Persuasion

Persuasion was chosen as one of three group reads for January by the Proud Readers Of Great Stories group on Goodreads to which I belong. Having never actually read any Jane Austen novels before, I took this as my inspiration to try at least that one, then, when I realised that 2017 is the 200th anniversary year of Austen's death, I decided to challenge myself to read all six of her novels within the year.

I think what surprised me most about Persuasion is the sharpness of Austen's eye and the frequent pretty vicious satire of her pen. I admit, based only on film and TV adaptations of her books, that I was expecting a fluffy Regency romance, but other than the societal expectation that everyone be either married or seeking to become so, the story for me was more satirical humour and a comedy of manners.

Anne Elliot is a heroine with whom I could easily identify and empathise. Concerned with more intellectual pursuits that her peers and frequently overlooked, I was glad at her eventual triumph although for a time I wasn't sure in which of three directions it would be best for her to go. My favourite characters however were both terrible people, but wonderfully portrayed. Anne's younger sister, the fabulously self-centered Mary only ever understands other people as they pertain to her entertainment and her father, Walter, is probably the most vain and shallow male character I have ever read. I enjoyed several giggles at the expense of both!

The aspirational snobbery of most of the characters did get a little wearing for me at times, especially as even those considered 'poor' were still way above the financial situation of most of England's population at the time - and now! I did sometimes struggle to remember all the familial connections too as the various intermarriages and resultant relationships made it difficult to always know who was being gossiped about behind their back. Overall though I am happy to say that I did enjoy my first Jane Austen novel and look forward to more. Perhaps Mansfield Park will be next?

This was my first foray into reading Jane Austen and I absolutely enjoyed it. In some ways, Austen’s Persuasion prefigures the same moral dilemma that more modern authors like Celeste Ng posit in Little Fires Everywhere or Sue Miller in Monogamy. What is the real purpose behind finding a suitable romantic partner? Should it facilitate one’s status, wealth, and position in the world? Or, should it be emotionally satisfying to the parties involved? Can one, or perhaps should one, be willing to sacrifice material possessions, rank, and reputation for love? Of course, this can be a false dichotomy—somewhere out there many have found both money and true love. However, for most people there may be an implicit choice to be made between a) someone for whom you feel undeniable and indescribable compatibility and b) someone for whom you are not truly satisfied with but seems to check the appropriate boxes of social standards.

In this book, we meet Anne, the middle sister in the Elliot household. She is not necessarily comely (as the years have worn away her charms, according to Austen, as she proceeded into her twenties) and she was once in love. This man for whom she madly fell in love was an upstart naval officer with no social prestige or rank in 18th/19th century British society. This Wentworth fellow (no, not of the same stock as the inimitable J. G. Wentworth of late) was persona non grata for Sir Walter Elliot and was loathed by Sir Elliot’s female aide-de-camp that was charged with taking care of his daughters. Anne was persuaded to abandon this foolish relationship with Wentworth and wait for a more suitable match. This is the origins of Jane Austen’s title. For much of the book, Anne is a woman bereaved of companionship and longing for a renewed connection with the now-returned Captain Wentworth who came into considerable fortune during his naval adventures (probably against the French).

But lest you decide that being “persuaded” is wholly negative, consider that Anne is persuaded later in this narrative against marrying Mr. Elliot (her distant cousin) by a close confidant and friend who informs her that said Elliot has ulterior motives upon Sir Elliot’s fortune and land. Thus, Anne is persuaded to make the wrong decision in her early years and then persuaded to make a good decision in her later years. For most people operating in the real world, Anne’s destruction of the relationship with Wentworth in her formative years would be the end all be all of that potential pathway. However, Austen’s romantic impulse here is to eventually redeem Anne to Wentworth in the closing chapters. Austen communicates to her readers that true love, true romance, does not fade into the ether when distance separates the involved parties. Nay, the fires continue to burn bright as ever. Anne and Captain Wentworth are re-established and live happily ever after to the extent that is possible in the sordid conditions of 17th/18th century rural Britain.

In all of this, Jane Austen provides a biting critique of the 18th century British landed gentry, especially their obsession with rank, class, and family lineage. In particular, Austen critiques the logical fallacy that implies someone from a base background also has base morals, whereas someone from a privileged family would also exude strong moral fiber. Finally, Jane Austen illustrates how women in this era were expected to harness their efforts in almost all arenas toward the singular goal of getting married. Virginia Woolf laments in her extended essay, Three Guineas, that women until the 20th century were primarily wielding their influence, interests, hobbies, and intellect in an effort to find suitable marriage. The women who populate Persuasion are primarily concerned with marriage or the lack thereof.