Persuasion

The book: Persuasion by Jane Austen

Genre: Romance Novel

First published: 1817, six months after the death of its author

What’s the story?

This is one of Jane Austen’s lesser-known works. It’s also her very last completed novel. When asked to name her novels, most people would probably come up with Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility and Emma. But I think very few would name Persuasion. And that’s a shame! What an engaging read. It tells the story of Anne Elliot, a girl in her 20’s living with her father, Sir Walter and sister Elizabeth at Kellynch Hall in Somersetshire.

Anne is unmarried, but a few years earlier she was engaged to a Captain Frederick Wentworth. Unfortunately, Anne was persuaded (mainly by Lady Russell, a family friend), that he was not worthy of her, and she broke of the engagement.

The Elliot-family’s fortune changes, and Sir Walter decides to rent out the family home. The family moves to Bath, but Anne spends a lot of her time with her sister Mary and Lady Russell in Somersetshire. The couple renting Kellynch Hall turns out to be none other than family of said Captain Wentworth, and of course, this leads to Anne crossing paths with him again. Will Captain Wentworth be persuaded to give their relationship another chance?

Why read it?

If you are a fan of Austen, then that is reason enough. And especially if you are a fan of Lizzy Bennet from Pride & Prejudice as Anne Elliot has qualities which remind me of her. I enjoyed this glimpse into Austen’s world, and the characters in this novel is certainly a treat. My favorite is actually sir Walter, a vain and quite self-absorbed man, and I love Austen’s descriptions of him. Like this one:

“He considered the blessing of beauty as inferior only to the blessing of a baronetcy; and the Sir Walter Elliot, who united these gifts, was the constant object of his warmest respect and devotion.”

The language might be a bit heavy-going at first, especially if you are used to more modern fiction (some sentences are loooong), but you soon get used to it. It is also interesting to compare the social norms and standards of the time, to ours in 2021. Women really only had one goal in life: to marry, and to marry well. A spinster or old maid was someone to be pitied. Luckily today, there is no need for marriage to confirm your usefulness to society.

Bookworms out of five: 3