September Books 19) Persuasion

[nwhyte]

19) Persuasion, by Jane Austen

Again, driven to read this at last by my posts here and here. It's a very nice story, of repressed emotions, shallow pretensions, and the tentative process of picking up a relationship after eight years of interruption. The heroine, Anne Elliott, is perhaps a little too flawless and downtrodden by her useless family

Comments

[sammywol]

I am not sure how ddeply I really believe in Anne Elliott. She is shade too perfect given her lack of decent role models and also a bit bland in her paragonity (sic). However, she is indeed a good soul and there is no quarrelling with her.

I love the book nonetheless!

[anonymous]

Lurch into feminism! Last chapters in persuasion!
I think not! Please explain and remind yourself that it is 1816 ,the year in which the novel is set. I will be very interested to hear your views!

[nwhyte]

What is so absurd about suggesting that a novel written 24 years after Mary Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Women might have reflected some of its ideas?

[fjm]

Just to add: this is right in the period when middle class women were swapping the position of home-manufacturers and producers, for consumers, and were starting to realise that there were consquences for their authority and power. Never mind the little problem of the Waterloo caused man shortage which meant that too many of them were looking forward to life on the margins.

[purpletigron]

This is my favourite Austen, although they are all flawed. (It's Anne Elliot with one 't' I think? :-)