Scan barcode
A review by wslockard
Persuasion by Jane Austen
5.0
A lonely book! Jane Austen's protagonist, Anne Elliot, is possibly the loneliest of Austen's protagonists. Throughout the plot, she has no confidante nor friend who truly cares for her wellness. All her family members and acquaintances write her off as a spinster, so they keep her at the periphery of all their activities, but they seldom notice her.
However, there is not much to notice about Anne! She keeps all her emotions sealed tight. I read an essay at the beginning of my copy, which described a common thread throughout Jane Austen novels: a sense of claustrophobia created by a small, close-knit society. A phrase used was "hemmed in by all sides." In a village or town where your closest neighbor is 3 miles away, social interaction can be both rare and highly charged whenever it occurs.
Another element of claustrophobia appears in Anne's female lifestyle. By default, because she is a woman, she does not often do things; in life, things are destined to happen TO her, and she is supposed to acquiesce or dodge, depending on the circumstances. For instance, it is an absolutely shocking moment when, once, Anne decides to cross a room halfway (!!!) in order to speak to a friend, who happens to be an unmarried man. This one occurrence in the book is intended to make readers quiver. However, this is her one bold move. Later in the day, when a different man sits beside her, Anne can only wish him to go away, but she is unable to act. Decorum prevents it.
Literary theorists have posited that Jane Austen was full of rage. It was a helpless rage, channeled through books, in response to women's lack of rights. Here's an example of something rage-worthy:
Property rights. If a man owned property, he could not pass the property to female relatives. It was accepted as "the way things have always been." Never mind that your widow and daughters become homeless when you die.
This is the twist of agony in Persuasion... Anne has no home, and most likely she will have no husband. A supposed SAVIOR arrives in the form of her cousin Mr. Elliot who is the family member intended to inherit Anne's father's estate. AND Mr. Elliot seems interested in marrying Anne. His proposal gives her the incredibly tempting option of "never changing her name." Wow, she is allowed to keep her surname! And she can keep her family home! (But only if she marries her icky first cousin.) Wouldn't this make anyone at least a little angry?!
However, there is not much to notice about Anne! She keeps all her emotions sealed tight. I read an essay at the beginning of my copy, which described a common thread throughout Jane Austen novels: a sense of claustrophobia created by a small, close-knit society. A phrase used was "hemmed in by all sides." In a village or town where your closest neighbor is 3 miles away, social interaction can be both rare and highly charged whenever it occurs.
Another element of claustrophobia appears in Anne's female lifestyle. By default, because she is a woman, she does not often do things; in life, things are destined to happen TO her, and she is supposed to acquiesce or dodge, depending on the circumstances. For instance, it is an absolutely shocking moment when, once, Anne decides to cross a room halfway (!!!) in order to speak to a friend, who happens to be an unmarried man. This one occurrence in the book is intended to make readers quiver. However, this is her one bold move. Later in the day, when a different man sits beside her, Anne can only wish him to go away, but she is unable to act. Decorum prevents it.
Literary theorists have posited that Jane Austen was full of rage. It was a helpless rage, channeled through books, in response to women's lack of rights. Here's an example of something rage-worthy:
Property rights. If a man owned property, he could not pass the property to female relatives. It was accepted as "the way things have always been." Never mind that your widow and daughters become homeless when you die.
This is the twist of agony in Persuasion... Anne has no home, and most likely she will have no husband. A supposed SAVIOR arrives in the form of her cousin Mr. Elliot who is the family member intended to inherit Anne's father's estate. AND Mr. Elliot seems interested in marrying Anne. His proposal gives her the incredibly tempting option of "never changing her name." Wow, she is allowed to keep her surname! And she can keep her family home! (But only if she marries her icky first cousin.) Wouldn't this make anyone at least a little angry?!