2) Please post brief comments, reactions, and/or questions for our class discussion. Also, view and comment on the following Ted Talk on Jane Austen in your brief post.
Jane Austen’s Life
While the literary art of Jane Austen is remarkable, the
facts of her biography, at first glance, are not. The contrast has long
intrigued Austen readers and scholars, and interest in her life is today almost
as keen as interest in her works. Dating back to her own time, when Austen's
first four novels were published anonymously, sources of information about her
life still exist — some of her letters (those her sister Cassandra did not
destroy after her death), and A Memoir of Jane Austen, written by her nephew
J.E. Austen-Leigh in 1869. These sources reveal that Austen did lead the quiet
life of an unmarried clergyman's daughter. She found early encouragement for
her art within her family circle, and a starting point for her novels in her
personal and family history.
Born in 1775 to George and Cassandra Austen in the English
village of Steventon, Jane Austen grew up in a highly literate family. Austen's
father was an Oxford-educated clergyman and her mother was a humorous,
aristocratic woman. Educated only briefly outside of her home, Austen read
freely in her father's library of 500 books, which left her better educated
than most young girls of the time. While her family never anticipated she would
be a published writer (not considered an appropriate profession for a young
lady of her background), within the walls of their household she was encouraged
to write. In this lively intellectual household, the 15-year-old Austen began
writing her own novels; and by age 23 she had completed the original versions
of Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice. Her own
delight in reading and her ironic mocking of its impact on young girls comes
alive in Northanger Abbey.
After Austen's father died in 1805, Jane, her mother, and
sister Cassandra lived in a small house provided by her then-wealthy brother
Edward in the village of Chawton. When Jane received a proposal from the
wealthy brother of a close friend, for whom she felt no affection, she
initially accepted him, only to turn him down the next day. This was a painful
decision for her, as she understood deeply that marriage was the sole option
women had for social mobility. She further understood the vulnerability of
single women without family estates who depend on wealthy relatives for a home.
This subject is at the heart of Sense and Sensibility.
Austen keenly observed the shifting of social class during
her day. Two of her brothers were in the Royal British Navy, and she saw
first-hand the rise of naval officers in class-conscious British society. Those
who returned from the Napoleonic wars with both wealth and notoriety were able to
break through class barriers that were previously impenetrable. She wrote
elegantly about this sea change in her last novel, Persuasion.
Jane Austen died on July 18, 1817, at age 41. She never
wrote a memoir, sat for an interview, or recorded whether she had herself felt
the joys and disappointments of love. The biographical facts may never
adequately explain the quick wit, the sharp insight, and the deep emotional
intelligence she brought to her novels. Perhaps that is impossible; it is
likely that the novels will continue to transcend our understanding of where
they came from.
Jane Austen's Family Tree
Regency Era
The Regency era spans the reign of the Prince of Wales from
1811 to 1820. It occurred at the latter end of the Georgian period when King
George III was declared unfit to rule for reasons of insanity and his son,
George IV was appointed as Regent to govern the country. The Prince Regent was
notable for his lack of restraint in most areas of life. He was a womanizer who
over-ate, over-drank and over-spent. As such he lost the respect of many of his
subjects, including Jane Austen herself. In fact, she mocks over-indulgence and
vanity of all kinds, while restraint is depicted as a mark of character
strength. Nevertheless, his extravagance characterized the period and his
patronage of the arts resulted in marked expansion in the areas of:
1) Architecture
(typified by the elegant designs of architect John Nash)
2) Literature
(typified by work of Romantic writers Austen, Byron, Shelley and Keats)
3) Music (typified by
the works of Beethoven, Schubert and Liszt).
4) The character of
Sir Walter in Persuasion could be interpreted as a parody of the Prince Regent.
A widening gap between rich and poor
While the upper classes in the Regency era were enjoying an
opulent lifestyle, the lower classes experienced a grinding poverty. The Prince
Regent made little effort to relieve the situation and his lavish lifestyle
caused a growing resentment. The gap between rich and poor was exacerbated by:
1) A sudden increase
in the population and increasing overcrowding in the cities, which led to
squalid housing conditions. This gave rise to city slums (colloquially known as
rookeries). They were associated with prostitution, drunkenness and crime in
general
2) Inflated food
prices, due to Napoleon's blockade of exports to Britain, as well as high
wheat prices resulting from the Corn Law of 1815
3) Technological
advances in the textile industry which eventually wiped out spinning as a
cottage industry - hence the Luddite Riots (1811-1816) in which English
craftsmen protested about the negative impact of technological advances on
employment in the weaving industry.
Major Works
Lady Susan
Lady Susan was possibly written in 1794 but not
published until 1871. Beautiful,
flirtatious, and recently widowed, Lady Susan Vernon seeks an advantageous
second marriage for herself, while attempting to push her daughter into a
dismal match. A magnificently crafted novel of Regency manners and mores that
will delight Austen enthusiasts with its wit and elegant expression. The entire
novel is composed of letters, offering different viewpoints, with an epilogue
tying the events together. The film adaptation
is titled Love and Friendship (2016), not to be confused with her juvenilia
novella of the same name.
Northanger Abbey
Jane Austen's first major novel was written in 1798-99, when
she was in her early twenties. It is a comic love story set in Bath about a
young reader who must learn how to separate fantasy from reality. Miss Austen
sold the novel (then entitled Susan) to a publisher in 1803, and the
work was advertised but never published. She bought it back many years later,
and her brother Henry Austen published the novel as Northanger Abbey
after her death in 1817.
Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility was the first of Jane Austen's
novels to be published. She began to write it sometime around 1797, and she
worked on it for many years before its publication in 1811. The title page said
that it was written "By a Lady", and only her immediate family knew
that Jane Austen was the author. Impetuous Marianne Dashwood tumbles into a
fairytale romance that goes sour, and her practical older sister Elinor copes
with the family's financial problems while hiding her own frustrated romantic
hopes. The book was a success, and it even earned a profit!
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice was first written in the late
1700's, then rewritten in 1811-1812 and finally published in early 1813. It is
probably the most-read of all of Jane Austen's novels and is a popular favorite
among many. Originally entitled First Impressions, the novel deals with the
misjudgments that often occur at the beginning of an acquaintance and how those
misjudgments can change as individuals learn more about each other.
Mansfield Park
Mansfield Park was written between February, 1811 and
the summer of 1813. It was the third novel Jane Austen had published and it
first appeared on May 4, 1814. During her lifetime, it was attributed only to
"The author of Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice",
and the author's identity was unknown beyond her family and friends. It is Jane
Austen's most complex novel and deals with many different themes, from the
education of children, to the differences between appearances and reality.
Emma
Emma was written in 1814-1815, and while Jane Austen
was writing it, it was suggested to her by a member of the Prince Regents'
household that she dedicate it to His Royal Highness. Austen took the
suggestion as it was intended--as a command--and Emma was thus dedicated, but
the dedication itself is rather slyly worded. Emma deals with a young woman's
maturation into adulthood and the trouble she gets herself into along the way.
Persuasion
Persuasion was written in 1815-1816, while Jane
Austen was suffering from her fatal illness. She was still working on some
revisions at the time of her death in 1817. The novel was published
posthumously by her brother, Henry Austen. Persuasion is a novel of second
chances, expectations of society, and the constancy of love. You can also read
the preface which Henry wrote telling the world of his sister's authorship,
life, and untimely death: A Biographical Notice of the Author.
Juvenilia & Letters
Jane Austen's works from her childhood are full of
enthusiasm, humor, and very creative spelling. We also have some letters and
correspondence, though Jane’s sister destroyed any that could have given us
insight into her psyche and love life.
In act one of Persuasion by Jane Austen, the contrast and duality between Sir Walter and his daughter, Anne, I think provides an interesting dynamic that helps emphasize each character. Sir Walters vain, insensible and social conscious ways are made even more apparent and somewhat comical, compared to Anne’s sensible, realistic and humble personality. Sir Walter is not shy about his dissapointment and lack of hopes in Anne, he “found little to admire in her, so totally different were her delicate features and mild dark eyes from his won… all equality of alliance must rest with Elizabeth alone” (3”). He does not highly regard her and feels that she is incapable of accomplishment, this is ironic because it is Anne, along with Mr. Shepherd and Lady Russell, that are able to slowly persuade Sir Walter into “retrenching” from his lavish lifestyle and move to Bath. Anne uses her opposite qualities from him as a silent strength against him. This reminds me of Torvald and Nora in the way that he does not think highly of Nora, while she is secretly pulling the strings behind his back.
ReplyDeleteIn the Ted Talk, the speaker brought up the idea of the transition from feeling identity from a family, to being an independent identity. I think this is an interesting idea applied to Persuasion, because exteriorly, all the characters revolve around family ties and relations, but through narration, we get to see the independent persons inner independent thoughts. On the outside, Anne is the daughter of Sir Walter and an Elliot sister, but in her narration we see her as her own person and she explains her inner turmoil over Captain Wentworth and her regret of choosing her families high rank over true love.
Persuasion is a novel that builds its story off of small ideas. I realized that although I thought certain details or paragraphs were irrelevant, they helped define characters and the overall plot very clearly. In the Ted talk, the speaker mentioned how free indirect discourse helps the reader understand everything the character is experiencing without enforcing the ideas directly. This part of the ted talk helped me understand the purpose of the tiny details that I once thought were unnecessary. The details help distinguish the different layers that humans are made of, suggesting that people are not one dimensional. We have many complicated traits that make us unique characters and we cannot be molded into one common character. I think the novel itself is interesting, once I began appreciating the tiny details. At first I thought they were just more words to read but eventually I learned that they are more details about the situation and the characters involved.
ReplyDeleteKaby
The story of Persuasion, despite being written in an old fashion way, seems to be, in many ways, a modern story. While the dynamics between men and women and the political and social importance of marriage was different at the time the story was written, the way the characters flirt and interact seems like they could be living in today’s world. Anne, in particular, seems to be a modern character. While she is still clearly in love with Captain Wentworth, she is shy and unsure around him. The way she describes meeting his eyes nervously, and simultaneously dreading and desiring his company, sounds like it is right out of 21st century high school. I think this is a credit to Jane Austen's writing. Even though the circumstances of the story are old fashioned, the characters, their interactions, and the meaning behind them are in many ways relatable to modern readers.
ReplyDeleteAnna
I must admit, when I first saw the assignment of reading 87 pages, I was initially turned off. I have never read any pieces from Jane Austen, a writer that is admired and raved about by many people, which initially intimidated me. However, as I started reading Persuasion, I got absorbed by Austen’s intimate, yet sophisticated language. Her writing gave me the illusion that I had just entered a time machine that took me back to Austen’s time period and that I was just a fly on the wall witnessing everything. Unfortunately, this caused more tension while reading the book due to the narration that gives us an insight on the protagonist’s emotions, conversations, and the issues brought up in the society back then that rise emotions. By beginning the novel with an introduction of Sir Walter, a vain man of which "vanity was the beginning and end of his character", Austen establishes that this text is going to be a questioning of society, just like Ibsen’s plays. Also, by presenting the conflict of Sir Walter’s spending habits and his daughter Anne’s attempts to combat them, she establishes the problem that is going to drive the rest of the play. I also loved how Austen made sure to highlight Sir Walter’s three daughters different personalities as it let me have an idea of how the family’s dynamic is going to be, and the role it is going to play in the plot. It makes the fact that Elizabeth, who is as vain as her father, is Sir Walter’s favorite and Anne, who is more humble, and often overlooked by her family not only heartbreaking but also very ironic. He is proud of Elizabeth for the characteristics she inherited from him, yet the ones that Anne did not inherit are the ones that she is using to try to fix the problem of her father’s spending. As Kaby mentioned in her blogpost, the text nicely highlights that humans are complex, making it even more fun to read!
ReplyDeletePersuasion gives a serious tone that’s different from Pride and prejudice, which caught me off-guard. Overall it’s still humorous though. I thought it’s interesting that Austen uses the word “persuade” a lot. I mean the title of the novel is Persuasion, so every little piece of detail and information do connect with each other, and that they are important. The ted talk mentioned a private character vs a real-self character. Jane Austen writes in third person, and the thoughts of the characters aren’t easily shown to the readers, but the nature and personality of the characters are revealed through dialogues and their actions. The details are put together so well that they show the true side of the character— that’s the genius of Jane Austen.
ReplyDeleteBased on the Ted Talk video, I really liked Jane Austen’s use of narration as free indirect discourse; she gave insights into Anne’s thoughts, but in the third person. I felt that this also allowed for Austen to describe how other characters were thinking/reacting to particular things which makes the story interesting. Each character has a particular personality that plays out in Persuasion as each character has different interactions and/or responses. For instance, when Anne goes to visit Mary and Mary complains the whole time about how sick she is, Austen notes how Anne feels about this indicating that she is so used to it that she doesn’t really think much of it. I also thought that all of the little details Austen includes in the story are very important and helped me understand different parts of the plot such as when she describes what Sir Walter Elliot is like in the beginning which sets up the rest of the story as the Elliot family has to move to Bath. I also really liked the little moments and interacts between Captain Wentworth and Anne as they go on walks together or attend dinners together. The little things like Captain Wentworth’s body language or looks Anne notices are very interesting as they allow her to reflect on the situation and on what/ why she is feeling a certain way. The moment when Louisa falls and is unconscious on the ground, I thought that the way Austen has Anne be the only one to act rationally/helpfully during it was significant because not only did it give a deeper glimpse into her character, but it also allowed for Captain Wentworth’s character to shine through as he at first did not know what to do until Anne told him to carry Louisa back to the house. Jane Austen creates very distinct imagery through her writing and use of particular details and style of narration.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading and watching the Ted Talk I found it interesting how the concept of details and characters becoming “evaporated” is true with any forms of media other than writing. This resonated with me because especially in the beginning of the story there was several characters introduced all at once, all with her own distinct traits and personality. I found it hard to keep up and began to get the three daughters very confused. However as mentioned in the Ted Talk it is easy in writing to go back and refresh your memory. With the introduction of more characters in the end of the reading I again felt overwhelmed. I feel as if I should make a chart or diagram of how every character is connected to the other. Through connection the element of humour also come into the novel. For example at the end of the reading when we find that a gentleman is admiring Anne’s appearance we are left to wonder momentarily whom it may be. And of course it turns out to be Mr. Elliot, someone briefly introduced in the beginning of the book who has a long and tense history with the Elliott family. Austen’s style of introducing settle humor as well as the in depth thoughts and details of the characters shows she is a very skilled writer and has me excited to read more.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started to read Persuasion, I was immediately drawn in by the personable writing style. Even though there were numerous characters introduced, I was able to distinguish their names because of the description Austen used. I also immediately saw how the title Persuasion relates to the themes and the work as a whole. One example is in the very beginning of the novel, when the father was persuaded to rent out their estate and move somewhere smaller so they could straighten out their finances. To persuade him, they try to show him that Bath is just as glamorous as his life in the estate, and they eventually persuade him. There are also more examples of persuasion throughout the first book, already showing a prevalent theme. Another example is when Anne was persuaded not to marry Captain Wentworth, back before he was a captain. This also shows the extreme influence of social class and status in their society. I agree with the things said in the TED talk, even though she was addressing Pride and Prejudice. Because Jane Austen's s writing style is so unique and progressive, the description and analysis applies.
ReplyDeleteTo me, Persuasion had many elements typical of a Jane Austen novel, but I also understood how critics consider this a "mature" novel; as her tone is somehow more solemn and yet still entertaining. I enjoyed the comedic elements presented through the characters in the novel. All while Anne is grieving for her former relationship with Captain Wentworth, Mary is complaining and whining, and Louisa and Henrietta are trying to figure out which of them Captain Wentworth like better. The contrast of Anne's character contrasts with so many of those around her that Austen makes the reader sympathize with her over any other character. I was also taken aback in a few ways that I wasn't expecting based on Pride and Prejudice. In the latest chapter when Louisa had a serious injury I thought it was some sort of joke at first because I thought that Austen wouldn't have a serious event like this in one of her novels. Her tone was very different overall than I expected. Most of the chapters were easy to follow and kept me engaged in the book. I am sort of confused about Captain Wentworth's family/friends so that would be something good to clarify in class.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that has always struck me about Jane Austen’s novels, although this is admittedly more prevalently in Pride and Prejudice than in Persuasion, is how unrealistically vain many of her characters are. In this novel, the father cares only about their family name, Elizabeth about her appearance, Mary about attention, and even Anne and Captain Wentworth, albeit to a much lesser extent, in their steadfastness in holding onto old grudges. This creates an interesting social dynamic when these characters are forced to interact with each other and the self-made men representing the novel’s new money out of financial necessity, a multi-tiered topic in-of-itself. In this world, money is everything yet it is nothing. It cannot buy the name or honor of any of England’s most noble families. But without it, even the most respected family cannot survive. As someone who first became interested in economics because of its ability to topple the “old order” and redraw the lines of a new culture, I am fascinated by this clash between old reputation and new money. Coupled with a healthy dose of the same unrealistic arrogance that helped shape my belief on why we need economics to create more opportunities for those born outside of the “great” families, I see the 19th century version of my own dreams and find myself engrossed by this novel as a result.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the other comments. Personally, I loved reading persuasion, and I felt that it was both familiar and distant at the same time. Of course, Jane Austen is known for using flowery word choice and diction that differs greatly from what people generally use today, however, the way she describes human interactions and emotions is strikingly accurate. The dynamic between Anne and Captain Wentworth was interesting to me in particular, especially through the subtle descriptors Austen uses to illustrate their behavior. Even though ideas like arranged marriages and expectations of women to fulfill domestic roles were far more prevalent back then than they are now, Austen writes in such a way that the reader tends to absorb the message behind Persuasion instead of these small details. Oddly enough, this tactic reminded me of George Orwell's 1984 — even after all these years, its content is more relevant than ever, and Orwell's ability to retain that accuracy after so many decades is astonishing. Similarly, Austen's ability to capture the essence of human emotion — happiness, sadness, shyness, anger, and so on — allowed me, as a reader, to delve into the book and relate to its imagery, just like someone living in Austen's time might have. Austen's writing targets symbolism, and that continues to stay evergreen.
ReplyDeleteI found Persuasion to be a slow start that soon had me hooked. After acquainting myself with the characters and getting a "lay of the land" of Austen's England, I found myself able to better focus on the characters, their motivations, and the intricacies of Austen's social commentary. I found a lot of similarities with the subject matter we had discussed when reading Ibsen; the idea of a private self and a public self which one must show to the world especially reminded me of Mrs. Alving and Nora, characters whom I felt were silenced by the social norms of society much in the same way Anne is rejected for not conforming to the societal mores of Austen's England. I was struck by how the TED talk compared the ideas of a public and private self from Austen's work with our social norms of today and the near-compulsive sharing of our lives on social media. It made me wonder whether I myself truly have a private self, and made me compare my public self to who I am inside my own head.
ReplyDeleteThe Ted Talk opened up my eyes as to how much different an internet based story is compared to a text based one. I hadn’t realized how much more information about a character's thoughts could be communicated through a book than a movie or television show. I think Jane Austen uses this to great effect during persuasion when she devotes a lot of time in the book to delve into the characters thoughts and the reasoning behind each of their actions. For example, she spends the entirety of chapter 4 giving a thorough explanation of the relationship between Anne and Captain Wentworth. Her style of writing makes it easy to not confuse the many characters because of how much detail she goes into. I also thought it was kind of funny how much the title of the book was actually used within the text itself. I’ve found that many authors are often a lot more subtle with their choice of title like in A Doll House where the reader sort of has to read in between the lines to understand the title. The reasoning behind why Austen chose this title was surprisingly clear as she used the word “persuade” multiple times.
ReplyDeleteHaving loved Pride and Prejudice with great passion when I first read it, I was taken aback by Austen's writing style in Persuasion. Honestly, there were a few times in which I found myself spacing out or dozing off because I wasn't very invested in the story. I could clearly see why this novel is referred to as one of Austen's more "mature" ones; the language is very straightforward, sophisticated, and sometimes detached from vivid emotions. I understood that the language and pace all related to Anne's practical and level-headed character, and I appreciated it for that purpose, but it didn't fully agree with my personal tastes. Also, like many others have commented on in their blogs, I thought there was a lot of extra detail which made it difficult to read because it slowed the pace and watered down any invigorating dynamics. But, of course, after watching the Ted Talk, I understood that all those intricate, seemingly minor, details combined to create multiple layers for the characters that are necessary to evoke true humanity. Like Kaby said, humans are not one dimensional and this, while I had known it for a very long time, made reading the long descriptions arduous because I wasn't considering the real purpose of those extra pieces. Once I watched the Ted Talk, it all clicked. I did enjoy the little comedic moments but because I lacked the investment in the story that I had while reading Pride and Prejudice, unfortunately I haven't fully appreciated Austen's humor in this novel yet. In terms of the Ted Talk's message, I found the analysis of private vs public self very intriguing. I enjoyed the comparison of Austen's work which includes a great deal of privacy within her writing and the characters and the compulsiveness of modern-day lives laced with social media in which we all share so much information that a private self is often lost. Like Alex, I began to wonder where I stand in the balance of private vs. public. I realized that, before this year, I shared WAY too much of myself on social media and now, even after taking a break from certain platforms and reducing my activity, I still share more than what one would expect of an average human being that does not involve themselves in the world of social media. It is an odd concept to explore though, because social media exists with the purpose of its participants sharing information and details about their lives. I'm still learning what kind of balance works for me and with the advancement of technology, perhaps I'll never reach a full conclusion. Regarding the story, I think it would be helpful to clear up the characters' relationships and the sequence of events in a concise way so that, in case I or anyone else in the class missed something for one reason or another, we can find a better understanding through discussion.
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting to watch the Ted talk after reading the first act of the novel, because the woman speaking pointed out ideas that seem so normal yet were new during the time that Jane Austen was writing. Persuasion is a novel that can well related to topics today, even though it was written so long ago. Lost love, parents dictating lifestyles, covering debt with exravagance, and many more themes are all still prevalent in our lives today. She has a way of addressing issues sort of like Ibsen does, focusing on what society expects of individuals. I like how Austen builds her characters through pieces of thought and history here and there, but it is kind of a hard read for me just because of the older language, sometimes I find it hard to pay attention to. Overall though, I have had a good experience with the novel so far, and I think that analyzing it further in class with make it more intriguing to me.
ReplyDeleteCat
I thought that it took me a little bit to really get into Persuasion, but I really enjoyed it. It was interesting watching the TED talk afterwards and seeing how Austen incorporated the ‘free indirect discourse’ discussed in the lecture. I found that it was easy to understand all of the characters, specifically Anne and Elizabeth. As Jyllian said, there were obvious contrasts between Anne and her sister, as well as with her father. Both Elizabeth and Sir Walter Elliot have an attitude where they are above all else, and focused on rather trivial things, whereas I got the sense that Anne is more genuine.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, I connected the ideas in the TED talk to Ibsen’s plays, specifically Ghosts. Although there was no specific ‘free indirect discourse’ within the play because of the formatting, there were a lot of subtle things and clues that we as audience members needed to pay attention to in order to fully understand what was going on. I took the strong subtext within Ghosts to be equal to the narration given to us by Austen in her novel.
When I first started reading Persuasion, I was not very invested and found it difficult to be invested in the story. I think that a large part of this was my extreme dislike for the characters. However, once the story started to focus on Anne, and her father and Elizabeth were not as present, I began to enjoy reading it. As I progressed in the story, I enjoyed it more and more, and started to find the characters I had previously disliked reading about, humorous. I grew invested in Anne's story and look forward to seeing everything unravel. I love reading about their daily lives and seeing how it compares and contrasts to our own.
ReplyDeleteJane Austen’s “Persuasion” is different from many of the other books I’ve read in the way that it offers thorough insight into the underlying thoughts and opinions of each character and the overall story. Like most that have already commented, I believe that the general theme of works we’ve read previously in class, particularly “A Doll House,” were initially obscure and required some reflection to fully comprehend.
ReplyDeleteI found the Ted Talk especially interesting, as it helped me see how books, in comparison to movies and films, are more effective in offering a detailed understanding of both the characters and the overall scene of a story. In “Persuasion,” Austen takes advantage of this, and provides the audience with a comprehensive understanding of the characters and their incentives, in addition to exploring a female’s expectations in society and the pressure they experience as a result.
Where I think this novel is most interesting is the dynamic between the characters and how they all interact situationally. As far as the three sisters are concerned, I found that Anne made a number of reasonable observations when it came to the finances of the family at around the second chapter or so, and later she does the same thing with Mary while she's over at her husband's family's house. They seemed like a decent family but they have their issues, and I found it interesting that Mary is the one to try to enforce order within her household when she's so incredibly fickle and "sickly". I thought her part was kind of funny in a way and the way that Anne tries to appease her just because she's her sister was interesting and somehow I expect that most siblings now don't have the same degree of respect for one another (on the surface) as compared to the degree of tolerance Anne had for Mary's behavior. Honestly I thought Mr. Musgrove was a really nice guy if a bit childish.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth is as vain as her father (something which the author isn't shy about saying to the reader directly) but I can't say that she seemed all that terrible all things considered. I don't think that she fits the archetype one would expect out of such a foil, and so that leads me to believe that Anne's longtime friend could potentially turn out to be the true antagonist but I'm not so sure about that either. Though she did convince Anne to not marry the Captain, she doesn't seem like she would be intentionally malicious to her.
That's mostly what I got out of this reading. There is a lot of interpersonal conflict that bubbles under the surface and dictates the outward behavior of the characters. The characters act realistically enough to make it almost feel more like a memoir than a fictional narrative, which I would assume would have been a novel concept at the time of writing. Its a good book but a little dense, I look forward to continuing through this book.
What I was most impressed by in Persuasion was Austen's tackling of complex class issues while also intertwining relationships and drama. Even though I had a hard time getting through the dense and vintage writing style, I could still recognize how current the themes addressed were. If this book was reimagined in the way that Pride and Prejudice was modernized into the Lizzy Bennett Diaries, which is one of my favorite web series, I wonder how that idea of public vs private life would be manifested. I do have to admit I fear I overlooked many of the small details that others have talked about because I was so focused on understanding the main idea within the text. I do wonder what the public's reaction was to Persuasion, and if it was well received. It seems to push more boundaries than Pride and Prejudice and to me is reading as less lighthearted even though the humorous personalities of some of the more over the top characters still remain.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of the story I was worried that I was going to have a tough time following the plot because of the many character that are involved in the book. This did not get any easier as Act 1 went on, just when you thought that you couldn't meet another character, another one is introduced. Initially I did not like Sir Walter Elliot and his daughter Elizabeth based on their descriptions and actions as characters. However, as the story went on Sir Walter Elliot became slightly comedic to me as he was so “in love” with himself. It wasn’t until I was fully introduced to Anne that I began to enjoy the book. I believe that she is the reason that I grew to like it. I love the way Austen developed Anne as a character and admire the placement in the family that she chose to express with Anne. Throughout Act 1 I found myself rooting for Anne and beginning to connect to her in some ways. I got the impression that she is somewhat of a “regular” girl, so much more so than her sisters. I look forward to seeing Anne's development as a character throughout the rest of Austen’s novel.
ReplyDeleteColleen
Jane Austen’s “Persuasion”, was different than other books due to how it developed and introduced us to the thoughts of almost every character in the story. In some ways, this novel didn’t have the typical minor character role. Austen managed to show the thoughts of every character and introduce the reader to each of their stories without causing much confusion. This intertwines with the idea of the Ted Talk in some way because how the speaker talked about how books allow the audience to connect with the characters and their stories then any movie or film can offer. Although the novel was detailed filled and kept me engaged I was confused at some points of who the story was talking about as a character. I found myself having to reread pages as I read the book because I found myself reading but not bringing anything in. What I especially liked about the book was how Austen developed and introduced Anne in the story. I especially enjoyed when Anne was introduced as a character concerned about the financial status of her family because this was a time where women weren’t trusted with money. We saw this in “Dollhouse” when Torvald time and time again talked about how he could not trust Nora with money. Overall I enjoyed “Persuasion” because it's in-depth build up of numerous characters and how it challenged what expectations females had in society.
ReplyDeleteThe TED talk felt somewhat uninteresting until it came around to the part where people are able to output a certain personality when on the internet. Keeping what you feel private and sharing with the outside is a major theme that comes with Anne’s characterization. When she is asked by Lady Russell in regards to how the Elliots and Kellylynch Hall should be managed, Anne prescribes many actions that, by Russell’s judgement, would greatly benefit the entire family. Unfortunately, when Russell does converse with Sir Elliot, the suggestions are not even considered by him and he quits Kellylynch. To revert back to the TED talk, Anne privately is quite smart and is able to convey sensibility unlike the rest of her family. On the contrary, she does not usually emit this insightfulness because it is not in her nature to do so which unfortunately causes her to be ignored by the rest of her family.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that the novel is making a point about how wealth and prestige, rather than being liberating and desirable forces are rather meaningless and isolating. The Elliotts (Walter, Elizabeth, and Mary to a lesser extent) value their own family name and reputation more than anything else (ironically because their family name does nothing to stop them from losing vast amounts of money and having to rent out their ancestral home (in fact the expectation that they as a old lordly family should live an affluent lifestyle probably contributed to their debt)). The importance they place on their family name and status results in none of them really loving each other or caring to, in fact they view and judge each other’s value in the same hierarchical and estranged manner they judge other families, Elizabeth is the eldest and the most important, the other two are younger and therefore less significant, and Anne, who is the only one in the family who can actually see past class and status differences and have compassion for others, is seen as literally useless by her entire family. This hierarchical and status obsessed values of the Elliots and all other prideful families like them are restrictive and actively curtail the happiness of all involved, as seen when Anne gives into the arbitrary hierarchical thinking of her family and refuses to marry Wentworth, a decision she regrets for the rest of her life. All the other families, less ancient and wealthy than the Elliots and who are often looked down upon by them (The Croft’s, Musgrove’s, and Hayter’s) all seem to be happier, more equal, and more loving families, less obsessed with the trifels of high class due to their slightly lower status, birth, and expectations placed on them, and more able to focus on what is important, being happy and loving each other. However, meaningless and toxic class pride still seems to exist as long as one family is wealthier than another, the Musgrove’s looking down on the Hayters for being less well off then them despite all being family.
ReplyDeleteWhy does everybody keep falling down and getting hurt?
In the Ted talk, the speaker discusses how Jane Austen creates characters whose private selves and true thoughts are kept separate from their public selves or are expressed through a filter of societal norms that make the message more acceptable and less direct or overt. Nobody sits down to talk directly to someone else about their true deep feelings. Instead they twiddle around the country side for months trying to get a read on everyone else vicariously through semi-casual conversation. If Anne actually sought out Wentworth (or vise versa) and told him that she loves him, and that she regrets her decision and explained how she was pressured into leaving him then the novel would probably be over by this point. Instead they hardly even talk to each other most of the time, which is kind of reasonable given that Anne is timid and Wentworth is heartbroken, but the fact that they never even bring up the fact that they have a shared tragic past or confront the their deep emotions for eachother is a little frustrating for me. I know this is more of a gripe with the emotionally restrictive societal norms of the time (even though a cancelled engagement between two people is pretty significant and would at least be acknowledged verbally by the characters (as if all forms of emotional openness and maturity have only existed for the last hundred years)) but it still bothers me.