Analysis Of Jane Austens Persuasion - 1576 Words

Perfection in Austen’s Persuasion Jane Austen is know for writing sympathetic but realistically flawed female characters. Elizabeth Bennet is witty but prideful, Emma Woodhouse is well meaning but frightfully un-observant, and overcoming these flaws is what drives these characters’ arcs throughout their respective books. Yet in Austen’s novel, Persuasion, at first, Anne Elliot seems as if she is the perfect woman. She is a woman of â€Å"birth, beauty, and mind,† (Austen 20), she manages to be liked by nearly everyone she meets, and she was the only one to keep a calm head when Louisa fell in Lyme (79). However ideal she may seem though, she is not flawless. Anne Elliot’s greatest fault is that she suffers from a lack of courage and nerve, and†¦show more content†¦Yet besides a simple suggestion that it is the woman’s job to look after the children, Anne doesn’t tell Mary that her behavior is egotistical, and actually uses Mar y’s outburst to avoid seeing Captain Wentworth by suggesting that she herself will look after the child (41). Anne does not challenge Mary’s poor behavior even when it is blatantly selfish and even compromises with her in order to further avoid a different type of confrontation. This is not the only time that one of Anne’s family members acts disagreeable in such an obvious fashion. Her father s character is so shallow that he only cares about looks and rank (4), rarely acts in a way that is not displeasing or ridiculous to the reader, and has overspent all of his money and is now in debt (8). Austen even states that Sir. Walter has â€Å"no affection for Anne,† (175) his own daughter. He goes so far as to make fun of the appearance of a man who served in the navy (15). We as the reader can see that Sir. Walter has no redeemable qualities, and yet Anne does not stand up to him when he disproves of her engagement with Wentworth when she is younger (20). Au sten does say that, â€Å"it might have been possible to withstand her [Anne’s] father’s ill will,† (21) and it is ultimately Lady Russel that convinces Anne to sever the relationship, but young Anne never tries to defend herself against SirShow MoreRelatedA Close Analysis Of Jane Austen s Persuasion1098 Words   |  5 PagesA close analysis of Jane Austen’s Persuasion (Extract 3) Many readers of Persuasion believe Austen uses the namesake â€Å"persuasion† too neutrally. She appears to passively describe the results when the protagonist is persuaded to abandon Wentworth’s first proposal, but actually has much to say on being persuadable, and mainly argues that it is not inherently wrong. Persuasion in the novel’s early chapters works in two forms: as an overpowering force on the foolish like Sir Walter, or as an importantRead MoreThe Function and Importance of Letters in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice1272 Words   |  5 PagesThe Function and Importance of Letters in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Introduction In her classic novel, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen describes the tribulations of Elizabeth Bennett, one of five sisters, as she struggles to navigate the social mores and values of early 19th century England. During this period in history, correspondence was almost entirely through written letters but the postal system in London made deliveries a dozen times a day, meaning that it was possible to writeRead MoreJane Austen s All About Jane1442 Words   |  6 Pages All About Jane Jane Austen may be a name that is known by everyone, however, many do not know about the personal experiences that led her to write the significant literature that she is known for today. Jane Austen lived a very successful life. Born on December 16, 1775, Jane Austen’s novels about life in England in the eighteenth century very well influenced by her own childhood. As a young girl, she grew up in a household with six brothers and one sister, her mother, Cassandra Leigh Austen, andRead MoreMr Benett and the Failures of Fatherhood8365 Words   |  34 PagesMr. Bennet and the Failures of Fatherhood in Jane Austens Novels Author(s): Mary A. Burgan Reviewed work(s): Source: The Journal of English and Germanic Philology, Vol. 74, No. 4 (Oct., 1975), pp. 536552 Published by: University of Illinois Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27707956 . Accessed: 29/08/2012 00:55 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR isRead MoreJane Austen s Persuasion, By Prizing Theory Of Mind And Free Indirect Discourse Essay1632 Words   |  7 Pagesfrom John Locke and Carolyn Sherif, to Josiah Warren. Jane Austen explores the theme of individuality in her novel, Persuasion. By prizing theory of mind and free indirect discourse, Austen proposes an argument against the dhavni of the time period in which she wrote, England’s Georgian era. Austen suggests individuality and one’s own desires should be valued above those of the surrounding society. Anne Elliot, the main character in Persuasion, contrasts with other characters in the novel. WhileRead MoreFeminism in Northanger Abbey and Persuasion by Jane Austen1940 Words   |  8 PagesFeminism in Northanger Abbey From my point of view, Jane Austen should be seen as a ‘feminist’ writer. As she wrote in one of her novel Persuasion, she considers that ‘Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove anything’ (Anne Elliot, in Jane Austen’s Persuasion). Such feminist ideas are expressed in many of her literary works. In her another novelRead MoreManners in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen3437 Words   |  14 Pages Pride and Prejudice Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice not only established her historical importance among scholars and critics, but continues to remain popular. Pride and Prejudice, a comedy of manners, was published in 1813, and is a staple of the English literature. It recreates the social world of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England and embodies the theme that preconceptions and egotism can overcome true love. Pride and Prejudice is somewhat autobiographical; emphasizes the key elementsRead MoreComparative Analysis of Point of View of Joseph Andrews and Emma1145 Words   |  5 PagesComparative Analysis of Point of View of Joseph Andrews and Emma Point of view is the mode of narration that an author employs to let the readers â€Å"hear† and â€Å"see† what takes place in a story. In this essay, the point of view of Joseph Andrews by Henry Fielding and Emma by Jane Austen will be analyzed in comparison to one another. The comparison will be made on each aspect of the point of view, such as subjective/objective, partial/impartial narration and the perspectives through which the pointRead MoreThe Rise of the Novels in the Eighteenth Century4179 Words   |  17 Pageswhich peeps through, it. Pride and Prejudice In his influential analysis of the role of landed estates in Austens fiction, Duckworth argues that estates function not only as the settings of action but as indexes to the character and social responsibility of their owners.[153]  Landscape improvements appear as an iss Jane Austens (1775–1817) distinctive  literary style  relies on a combination of  parody,  burlesque,irony,  free indirect speech, andRead MoreAnalysis Of Orson Scott Card s The Great Pattern 1676 Words   |  7 Pageswhat resonates with the contemporary writer is essential in determining whether the focus of aspiring writers should be imitating Fielding’s ‘writers of antiquity’, embracing the ‘great pattern’, or on more recent works. For the purpose of this analysis I will be considering works written within the last twenty years ‘recent’, whilst analysing what writers gain, or lose, from fiction written longer ago. Some themes in literature are forever relevant to the human condition. George Orwell’s Nineteen