Jane Austen Persuasion

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was first published in 1813(Gary vii) a time when women had “few legal and economic rights or even receiving little respect, women can be seen as oppressed victims of a patriarchal society, subordinate first to their fathers and, then, to their husbands who had, of course, been selected by their fathers” (Swords, 76-82). At first glance one might think that Pride and Prejudice reinforces sexist stereotypes, however upon further examination of Jane Austen and her heroine Elizabeth it is clear that Pride and Prejudice in fact erodes the sexist stereotypes of women.

Anne Elliot, the protagonist, is unlike the rest of her family. While she does not completely disregard social class (for example, in thinking Mrs. Clay below her father and not suitable as a marriage partner), she does not allow class to dictate her acquaintances. At age nineteen, she falls in love with Captain Wentworth. This love does not wax or wane based on the amount of money he possesses.

Her age, deviance from what one would call as traditional wife would make all the characters involved that there is no chance of someone such as Fredrick Wentworth. As Admiral Croft and his wife stated in Anne’s company, “"He certainly means to have one or other of those two girls, Sophy," said the Admiral; "but there is no saying which. He has been running after them, too, long enough, one would think, to make up his mind. ““ (Austen) Discouraged, Anne seems to talk herself into the unlikely possibility of her chances with her old companion. Throughout her love life Anne had been heavily swayed by others’ opinions about her. She is almost limited to how others describe her; treated disgracefully by her elder sister and father and remains principally submissive. Even after his return from the navy, when she is pushed by Lady Russell to marry Sir Elliot, only her current and future self she must recognize to embrace Wentworth. As Lorri Nandrea states, that “path would yield a return to the past, a repetition of the same: becoming what her mother had been” (Austen)” Yet contrary to Lady Russell’s intentions, the image of a future with Mr. Elliot has the effect of awakening Anne to his defects, permanently disrupting their courtship.” (Nandrea, 50) By overcoming the rhetoric that she, as a woman was exposed to in this age, she can make her own

In this scene, Austen conveys Anne’s sense of not quite belonging, she doesn’t fit with rest of her family, and she doesn’t quite belong to the group in the White Hart Inn either. Anne is all alone, caught up in her feelings, she has been living in the past, now she is filled with hopes for the future. It is not until Mrs. Musgrove tells Mrs. Croft, “there is nothing I so abominate for young people as a long engagement,” that Anne starts to listen. Recognising “its application to herself,” Anne feels “a nervous thrill,” and “instinctively glance[s]”at Captain Wentworth. He has stopped writing his letter, he is listening and gives her “one quick, conscious look” (Austen 163). All it takes is this one exchange of looks for the lovers to communicate

Pride and prejudice is a novel that was written by Jane Austen concerning manners, pride and intolerance. Austen is a writer of distinction that manages to catch the attention of the audience in issues such as marriage, class, love and deceit. The novel is a love story; however, its author was also aimed at explaining the unfairness and discrimination that presides over the relationships that exists between people as well as how it impacts the choices of men and women. She was also concerned about how women make decisions concerning marriage. Austen depicts a society where different choices for people are rather limited, on the basis of almost entirely on a family 's connections and social ranking (Austen, 13). Austen 's novel “Pride and Prejudice” brings into spotlight various critical moral concerns in relation to the subject of the institution of marriage as well as other significant issues related to it.

It is well known that young men and women are not the best judges of friends; this holds especially true when they have little experience with friendship, and few chances to truly understand people and how they act. When Jane Austen began editing her first novel, Northanger Abbey, in 1803, at the age of 28, she had gone through the same troubling period during adolescence, but once she was older, she had found her own set group of friends, and was especially close to Anne Lefroy and her sister Cassandra. Using several aspects of her early life, she sought to guide her audience into evaluating their relationships with others. Throughout the novel, Austen allows her naïve protagonist to be constantly deceived and misled by those around her to suggest that people should be wary of false judgments and ulterior motives when choosing their friends and true knowledge of human interactions cannot be replaced or replicated.

In the early 1800s Jane Austen wrote what would be her last novel, Persuasion. Persuasion is set during the “Georgian Society” which greatly affects the character's views and actions throughout the novel. Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth quickly fell in love when Anne was just nineteen years old, but because he wasn't wealthy enough, Anne was not given the permission by her father, Sir Walter, to marry him. Eight years after this incident, the roles have reversed; Sir Walter has lost all of his money and Frederick Wentworth is now known as Captain Wentworth. Throughout the novel, Anne tries to overcome struggles with social class in order to fulfill her longing of being with Captain Wentworth. Therese Anderson's statement about the

In Persuasion, the last of Jane Austen’s works, the readers are immediately intrigued by the autumnal tone of the piece, and the mellowness of the main character, Anne Elliot. Anne, a twenty-seven year old upper middle class woman, met and fell in love with Captain Frederick Wentworth at the age of nineteen. She was however, forced to break off the relationship at the time because Wentworth was deemed an unsuitable match. Eight years later, they meet again and by that time Captain Wentworth has made his fortune in the navy and has become an attractive catch. Anne was now uncertain about his feelings for her. Persuasion examines English society’s view of marriage and

In Jane Austen’s Persuasion, it may appear to some readers that Austen writes from a conservative perspective that reinforces women’s submissive and inferior roles in society. Many of the female characters seem to perpetuate traditional and oppressive gender roles, and a central plot line for most of the female characters involves finding a man to marry as a means of attaining ultimate happiness. However, while there are many examples of Austen’s adherence to the social standards of her time, upon closer inspection it becomes clear that Austen also challenges many ideas of the time, which suggests that she wrote Persuasion from a proto-feminist point of view. In fact, Austen provides the reader with many nontraditional voices that empower characteristics and behaviors in females that were looked down on during her lifetime. Although Austen holds onto some beliefs of her time that contemporary feminists may consider anti-feminist, through the development of her female protagonist, Anne Elliot, Austen re-examines what it means to be a woman in society and asserts her

When reading Persuasion, the reader quickly becomes captivated by the romantic notion of the novel, and is immersed in the lives of Anne and Captain Wentworth as they rekindle a lost connection. Besides writing a captivating love story, Austen also makes direct and indirect commentary about the ethos of her time, and plenty to make any social scientist interested. Nonetheless, whatever Austen’s commentary on her society is, she utilizes the Navy to convey many of her ideas. As Albert Camus once said, “Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.”

Jane Austen develops a strong illustration of how challenging emotional circumstances can initiate a change in character, using Elizabeth Bennet as an effective demonstration in Pride and Prejudice. Cases such as Mr. Darcy's proposal, Charlotte's marriage, and the discovery of Mr. Wickham's past are compelling support for Austen's idea that alterations to one's behaviour and actions can occur as a result of being placed in a strenuous emotional position. Each influences Elizabeth in a different way, some causing rapid change, while others cause a slower, more gradual one. Self-reflection and the reconsideration of a character's worldview allow Austen to highlight the importance of change in trying situations.

When Captain Wentworth finally arrives in Uppercross, Anne is overcome with love and actively tries to make sense of what has changed since she last saw him, often leading to confusion and contradiction. Anne and her family plan to visit Captain Wentworth, however, Anne stays behind to take care of a young injured relative. She thinks that “she knew herself to be of the first utility to the child; and what was it to her, if Frederick Wentworth were only half a mile distant, making himself agreeable to others!” (110). Instead of focusing her attention on the young boy she instead focuses on the proximity of

The extract reveals that Anne regrets rejecting Wentworth years ago in the light that he is now socially successful. This swiftly follows Anne and Lady Russell persuading Sir Walter to leave Kellynch Hall—decidedly not achieved through the rationale that the Elliots cannot

      In Jane Austen's Persuasion, Mrs. Croft makes but few appearances and delivers little dialogue.  Nevertheless, Austen gives her significant narrative and thematic importance.  Mrs. Croft provides a foil for several of the Elliots, while developing a commonality with the frequently ostracized Anne.  This bond between Mrs. Croft and Austen's heroine valorizes Mrs. Croft's radical views concerning feminism and marriage.  Beyond signifying a paradigm shift in such social morals, though, the roles of Admiral and Mrs. Croft allow Austen to subvert the dominant upper class culture.  By exhibiting superior but genuine manners, by demonstrating the complacency

In Jane Austen's last completed novel, Persuasion, England is one large family with two distinct branches, the navy and the aristocratic upper class-it is no accident that the two large books consulted in the novel are the Baronetage and the Naval Lists. The naval family poses a threat to the aristocratic family; in fact, undertones of social instability riddle the text, through imagery of death, illness, and accident. The marriages of Anne Elliott, Louisa Musgrove, and Harriet Musgrove reveal a gentry which can only redeem itself through intermarriage with the professional meritocratic class, symbolically taking on their values of utility and social responsibility, and