“A few years before, Anne Elliot has been a very pretty girl, but her bloom had vanished early; and as even in its height, her father had found little to admire in her...”
"... was nobody with either father or sister; her word had no weight; her convenience was always to give way; she was only Anne."
Meet Anne Elliot, the heroine of our next Austen challenge, Persuasion. She is the middle daughter of Sir Walter Elliot - a disappointment to her snobbish father, no longer a beauty, and unmarried in her declining years (she’s twenty seven).
Many years before, Anne was in love with Fredrick Wentworth, a naval officer just beginning his career. They planned to be married, but because he was not well-connected and without income, Anne’s family (and her godmother Lady Russell) persuaded her against it. She broke off the engagement and Wentworth went to sea.
In all the years since, Anne watched her younger sister, Mary get married and move away, and her conceited father and older sister (Elizabeth) squander the family fortune. Now debts must be paid; to raise income Sir Walter, Elizabeth, and Anne must rent their manor home and move to a smaller house in Bath.
This move upsets Anne for many reasons: first, she tried to set her father and sister on a more frugal financial plan, but they would not change their lifestyle; also, Anne would rather live quietly in the country than in the noisy social scene of Bath; but worst of all, the new tenants to their family home are the sister and brother-in-law of her old flame, Mr. Wentworth.
So, long-suffering, soon-to-be-spinster Anne must go to Bath with her father and sister. But first, she spends some time with her sister, Mary, and her family. While on that visit she takes care of hypochondriac Mary, settles squabbles between Mary and her husband, Charles, and takes care of their rowdy children.
Through all this we get a picture of Anne as the martyr - always giving way to others and pushing down her own wants and needs. She takes the last and the least. But rather than painting this as a totally negative character trait, Austen seems to, at least in parts, show this as Anne’s strength. She, like Fanny Price in Mansfield Park, quietly builds strength by self-denial. Anne rejects the superficial lifestyle of her father and Elizabeth and the selfish whining Mary uses to manipulate those around her.
Her strength is tested, however, when Mr. Wentworth returns to their social scene. He becomes friends with the Charles’ parents (the Musgroves) and with their two daughters, Louisa and Henrietta. Anne, together with Charles and Mary, spend quite a bit of time with the Musgroves and Captain Wentworth.
Through this time Anne’s feelings for Captain Wentworth progress from dread at the thought of their first meeting (Wentworth was cold and mannerly), to a mix of regret and despair in realizing that she is still in love with him, while now he seems to be moving toward engagement to Louisa Musgrove.
In typical Austen style there are rumors of affections, misunderstood conversations, and mixed motives as Anne separates herself emotionally from her family and tries to find her own way.
But unlike the typical Austen story, this one lacks the humor of her other novels. Sir Walter and Elizabeth are portrayed with biting clarity - no irony or sarcasm hides their elitism. Austen includes very few funny side remarks about the social life of Bath or the gold-digger Mrs. Clay.
Throughout the story Anne meets several characters who carry pain and loss: Captain Bentwick, a friend of Captain Wentworth, who is grieving the death of his fiancee; and Mrs. Smith, a widowed and poor school friend of Anne’s.
In both Captain Bentwick and Mrs. Smith, we see the growth of Anne’s character to reach out to those who are hurting and alone. They share the loneliness and heartbreak together.
This mix of sadness, loneliness, and underlying anger mirror Austen’s personal struggles as she wrote this story. While she was writing Persuasion Austen became sick with the illness that would eventually take her life. Poor health is likely the reason this story is shorter than her other novels and the characters are not as fully developed. I believe she was tired mentally, emotionally, and physically - her illness brought to the front her disappointment in and frustrations with the social limits of women and the class society in the England of her time.
But even with these darker tones, Jane comes through with an interesting twist in the lives of a few characters and one of my favorite endings of all her stories.
Because of the tone and development I would not recommend this as a first Austen novel. Read Emma or Pride and Prejudice first - then give Persuasion a try. Then let me know how you would compare them.
Do you think Anne’s sufferings and growth empower her to be less vulnerable to the persuasion of those around her? What do you think of the title of the novel, Persuasion? This was not Jane’s title; her brother gave the novel its name when he published it after she died.
Brief movie comment: I only was able to watch one version of Persuasion. The movie I saw was released in 2007 and is available on YouTube (with Italian subtitles for the bilingual!).
Of course the scenery and costumes are wonderful. The screenplay is very well written and brings some feeling and character development to the story without sacrificing much of the original novel. The casting and acting is fabulous (I did enjoy the Borg Queen as Lady Russell - my geekness collided there for a minute!). Sally Hawkins plays the part of Anne with a perfect mix of dignity and regret.
My only problem with the movie is that the ending feels rushed. The romantic finale in all Austen novels is something we fangirls have come to expect - but the best parts of the novel are run through quickly (and literally) to get to the end.
With that aside, I recommend that you see the movie before you read the book (gasp). I think you will be more clear on Anne’s perspective and Captain Wentworth’s motivations going into the novel with the movie in your mind.
Make a note. I can only think of one other novel that I will recommend seeing the movie before you read the book...but that’s a blog for another day...
We are half-way through our Jane Austen challenge! Next up: Northanger Abbey.
