too simple with their words." So considering the era, I can understand the dialogue and appreciate it. Just takes getting used to.

Now, as for Lady Russell, I do think she is too old for Mr. Elliot, and is not at all a consideration for marriage to him. Mrs. Clay seems the most likely to end up in wedding bliss with Mr. Elliot, if he is to be married, unless we have not yet been introduced to the lady he could marry.

The common thread I have found in Austen's books I have read is: the pursuit of marriage...... two people meeting, falling in love, overcoming obstacles, and ending in marriage. I am assuming the chase here will be Anne and Mr. Wentworth. He is arriving shortly, and I am but certain the flame will rekindle in he and Anne. Since it is of utmost importance, the man must have monetary worth to make him acceptable for marriage in all of the Austen books, it leaves me to believe that was the way of life back in her era. In knowing this, Mrs. Russell's objection to Mr. Wentworth back some eight years ago, (he was not yet of success or worth, and possibly a little secret we don't know about)....I'm sensing once he returns a highly respectable, successful man of worth, Anne will not be influenced by any protests Mrs. Russell may have now. (After all, in Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy was surely wrongly judged, and seen unacceptable for Elizabeth,....and we all know how that ended.)

Now what do you all think of Mary and all her drama? I kept thinking, Mary, Mary quite contrary. lolol She does seem to do a bit of gossiping and have in-law problems. And she seems to prefer having her two little rug rats staying at the Grandparents, more than at home.

Ciao for now~

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #99 on:** October 03, 2013, 11:52:14 PM »

I think one of the pleasures of Jane Austin is in most of her stories it is all about the little things - the everyday ordinary things - the mores of the time and how they affect the inner soul if you would of some of her characters but mostly about the minutia of life rather than the sweeping story that we are used to and call a page turner - Her stories seem to be less of, by the way this or that is going to happen but rather, like a child looks at a patch of grass and sees each grass blade coming from the dirt and the ants crawling in and out is similar to Jane Austin writing about a patch of Britain in a certain time in history as it applies to only a few characters - we hear very little about the life of these characters when they are miles away from this small patch that is the center of her story.

For now the patch in Kellynch Hall and the relationship the house holds for the characters and we are allowed a peek into a small patch of Anne's heart and mind. Jane Austen writes like a zen master with all emotion on the moment rather than in anticipation of the future.

JoanK · « **Reply #100 on:** October 03, 2013, 11:59:14 PM »

MARGE: I'm sorry you feel that way. But we're all different. As Bellamarie says "I remember saying to my friend, who is a huge Jane Austen fan, that I feel Austen uses 50 words to describe something, I would use 5 words. And my friend's comment was interesting, she said, "That's what she likes so much about Austen's books, she uses words a plenty, and fears today's authors have lost that style, and are too simple with their words."

If anyone has words or situations that they don't understand in the first section, please bring them here. Someone will know.

There is an annotated "persuasion" out, with text and notes on facing pages (often more notes than text). PatH has it: she can tell you where she got it.

JoanK · « **Reply #101 on:** October 04, 2013, 12:00:44 AM »

Mary is something, isn't she. Of course she doesn't want her kids around; they require attention, and she wants all the attention on her.

marjifay · « **Reply #102 on:** October 04, 2013, 09:17:09 AM »

Thanks for your comments Bellamarie, Barb and Joan K. I'll try a few more chapters. and may give Pride and Prejudice a try. Austen does have a good vocabulary (did women attend school back then?). Who were Austen's audience? Not men, surely. So there must have been quite a few upper class women who could read and who could understand and appreciate Austen's novels.

Marj

salan · « **Reply #103 on:** October 04, 2013, 11:27:53 AM »

I am also finding this book rather tedious. I don't remember feeling that way when I read it years ago. It may be the mood I am in now. However, I will keep trudging along for a while.
Sally

PatH · « **Reply #104 on:** October 04, 2013, 11:30:24 AM »

Pride and Prejudice is a rather different book, much more lighthearted and less inward, with a more complicated plot and a lot more humorous bits and thoroughly developed comic characters, so it might be worth a try.

Who was Austen's audience? There were definitely men as well as women. At one point the Prince Regent wrote her giving her permission (that means ordering her) to dedicate her next book to him. I don't know if she did or not; she didn't want to, as she disapproved of his morals.

bellamarie · « **Reply #105 on:** October 04, 2013, 11:34:19 AM »

It's an interesting question Marj, "Did women attend school back then?" In all the books so far I have read I don't recall any schools mentioned for women. I may have to google and find the answer to that question. We know men were educated and required to learn a business or skill, but women required a dowry for marriage and a reputable family/reputation. Glad to hear you will stick with it a bit more Marj, I don't think you will be disappointed.

BarbStAubry, I can not imagine describing Austen's writing in the words you so eloquently used. I think Jane Austen would be impressed and proud of your descriptions of her writings. I know I am.

Indeed Mary requires much attention and company. She just could not stop trying to make Anne guilty for not coming immediately to her aide. Seems she is feeling much better now that she has her sister by her side.

PatH., There is an annotated "persuasion" out, with text and notes on facing pages (often more notes than text). PatH has it: she can tell you where she got it.

I would love to know more?

Ciao for now~

PatH · « **Reply #106 on:** October 04, 2013, 11:37:18 AM »

I hope things will pick up for you, Sally and Marj, but if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. We're only doing this to have fun.

marjifay · « **Reply #107 on:** October 04, 2013, 01:57:02 PM »

Thanks, Bellamarie, for mentioning the annotated Persuasion! It's called PERSUASION; AN ANNOTATED EDITION. Luckily, my library has it, as Amazon wants $19 for a used copy. Can't wait to get it.

Marj

Jonathan · « **Reply #108 on:** October 04, 2013, 02:58:35 PM »

I'm hooked, and nearly through the book. I've always meant to read something by Austen, and what better opportunity than joining this discussion. I can't presume to make any worthwhile contributions, speaking from ignorance of the subject. Some passages are bewildering and obtuse and wordy, but then suddenly with five words Austen lights up some dark corner of the mind.

PatH asks, who was Austen's audience. Let me tell you what I found when I dropped in at my local library branch. I headed for the teens area as Jude suggested, but I didn't get past the display of Austenania set up in the welcome area. All her things were there, naturally, but also a number of things about her writing.

Here's one. Jane Austen's Guide to Dating, with chapter headings like, 1.If You LIke Someone, Make It Clear That You Do. 3. Don't Play Games or Lead People On. 4. Have Faith in Your Own Instincts. 6. Look for Someone Who Can Bring Out Your Best Qualities. 10. If Your Lover Needs a Reprimand, Let Him Have It.

These tips all come with good illustrations taken from the books.

Just as interesting was a book by a professor of political science UCLA. The title: Jane Austen, Game Theorist. From the jacket: 'Game theory - the study of how people make choices while interacting with others...the book shows how this beloved writer theorized choice and preferences, prized strategic thinking...analyzed why superiors are often strategically clueless about inferiors...etc.

This is heavy stuff. Jane Austen did for love, what Clausewitz did for war.

Jonathan · « **Reply #109 on:** October 04, 2013, 03:05:53 PM »

Oh, and a librarian working on the display gave me an ivitation to a lecture on JA's S&S at the branch next Monday. I think I'll go. Must learn more about this strategist on relationships.

JoanK · « **Reply #110 on:** October 04, 2013, 04:12:16 PM »

Wow! Hi, Jonathan. Glad you're here! First you say you have nothing to add, then you add a lot! Strategist on relationships is a great description! Please share what you learn at the talk.

PatH · « **Reply #111 on:** October 04, 2013, 04:19:34 PM »

Marj, you found the book before I got back online. I got my copy from Amazon, $12.99 for a new paperback. I'll be interested to learn whether you think it helps or hurts. The information is interesting and useful, but all those notes destroy the flow of words and make one lose track of the narrative.

Jonathan, glad to see you here, and that you're hooked. Of course you now have the problem of avoiding making spoilers, but that's OK.

"but then suddenly with five words Austen lights up some dark corner of the mind." Yes, indeed.

PatH · « **Reply #112 on:** October 04, 2013, 04:26:42 PM »

Education of girls: many girls were educated at home, either by governesses or their mothers. Jane Austen was sent to school at age 6, along with her sister Cassandra, and after a few years they completed their education at home.

Anne Elliot went to school in Bath, perhaps after her mother died. Later on we will meet one of her schoolmates. Mary Elliot went away to school too--she didn't know about Anne's affair with Wentworth because she was away during that time.

bellamarie · « **Reply #113 on:** October 04, 2013, 04:27:21 PM »

Oh my heavens!!! Jonathon, how lucky are YOU, to go to your library and not only find a display of Jane Austen, but get an invite to a S&S. Now I am jealous, to say the least. You must come back and share with the group.

I would never have imagined to find Austen's books among the teen section. Now I love this, " Jane Austen's Guide to Dating, with chapter headings like, 1.If You LIke Someone, Make It Clear That You Do. 3. Don't Play Games or Lead People On. 4. Have Faith in Your Own Instincts. 6. Look for Someone Who Can Bring Out Your Best Qualities. 10. If Your Lover Needs a Reprimand, Let Him Have It.

If only the young teens today could read this guide, I do think they would respect each other and even themselves a whole lot more than a one night stand, without even catching each other's name. I have one grand daughter who is 18 yrs old and has yet to be in a steady relationship with any one guy. I am so proud of her because she is old fashion and does not care that her other friends have either had numerous boyfriends, or one steady one for 3 yrs. She's a beauty and a gem, and our entire family will have to approve when a suitor does call. Now mind you she probably went to every prom every school had in our city her four years at Notre Dame Academy, with a different boy friend. It so reminds me of all the young ladies in Austen's books going to the many balls, excited to dress in their beautiful gowns and dancing with the dashing young men. Could you imagine Austen's standards of courting/dating existing today. If only!

I want to read ahead Jonathon, but I just know I would blurt out something I'm not suppose to. It is I believe, Austen's shortest books so it won't be too long to wait to see what Austen has in store for us.

PatH., We were posting at the same time. Thank you so much for the info on their education. I knew I read about home schooling and governesses, but was not sure about going away to a school.

Ciao for now~

Frybabe · « **Reply #114 on:** October 04, 2013, 08:35:41 PM »

Jonathon, that is sooooo interesting. I tried one of those free Game Theory lecture series online, but soon gave it up. I was so befuddled. Perhaps if I try reading Jane Austen, Game Theorist, the examples therein help make more sense out of the subject.

JoanP · « **Reply #115 on:** October 04, 2013, 10:51:02 PM »

Jonathan, you were clearly meant to be here...walking into that JA ambush...first the display and then the invitation to the lecture! Eerie, but wonderful. Can't wait for you to continue to share what you learn from all this.

Marjifay...you sound really determined to get Jane Austen this time! I've been reading the comments here about the difference some of you are noticing between JA's writing in earlier novels and this one. Do you think that fact that Persuasion was her last novel before she died affected her writing? Not merely the fact that she was ill, but I wonder if she had the time to edit, to lighten the tone, perhaps? I know that my final drafts are quite different from my first attempts. Could it be she wasn't ready for her publisher? I read somewhere that Jane's brother brought Persuasion to her publisher after her death...and that she hadn't even put a title on it yet. Can anyone verify that it was her brother who actually named the book "Persuasion"?

PatH - you've explained why Anne's sister Mary is so uncaring about Anne's feelings each tine she brings up Captain Wentworth's name. I couldn't understand why she didn't know of her own sister's engagement. Away at school in Bath...and the engagement was very short, wasn't it. Thank's for that information, Pat.

kidsal · « **Reply #116 on:** October 05, 2013, 04:44:15 AM »

So much attention to people's appearance:
Sir Walter: blessing of beauty, good looks
Elizabeth, handsome, blooming
Mary, Inferior to Elizabeth, coarse
Anne, Inferior to Elizabeth, bloom vanished early, thin, faded, haggard
Lady Russell - crow's feet
Admiral Baldwin - deplorable looking, rough, rugged, face color of mahogany, grey hair
Admiral Croft - hale, hearty, well-looking, a little weather-beaten
Mrs Clay - freckles, projecting tooth, clumsy wrist?
Mrs Croft - good teeth, bright dark eyes, reddened weather beaten complexion

Frybabe · « **Reply #117 on:** October 05, 2013, 08:41:36 AM »

Bummer! My library does not have Jane Austen, Game Theorist and it is too pricey for me just yet (even on the used market).

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #118 on:** October 05, 2013, 11:09:16 AM »

Yes Kidsal, all that negative description - I was pondering just that this morning - Why? Then it hit me, I wonder, do you think it was not so much that Jane Austen was sitting back having characters judge each others physical imperfections but rather, a way of describing their character - this is a time of Elegance - Elegance of manner, looks, decor, beauty.

Longfellow says, “In character, in manner, in style, in all the things, the supreme excellence is simplicity”

From Cyrano de Bergerac, “I have a different idea of elegance. I don't dress like a fop, it's true, but my moral grooming is impeccable. I never appear in public with a soiled conscience, a tarnished honor, threadbare scruples, or an insult that I haven't washed away. I'm always immaculately clean, adorned with independence and frankness. I may not cut a stylish figure, but I hold my soul erect. I wear my deeds as ribbons, my wit is sharper then the finest mustache, and when I walk among men I make truths ring like spurs.”

Elegance being the ideal, no one in her story, so far, meets this ideal. What I am seeing is that Elegance is like a wall and as long as Jane can stay on this side of the wall she has characters that are less than ideal and she can play them one against the other. During other times in history a story can be told with good guys and bad guys or white hats and black hats - here we have the white hat being elegance and lacking that ideal the characters can affect each other.

Example, if Anne was not so isolated and wounded she would stand up for herself instead of harboring pain when ever the name Wentworth is heard. If elegance in beauty is the ideal how does a craggy weathered face blend with the beauty of a country house surrounded by gardens and a park? How does a father explain unmarried daughters except they do not have the look required to attract suitable suitors who can live with the inner and outer peace and grace that is elegance on parade that security in wealth allow.

On and on I am seeing the description of their lessor nature and looks rub up against Elegance, the ideal of the day.

bellamarie · « **Reply #119 on:** October 05, 2013, 12:14:24 PM »

I am a member of a ebook site called Kobo and I found this book and think it is very helpful and interesting. Wanted to share this will you all.....NO SPOILERS I promise!

The Real Life Inspiration Behind Jane Austen’s Work
A Book=by-Book Look At Austen’s Inspirations by Paul Brody
BOOKCAPS Study Guides www.bookcaps.com 2012 All Rights Reserved

After completing Emma, Jane Austen almost immediately started working on what would be her last finished novel. Persuasion was complete by August 1816 and published near the end of 1817. Austen was still residing in Chawton with her mother, her sister Cass and their good friend Martha Lloyd. The summer months were intensely cold and rainy and various family members dropped in at Chawton at regular intervals. 1816 was also the year when Austen first began experiencing symptoms of the disease that would end her life in July of the following year. Despite all these distractions Austen was able to finish the novel to her own satisfaction.
Persuasion has more a downbeat and ironic tone, somewhat similar to Mansfield Park. It’s also a less polished novel than any of her earlier efforts. This fact can largely be explained by the onset of Austen’s fatal illness. She was physically and mentally unable to go through her usual processes of reading and revision. In terms of theme, the novel concerns itself with the many roles that unmarried women have to find for themselves in society, whether governess, school teacher, or charity case. Austen was speaking for not only her own experience, but that of her sister, her friend Martha Lloyd, and several other female friends who had passed a reasonable marrying age.
The character of Anne Elliot was also a big departure for Austen. At 27 years old, she is the oldest heroine in any of the novels. Could it be that as Austen was entering middle age, she felt inclined to write about a different kind of woman’s experience?
Mrs. Croft, another interesting character in Persuasion provides a model for a more empowered and forward thinking woman. With woman’s role in society still a topic of lively debate, Mrs. Croft demonstrates how old fashioned values can be stifling and misguided. She trusts her own judgments rather than simply going with what’s expected, and more often than not turns out to be right. Just as with Anne Elliot, there is a lot of Jane Austen in Mrs. Croft.

Ten years before writing Persuasion, Austen had visited the town of Lyme Regis. Though it did not have quite the reputation of Bath, it was still a popular vacation spot for the well-to-do of society. She was mostly enchanted by the natural scenery of the bay and the quaint tightly clustered houses. The town made a much deeper impression on her imagination than Bath, and so she decided to capture its essence in the novel.

Like Northanger Abbey, the title Persuasion was chosen by Henry Austen after his sister’s untimely death. Austen had called the novel The Elliots. The two posthumously published novels were originally sold together as a single set.

I think I may decided to also purchase this book: A biography of Jane Austen by Carol Sheilds “Jane Austen a Life”

Forgive me for any typos in a hurry, off to volleyball games.

Ciao for now~

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Author Topic: Persuasion by Jane Austen ~ October Book Club Online (Read 33910 times)