Directions: Please read Persuasion by Jane Austen, Chapters 1-7 pages 1-45. Next, compose a blog response sharing your initial thoughts on the novel. Make connections to Pride and Prejudice. What differences do you notice? With what you know of her life, what autobiographical nuances do you find in the novel so far? How does it affect your reading of the text? Has the tone changed? Explore the possibilities. I look forward to your responses. As always, use direct quotations from the text and return to read and respond to your fellow classmates.
Sir Walter Elliot, Bt. – A vain, self-satisfied baronet, Sir Walter is a man whose extravagance since the death of his prudent wife 13 years before has put his family in financial straits. These are severe enough to force him to lease his estate, Kellynch Hall, to Admiral Croft and take a more economical residence in Bath. Despite being strongly impressed by wealth and status, he allows the insinuating Mrs Clay, who is beneath him in social standing, in his household as a companion to his eldest daughter.
Elizabeth Elliot – The eldest and most beautiful of Sir Walter's three daughters, encourages her father's imprudent spending and extravagance. She and her father regard Anne as inconsequential. Elizabeth wants to marry and has run the Elliot household since her mother died 13 years earlier.
Anne Elliot – The second daughter of Sir Walter is intelligent, accomplished and attractive, and she is unmarried at 27, having broken off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth, then a naval commander, over seven years earlier. She fell in love with him but was persuaded by her mentor, Lady Russell, to reject his proposal because of his poverty and uncertain future and her youth. Anne rejects Charles Musgrove's proposal a few years later, knowing she still loves Wentworth.
Mary Musgrove – The youngest daughter of Sir Walter, married to Charles Musgrove, is attention-seeking, always looking for ways she might have been slighted or not given her full due, and often claims illness when she is upset. She opposes sister-in-law Henrietta's interest in marrying Charles Hayter, who Mary feels is beneath the Musgrove family.
Charles Musgrove – Husband of Mary and heir to the Musgrove estate. He first proposed to Anne, who said no. He married Mary about five years before the story opens, and they have two sons. He is a cheerful man, who loves hunting, and easily endures his wife's faults.
Lady Russell – An old friend of the late Lady Elliot, and the godmother of Anne, of whom she is particularly fond. She is instrumental in Sir Walter's decision to leave Kellynch Hall and avoid financial crisis. Years earlier, she persuaded Anne to turn down Captain Wentworth's proposal of marriage. She was the intimate friend of the mother, and has watched over the three sisters since their mother died. She values social rank and finds in Anne the daughter most like her late friend.
Mrs Clay – A poor widow with children, daughter of Sir Walter's lawyer, and companion of Elizabeth Elliot. She aims to flatter Sir Walter into marriage, while her oblivious friend looks on.
Captain Frederick Wentworth – A naval officer who proposed to Anne some years ago. At the time, he had no fortune and uncertain prospects, but owing to his achievements in the Napoleonic Wars, he advanced in rank and in fortunes. He is one of two brothers of Sophia Croft. He gained his step to post Captain, and gained wealth amounting to about £25,000 from prize money awarded for capturing enemy vessels. He is an eminently eligible bachelor.
Admiral Croft – Good-natured, plainspoken tenant at Kellynch Hall and brother-in-law of Captain Wentworth. In his naval career, he was a captain when he married, present at the major battle of Trafalgar in 1805, then assigned in the east Indies, and holds the rank of rear admiral of the white.
Sophia Croft – Sister of Captain Wentworth and wife of Admiral Croft for the last 15 years. She is 38 years old. She offers Anne an example of a strong-minded woman who has married for love instead of money and who has a good life married to a Navy man.
Louisa Musgrove – Second sister of Charles Musgrove, Louisa, aged about 19, is a high-spirited young lady who has returned with her sister from school.
Henrietta Musgrove – Eldest sister of Charles Musgrove. Henrietta, aged about 20, is informally engaged to her cousin, Charles Hayter,
Captain Harville – A friend of Captain Wentworth. Wounded two years previously, he is slightly lame.
Captain James Benwick – A friend of Captains Harville and Wentworth. Benwick had been engaged to marry Captain Harville's sister Fanny, but she died while Benwick was at sea.
We're 45 pages in, and I don't know what to think. What I've gathered is as follows.
ReplyDelete1. Anne Eliot would rather stay in the neighborhood near Kellynch Hall than go to Bath, "But the usual fate of Anne attended her, in having something very opposite from her inclination fixed on"(9).
2. Captain Frederick Wentworth, an old boyfriend of hers, was poor, considering "he had been lucky in his profession, but spending freely, what had come freely, had realized nothing"(19).
3. Mr. Elliot "was growing distressed for money"(6).
4. Since Persuasion was written within years of Pride and Prejudice, not much will have changed, and there will still be sexism and inheritance-based transactions. (I may lose my patience again.)
5. Jane Austen wrote this as she was ill and dying. (Brace yourselves for whatever might happen on short notice.)
In the starting chapters we learn about many different characters. Sir Walter wife passed and he is left with his three daughters. Meaning there is no son that he will give his fortune too. Meaning he has to give it to their cousin Sir Elliot. While reading this book I noticed a lot of the same ideas from Pride and Prejudice such as marriage and social class which is something that Jane herself would have experienced in her everyday life and was very important at the time. I noticed as well that the overall mood From Pride and Prejudice feels more weighty than it felt previously. I felt that Pride and Prejudice felt more comical and upbeat and I don't really feel that anymore.
ReplyDeleteI wonder of the new feeling of the mood is from Austen feeling down in her life and if that translated to the book itself?
DeleteThis one probably wouldn't be funny anyway, even if she was in good health when she wrote it.
DeleteTony Beati:
ReplyDeleteI found many similarities between Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, as well as with Jane Austen's life as a whole. Some things in the first chapters I found to be connected with all three. For example, Persuasion, like Pride and Prejudice, is about a family with no sons to inherit their fortune. The social class of the family in this book, the Elliot's, is much like the Austen's and the Bennet's in the case that they all have a father that can provide for them but are just on the border of middle class and the rich. Some of the characters in Persuasion seem to be the same as in P&P, but with slight differences like their names. I find the tone of the book to be less humorous and a little more serious and desperate, because I think this book is more realistic with little hope for the Eliot sisters to class-jump like Lizzy and Jane by marrying super wealthy men. Persuasion seems less dramatic than P&P, especially without Mrs Bennet and her nerves;)
I completely missed some of the points that you said like the families both not having sons. For some reason I thought the trauma these families go through was a norm. I like how you describe the tone as being desperate because I find that to be a very good word to describe it.
DeleteSo far, this book is really sad! The first few chapters it seems all Jane can mention is that Anne is unmarried, hopeless, sad, and not pretty- which we can infer that Jane was probably talking about herself. It’s interesting after reading Pride and Prejudice, a very hopeful and relatively light hearted book, to read another one of her works and have the tone completely switch to more somber and hopeless. However, Jane at this point has definitely mastered the satirical and sarcastic tone and made it subtle enough that you only notice it when you’re paying close enough attention. For example, the literal first page she says that Sir Elliot’s favorite book is the directory, and constantly refers back to it! He always kept the book open in front of Anne and she didn’t appreciate it much, as Jane described it “made the book an evil” (4). I feel as though the humor wouldn’t be as noticeable or as funny unless you have read one of her older books, or else you don’t get where the roots of the satirical tone came from. I also love how Jane constantly mentions the title of the book. Usually authors will slip it in once or twice, and usually towards the end. Jane, however, has written the word “persuade” in literally every paragraph! For example, Lady Russell says, “if we can persuade your father to all this…” (8). I have a feeling the word “persuade” will be significant in this novel :). It is incredibly obvious Jane has matured since her first novels and I’m interested in seeing how she will bring the story together, especially if it isn’t as fairytale-based as her others.
ReplyDeleteDepressing, isn't it?
DeleteChloe Hanrahan
ReplyDeleteThis book isn’t as light. It doesn’t have the feeling, that although these were real problems for them, that everything was going to work out. I always felt like in Pride and Prejudice, it was optimistic no matter the trouble I could see the light. I think this book is basically Jane Austen’s biography from the matter of Anne’s nephews liking and connecting with her more (like Austen’s nephew) to neither Anne nor Jane marrying and having lost their one love. I wonder if she’ll right the happy ending for Anne that she never got. I think that’s the person Jane has come to be the person who lives through her writing and if she’s able to write a happy ending for herself than maybe she can die happy. (Not a happy idea but a realistic one oof)
The jane and anne silimilarity is good connection that I would never have thought of.
DeleteI agree with the book not being as light. That's most likely due to her current condition.
DeleteI totally agree with the change in mood. The lightness of Pride and Prejudice reflects her own self, and Persuasion seems more developed and deeper and almost real that reflected her situation at that later point.
DeleteIn these introduction pages to Persuasion, the theme of the story, otherwise known as the title of this novel, is evident through the actions of the characters and can be clearly seen in their interactions as well. This clarity of theme is similar to Pride and Prejudice. The way Jane Austen ties in the theme into the character interactions is very similar in both booksin the sense that they are mainly conveyed through physical actions rather than internal monologues that are used in some novels.
ReplyDeleteIn Persuasion, I feel like Anne really gets the short end of the stick in her family. Her father and Elizabeth both really look down on Anne and don't expect anything out of her. In fact, they use her as a something to compare poorly with. Does anyone else sympathize with Anne as well? However, at least she is able to get away from her father and Elizabeth for a few months as they moved to bath. Now I think Anne is certainly feeling happier because she is serving an important role in her sister Mary's life. What do people think will happen when she has to go to bath?
I also sympathize with Anne. I thought it was interesting too how she likes the Musgrove family and it makes me wonder if she ever has regrets of turning down Charles Musgrove.
DeleteI think you are right she might have regreted it because she talks about the family in a sad way.
DeletePersuasion starts off with a similar situation to Pride and Prejudice: the father has no male heirs and the family wealth cannot be passed on to the daughters. I found it interesting when the book mentioned that Sir Walter “was not only to quit his home, but to see it in the hands of others”(10). This connected their plan with today’s equivalent, Airbnb. I didn’t think that people were renting out their homes all the way back then because of the lack of security. In chapter 4 when Anne’s past with Captain Wentworth was being explained, we learn that Anne was attracted to Wentworth but his social status made them break up. Back then, Sir Walter “though it a very degrading alliance”(18). This reminded me of how during the movie, Mr.Lefroy’s uncle rejected his relationship with Jane and Mr.Lefroy decided to follow his uncle the same way that Anne followed her father. Because of her quick rejection, Captain Wentworth harbored bitter feelings towards her. Even 8 years later when he was asked about Anne by Mary, she relays that that “you were so altered he should not have known you again”(44). This is like the situation in Pride and Prejudice where Elizabeth believes that she will never speak to Mr.Darcy again. I wonder if everything will turn out all right for the two or if this book will have a different type of ending? Persuasion has a more serious tone compared to Pride and Prejudice. There are less amusing characters such as Mr./Mrs.Bennet.
ReplyDeleteWriting my response, I realized it is nearly identical to Owen's. The only thing I really noticed a difference in was that the beginning of this short novel was already quite dramatic, in which everyone has "problems"
ReplyDeleteThis novel is looking pretty sweet so far dudes. I relate thoroughly to Anne, we suffer from that sweet Middle Child Syndrome®, like Jan Brady from the Brady Bunch. These first few pages look pretty despair filled, which is promising. I feel like if chapters 1-7 of this novel had some type of personification, it would wear a groutfit and would slouch all the time (while frowning). I can see that Jane Austen was in a tricky point in her life when she wrote this. The only reason I say this is because she was probably upsetti-spaghetti 24/7 (which I respect because sad boy hours happens). You can also literally smell the pain that Jane is going through in these pages. In real life, we know that Tom LeFroy became chief of justice in Ireland and was wearing some pretty large pants, but before that we knew that he was a poor man with too many commitments. I think we can feel some of Jane's regretful anger in these pages when she describes Captain Wentworth with the same rags to riches story.
ReplyDeleteI will say that one character I detest is Sir Walter Elliot. I could tolerate his annoying demeanor and pettiness, but I drew the line at page 25. "'Freckles do not disgust me so very much as they do him: I have known a face not materially disfigured by a few, but he abominates them. You must have heard him notice Mrs. Clay's freckles.'"(25). Sir Elliot obviously does not have eyes, because if he did, he would realize that people with freckles are the most beautiful and lively people on the planet. I can tell that Sir Elliot only despises freckles because he is jealous that he himself does not have freckles. Freckles perfectly compliment people's features and make eyes pop like gods and goddesses. Sir Elliot pours his milk in before his cereal. As Shakespeare said in his tragedy Coriolanus, "the tartness of his face sours ripe grapes".
Sir Elliot can jump off a cliff
DeleteHow do I delete a post
DeleteI don't know.
DeleteI agree that Sir Walter is a very rude man. Whenever he is brought up in the text I just roll my eyes and can't take anything he says seriously because its just complete nonsense.
DeleteWhat a mood. Sir Elliot is that guy, entitled and arrogant. What we thought of Darcy at first, even. I don't think he improves with time and knowledge, unfortunately. :(
DeleteI agree that Sir Elliot is the type to pour the milk in before the cereal.
DeletePersuasion is irrevocably iridescent, I can already tell. The story is fascinating, and the writing is different, yet the same. The years improved her writing. It is like that saying, that those most truly pained are the ones most gifted, to pour the terrible things that lay waste to their minds on a canvas, a paper, an instrument. Jane Austen is quite the same, I'd say. Anne is so genteel, like Jane Bennet. We all can see it's a very Jane move when Anne says "'Leave little Charles to my care'" (41). She acts so much like Jane, willing to sacrifice and take care of others, while also shying away from people. And remember when Jane was in London and she thought Bingley didn't want to see her? Does this quote not remind you of that: "Anne understood it. He wished to avoid seeing her" (42). Maybe Captain Wentworth is a little less Bingley, but the situation is there. Jane and Bingley were mixed up and had many confusions between them, and maybe Anne and Wentworth are the same. Maybe they could've communicated more when they were young and many grievances avoided. We know not what will happen until later, but my predictions remain that he will without a doubt fall in love with her once more. I believe he's already on the way, with the claim "Anne Elliot was not out of his thoughts, when he more seriously described the woman he should wish to meet with. 'A strong mind, with sweetness of manner'" (45). Anne Elliot is picture image. She has a strong mind, a good mind filled with kindness and generosity, though she is easily //persuaded//. And She is the sweetest of all, doing for others what they should do. And Anne so vividly is still in love with Wentworth, the way she recollects, "She had already acknowledged it to herself, and she could not think differently, let him think of her as he would. No; the years which had destroyed her youth and bloom hd only given him a more glowing, manly, open look, in no respect lessening his personal advantages. She had seen the same Fredrick Wentworth" (44). You don't confess that many things on no regards at all. She is constantly questioning herself from the moment she hears even a bit of his relations. You don't ask yourself frivolous questions unless something is so incredible that you cannot see how frivolous those questions are. They are both set up for failure in not falling in love, I'm excited for the consequences. I just wish this could have truly happened for Jane Austen. She deserved a man like Thomas Lefroy, the one in the movie who is willing to sacrifice everything for her. I'm not a fan of sacrificing everything usually, but the old romantics still plague my heart. And the fact that Jane sacrificed her truest love for his own sake (at least in the movie) is such a Jane move. I know that Jane Austen would've actually sacrificed a happy marriage with Lefroy so he may have a better life. You can see it in her books, in her characters, the way they act and feel. Incandescently. And authors do tend to write themselves a happy ending in their books, what they wished could have happened, what they regret they did or didn't do. This was Jane's way. Movie seemed pretty spot on with that. Anyways, I felt like crying like twice reading because Anne and Jane. Go figure I guess??
ReplyDeleteFun Fact: Thomas Lefroy's daughter Jane had the middle name "Christmas," which is speculated to also be related to Jane Austen in that he met Jane at Christmas time.
I can't believe you used the words irrevocable, iridescent, genteel and like 3 metaphors all in 3 sentences
DeleteThat just how it be sometimes
DeleteThat fun fact makes me worry for Lefroy's family. Does he even care about his family or is he just projecting Jane onto them?
DeleteI hope his affections stayed with his family as a separate entity from Jane, yet if he did love her or at least hold some feelings for her, I hope that they both lived peacefully despite their separation and growth apart.
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ReplyDeleteThis section of reading was very interesting, but the quote, “Be it known then, that Sir Walter, like a good father, (having met with one or two private disappointments in very unreasonable applications) prided himself on remaining single for his dear daughter’s sake.” (3) confuses me. Wouldn’t marrying give his girls a mother which they would want and a woman would help take care of Walter and keep him in check so that the girls wouldn’t have to? I guess he just wants his girls to take care of him and he thinks he is too good for any woman. Also maybe he likes not being married because then he can’t have a wife to tell him to stop spending money. What was also interesting is that Lady Russell thinks Mrs Clay as “a very unequal, and in her character she believed a very dangerous companion” (11). She thinks this because Mrs Clay is a widow and low in class. This, along with the fact that she persuaded Anne not to marry a man of lower class, tells me that Lady Russell fits the description of what many people thought back then (that everyone has a place in society and people should marry based on rank… reminds me of how Lady Catherine De Bourgh thought, not that they have a similar character). I also thought it was interesting that she thought bad of Mrs Clay. Since Mrs Clay is a widow you would think that Lady Russell (being a widow as well) would sympathize and want to have a friendship with someone who went through the same thing that she did. As I started reading this novel I realized that it is very different from Pride and Prejudice. For example one of the things I noticed is that I feel like there is less quotes and instead more narration. I don’t know why this is, but I thought it was interesting. I also feel like Jane shows herself in the character Anne, as we talked about in class. This is because they both have regrets of not marrying the man that they loved, and these regrets have put a lot of weight on them both and caused them to age. I am excited to see how else the story might relate to Jane’s life.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about them regretting not marrying the man they loved. It's also kind of funny how in the movie about Jane Austen's life, in Pride and Prejudice, and in Persuasion, someone rejects a marriage proposal. This seems to be a very important thing to Jane Austen and her not marrying Thomas Lefroy greatly impacted her life.
DeletePersuasion definitely has a different tone then her other novels. This book as move a moody and sadder atmosphere than pride and prejudice which had like a light airiness about it. She has 100% grown as a writer from pride and prejudice. The narrator describes people as if they were one of the characters and it is more prominent in this book then in pride and prejudice. For example the description of Mr. and Mrs. Musgrove saying “were a very good sort of people; friendly and hospitable, not much educated and not at all elegant. . . . Anne always contemplated them as some of the happiest creatures of her acquaintance; but still, saved as we all are by some comfortable feelings of superiority from wishing for the possibility of exchange, she would not have given up her own more elegant and cultivated mind for all their enjoyments; and envied them nothing but that seemingly perfect good understanding and agreement together, that good-humoured mutual affection, of which she had known so little herself with either of her sisters.(chapter 5)” this tone has both a sense of what Ann feel about them and maybe even a little of her father’s tone. There is a quote that describes older Ann real well in chapter 4 “Anne, at seven and twenty, thought very differently from what she had been made to think at nineteen.—She did not blame Lady Russell, she did not blame herself for having been guided by her; but she felt that were any young person, in similar circumstances, to apply to her for counsel, they would never receive any of such certain immediate wretchedness, such uncertain future good. . . . She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older—the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning.” this show how smart she is and how much she has changed from 19 to 27. So far the book is good but I like pride and prejudice more because it was very light and I like books like that.
ReplyDeleteI agree. It is very probable that the tone Jane Austen uses in her books reflect not only her development as a writer, but also her grown maturity and the experiences she is facing in reality. Perhaps they are reflected in her books. After all, it's not just Persuasion; it is also several other books she wrote later in her life.
DeleteAfter reading these beginning chapters, I find that this book has both its differences and similarities with Pride and Prejudice. One of the main differences in Persuasion is the tone of the book doesn’t seem as lighthearted as Pride and Prejudice. The humor so far seems dry and isn’t very blatant. Another very large difference is a character who has similar qualities as Mrs. Bennet. She would always say what needed to be done, but not in a serious way (this adds on to the humor part). This book is also similar to Pride and Prejudice in some aspects. The qualities of pride and prejudice are continued in this book. For example Sir Walter was too prideful to sell his house and therefore took on mortgages. He valued his family’s name more than what was believed to be the right thing to do. I believe that Jane Austen had used personal experiences and thoughts in this book. “He had distinguished himself and early gained the other step in rank and must now, by successive captures, have made a handsome fortune… How eloquent could Anne Elliot have been.” (21) These lines from the book show how Anne wishes that she had married the man who had proposed to her earlier, but she had turned him down. I feel like Jane is expressing her own frustration by showing that she had also wished she had married when she was younger.
ReplyDeleteNikita Orbits
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ReplyDeletePersuasion does share some similarities with the book Pride and Prejudice, for instance I feel like both novels revolve around three major things: wealth, status, and class distinctions. In these two books love was a common theme that used and how it created tensions with various different people. I definitely liked reading Pride and Prejudice more because there was a lot more humor and I feel like I'm just getting easily bored with Persuasion. Although Persuasion wasn't' as action packed and funny as Pride and Prejudice I actually did find it funny when Jane Austen opened her novel by introducing Sir Walter Elliot, "vanity was the beginning and end of [his] character" (1). This quote certainly shows that Sir Walter Elliot is a self absorbed person that can't seem to see anything past himself. The book did start out with a character that was really snobby, but as I read I came upon the character Anne Elliot. I like Anne Elliot, she reminds me of both Elizabeth and Jane from Pride and Prejudice with her clever mind and caring, considerate characteristics.
ReplyDeleteIn reading these first chapters, it is clear that the tone of this book is very different from that of Pride and Prejudice. Even from the start of this novel, the tone is not as happy and light; it is instead more serious because the characters seem to understand the gravity of their situation more. However in Pride and Prejudice, there seemed to be the general feeling of the characters that everything would turn out alright in the end. Austen again made it so the protagonist and her sister are not married, which is perhaps modeled after her own life since both she and her sister Cassandra never married. Also, the older sister again has been called “very handsome…[and] her influence had always been great, and [Sir Walter and Elizabeth] had gone on together most happily (3). This is again similar with Jane, who was the pretty daughter, who also got although well with her mother. In addition to that similarity, there is no son to inherit the family fortune for either of the families, although is Persuasion, there is not much of a fortune left to inherit thanks to Sir Walter.
ReplyDeleteOn a separate note, I really do not like Sir Walter, since “vanity was the beginning and the end of [his] character; vanity of person and of situation” (2). He is a very self-centered person who does not seem to care for others whatsoever, even members of his own family if it does not improve his situation is some way. Sir Walter Elliot also reminds me of Mrs. Bennet in a way since they both are very focused on the status of their families and do almost everything in their lives in order to improve it. Additionally, I was surprised that Captain Wentworth was still so upset with Anne, since what happened between occurred eight or so years before. He was clearly still hurt since “she had given him up to oblige others. It had been the effect of over-persuasion. It had been weakness and timidity” (44). Due to her rejecting him because of the persuasion of others, he now has a negative view of her character and her actions since she could not uphold her own opinions even when they both loved each other so much, so I wonder what will happen between them now that they are reunited.
One thing that I found very prominent is the family dynamic. In her books she always has a family that doesn't have any sons and they hope on the daughters marrying rich so they can support the family. She also has an odd dynamic to the parents relationship with their daughters, especially the protagonist. In Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth and her mother have an odd relationship. She resents Lizzy for turning down Collins proposal but she's ecstatic when she finds out she's marrying rich. Lizzy is also not Mrs. Bennett's favorite daughter, Jane is, because she is so pretty and she makes that very clear in the book. Unlike Anne, Lizzy at least has her father, whom is his favorite. Annes father doesn't really care for her because she's intelligent and has a wit to her. He doesn't really plan on her getting married, because she doesn't look like she used to. Marriage is a big thing in these families because they didn't have a brother or sons that could provide for the families. I think that she did this because she was so aware of how lucky she was that she never had to marry because she could rely on her brothers to up the family name. She knew that not every girl at the time had this option so the only way she could deal with it is if she wrote about it.
ReplyDeleteI didn't make that connection about the family dynamic and how they never have any sons but it 100% true!
DeleteIt’s interesting seeing the difference in tone of voice between Austen’s books Pride and Prejudice versus Persuasion and how it corresponds to her perspective on life after a time of living.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Austen still wrote about the inequalities of women and class systems, the way in which she had written Persuasion, the book much less humorous making it a harder read. There is still humor however it is infrequent, very dry, and not in your face like in Pride and Prejudice.
Also knowing about Jane Austen’s life I am constantly comparing her life to the book and making connections which I find intriguing.
This novel seems to have a more darker tone than Pride And Prejudice. There's no comic relief Mister Bennett to make the readers laugh with his witty comments (seriously, he has a response for everything!) Although, there is till some humor here and there, just much much less than in P&P. When reading through the blog posts, It seems everyone is connecting this to Austen's life. And I would be a liar if I said thoughts like that hadn't crossed my mind. I can only hope to make more connections to her specifically as we read on. Also, as a side note, I liked that she wrote about how many Elizabeth's and Mary's there are in the world, basically poking fun at the fact she uses those names quite often.
ReplyDeleteI think anyone can agree with name choices that Jane chooses for her characters, but I also think that many of the characters are reflected on other people in Jane's life, maybe in their perspectives instead of Jane's.
DeleteWithin these first few chapters, I was somewhat disappointed that Lady Russell didn’t make good of her judgement when it came to Anne being in love and wanting to get engaged to Captain Frederick Wentworth. Even though Lady Russell wanted what was best for Anne and I appreciate for that effort, but to go so far that Anne can’t marry the man she really loved and cared for just because of his wealth and status back then, I find that unjust. Of course, marriage was something that many people were thinking about earlier on in life and was taken more seriously for women, but marrying only for wealth and status is preposterous. It’s like women are objects/property that can be bought by men when it came to marriage, which I think is degrading to all women. Almost how in Pride and Prejudice, women struggled to speak out for themselves and Elizabeth is a perfect example of that. She was told by others of what her life was expected to be and not to speak out how she truly felt. If only society back then was more liberating for women to be independent and not be looked down upon for that, marriage wouldn’t have to be an option and not be treated differently than men.
ReplyDeleteSo far I have noticed a difference in tone compared to Pride and Prejudice. Instead of Anne being young and ready to take on her challenges (like Elizabeth) the tone of this book was a more serious one because there is a sense that Anne's life is over before the book even begins. I felt such a strong feeling of regret as I heard that Captain Wentworth was now an eligible bachelor (that Anne had turned down) and that darkened the mood increasingly to expel any feeling of hope for Anne's prospect. Also I saw that like in Pride and Prejudice, Austen used a plethora of different characters with distinct personalities that I could easily distinguish and begin to predict actions with. Lastly, another comparison to the love interests in both Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice is that in Pride and Prejudice the entire book was leading up to the discovery of whether or not Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy had mutual feelings. However, in Persuasion, we know that the characters were deeply in love at Elizbeth Bennet's age but now that they are grown, we again approach the question: are they both on the same page?
ReplyDeleteThis novel feels like it is pride and prejudice but the exact opposite. I think this is Jane actually showing her feelings about her life. This feels like what happened to her. She wanted to marry and have a happy life but that didn't happen to her and it seems to not be happening to this charector too. She is living through her novels and is using this book as an autobiography. She is reminiscing about her life.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter one of persuasion, Jane Austen begins the novel by introducing a man that will probably be a main character in this novel. In Pride and Prejudice, she does the exact same thing by introducing Bingley. Also, both Novels seem to show a family in need of money. In Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet's first priority was to marry all of her daughters and have them be with a man with good money. I think that with Admiral renting out the hall, he might hit it off with one of the girls. I see him turning out to be like Wickham in the rest of the novel, and this is because I think that Wentworth will be a Darcy. Also, I remember reading something about Jane Austen basing Persuasion upon true events in her life, so I think that there's also a chance that none of the girls marry, because Austen and her sister never married, and in Pride and Prejudice all of the girls married, so she might want to switch it up. With this being her final novel, she also could be setting up a bunch of male characters to make it look like they are going to marry, what you would expect in a Jane Austen novel, and then have a plot twist where none of them do.
ReplyDeleteThey say to write what you know and this is obviously very true to Jane Austen, I find it very evident that the timeline of Austen's novels reflect very closely the timeline of her life. While writing Pride and Prejudice she was young and full of hope for her and her sister and the future, it ends very happily with the eldest Bennett sisters marrying very wealthy men. Nearly 20 years later and Austen and her sister have both lost their chances of marriage, her view of life has without a doubt changed drastically from her younger self. Persuasion is a much sadder story, about Anne Eliot who, much like Jane, missed her chance of marriage and now must live the rest of her life always wondering what could've been. The tone is very different from Pride and Prejudice, nonetheless I am interested to see what follows in Austens final novel.
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