Persuasion

published	March 18th 2004 by Oxford University Press, USA
first published	1818
binding	Oxford World's Classics
isbn	0192802631 (isbn13: 9780192802637)
pages	304
characters	Anne Elliot, Captain Wentworth, Sir Walter Elliot, Elizabeth Elliot, Mary Musgrove, Charles Musgrove, Lady Russell, Admiral Croft, Mrs. Croft, William Elliot, Henrietta Musgrove, Louisa Musgrove, Mr. Musgrove, Mrs. Musgrove, Mrs. Clay, Captain Benwick, Captain Harville, Mrs. Harville
setting	United Kingdom
description	'She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older - the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning.' Anne Elliot s...more [close] 'She had been forced into prudence in her youth, she learned romance as she grew older - the natural sequel of an unnatural beginning.' Anne Elliot seems to have given up on present happiness and has resigned herself to living off her memories. More than seven years earlier she complied with duty: persuaded to view the match as imprudent and improper, she broke off her engagement to a naval captain with neither fortune, ancestry, nor prospects. However, when peacetime arrives and brings the Navy home, and Anne encounters Captain Wentworth once more, she starts to believe in second chances. Persuasion celebrates romantic constancy in an era of turbulent change. Written as the Napoleonic Wars were ending, the novel examines how a woman can at once remain faithful to her past and still move forward into the future. [close]
date added	10-10-06 edit book

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Trevor rated it:

07/09/08

What can I possibly tell you about Jane Austen? I really enjoyed this. I really like that by the end you get to move a bit out of the head of the main character, away from her self-deprecations and almost masochistic lacerations and get to see what Captain Wentworth actually did think of her – rather than her-less-than-self-congratulatory version.

Okay, it is all very romantic – but what I found most interesting in this book was how I felt compelled to consider how much of the world we ...more

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Ted rated it:

03/31/08

bookshelves: great-books

Read in November, 1990

One of the major sources of contention and strife in my marriage is the disagreement between my wife and me over what is the best Jane Austen novel (yes, we are both more than a bit geekish in our love of words and literature--our second biggest ongoing quarrel is about the merits of the serial comma).

For my money, there are three of Austen's six finished novels that one can make a good argument for being her "best":

"Pride and Prejudice" (the popular choice, and my ...more

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Camie rated it:

09/25/07

Jane Austen is always a good experience for me. And Persuasion has been no exception. However, I do not believe that this book can stand in the same class as her other masterpieces. Although intriguing, much less intriguing; witty, but not as witty as expected. In my mind, the bar is set very high for Miss Austen, as I have seen what delights she is capable of. This is not Jane Austen at her best.

Anne is a good girl, an obedient daughter, and, let’s face it, a boring, backbone-les...more Jane Austen is always a good experience for me. And Persuasion has been no exception. However, I do not believe that this book can stand in the same class as her other masterpieces. Although intriguing, much less intriguing; witty, but not as witty as expected. In my mind, the bar is set very high for Miss Austen, as I have seen what delights she is capable of. This is not Jane Austen at her best.

Anne is a good girl, an obedient daughter, and, let’s face it, a boring, backbone-less character. Next to her silly siblings and friends, certainly we like her the best, but if there’d been an Elizabeth Bennett among the party. . . Anne wouldn’t have had a fighting chance at “favorite character.” But, she is not without some virtue. There’s nothing worse than thwarted love for the sake of duty, followed by burning, torturing regret. Anne carries this regretful spirit and suppression with dignity. She is not happy, but she’s not sad—she’s empty. Nothing in her life makes sense, and she doesn’t fight it. She’s hopeful, yet consigned. When her lost love returns and shows interest in another—a younger, livelier, more beautiful woman—Anne retreats and hides her secret longing. She doesn’t let the feeling overwhelm her and pushes forward, no matter how much her heart fights against it. Her face is perfect serenity, while her heart aches with pain. Sufficeth to say, though she bears her cross without complaint, she will not be so easily persuaded again. Endurance is the theme, perhaps too well driven home. She has this side to her, but it is the only side we see or know about. And her Captain Wentworth is equally as dull, if not more so.

Really, I am being too severe. Overall, I loved the book (How could I not, I ask you, as an Austin fan?), with its flaws—and what I consider weakly developed characters. The story is still compelling, and we are still waiting on hold every moment to see if Wentworth will really ignore her and move on with his life with someone new, or if he’ll come back to the woman he once loved so well. Perhaps if Austen has been permitted to stay on earth a little longer, she would’ve had time to smooth out these problems. As it is, I would much rather have read this book than not.
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Christian rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439688)

07/10/07

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in July, 2007

Riding a recent Brit Lit kick, and recalling fond memories of Pride and Prejudice in college, I picked up Persuasion at a used book shop in a convenient size for subway reading.

Perhaps the atmosphere affected me--dim lighting on stuffy summer DC metro platforms--perhaps it was the biography of Abraham Lincoln I was reading in the evenings had me meditating upon a certain greatness of character that seemed absent amidst the Elliots and company, but I was largely unimpressed by Persuasion.

...more Riding a recent Brit Lit kick, and recalling fond memories of Pride and Prejudice in college, I picked up Persuasion at a used book shop in a convenient size for subway reading.

Perhaps the atmosphere affected me--dim lighting on stuffy summer DC metro platforms--perhaps it was the biography of Abraham Lincoln I was reading in the evenings had me meditating upon a certain greatness of character that seemed absent amidst the Elliots and company, but I was largely unimpressed by Persuasion.

Yes, "unimpressed" is the right word. Simply as a matter of craft, the book felt clunky. The revelation about Mr. Elliot's true diabolical nature, for example, drops from nowhere: the scattered (though coincidentally saved) letter of a friend whose connection is the very prior moment's discovery and who herself is a very late addition to the cast. Or take Lady Russell: we are given to understand is a towering personality; but the only reason we have for knowing this is the narrator's continual assertions. We never really get to meet her, never get the opportunity to understand how a matron who makes such errors as a judge of character still commands the devotion and respect of someone as clear-sighted as Anne.

Ah yes, Anne. Another largely unimpressive feature of the book. It is maddening to see her allow herself to be tread upon again and again, and by the end of the novel there is little to make me believe she has learned anything, that her spine is any stiffer. Are we really supposed to believe that she has been following the golden mean between malleablility (persuasion) and boldness all along? It seems rather like she and Mary represent the opposite poles of error, while Louisa is the one hitting a really healthy stride. In fact, the only thing the narrator--and Anne--can hold against Louisa, aside from a girlish giddiness now and then, is her tumble in Lyme. "Propriety or death" may be a stirring oriflamme for some, but I'll choose the girl with a little spirit as my Joan any day, thank you....less

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Vicki rated it:

08/18/07

Read in July, 2004

recommends it for: Austen fans, and the generally discouraged in love.

This book is not for everybody. If you're one of those people who hates Jane Austen because she wasn't bold enough, well, then you've got your own set of problems, and I won't attempt to unpick them. If you simply don't go in for her, then I can respect that. But if you dig her, or what she writes about, then keep reading.

This is my favorite Austen book. I originally read it in grad school, in an Austen scholarship class. I'd tried reading it before, when I was a bit younger, but couldn...more

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6 comments

Patricia rated it:

04/29/08

bookshelves: classics, romance

Read in April, 2008

recommended to Patricia by: my book group
recommends it for: Tyra Banks if she actually reads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

I have to say that Austen's novels are a good read when one is ill. She gives the reader everything they want and always give us a happy ending. I do think that I am beginning to see some common things that run through her novels. In this one I see that she often gives characters good qualties which them posess to a fault. In this one Anne was so helpful that she ended up trying to please other people.

Also, in this novel Austen was extremely direct in her disdain for the class system-... mo...more I have to say that Austen's novels are a good read when one is ill. She gives the reader everything they want and always give us a happy ending. I do think that I am beginning to see some common things that run through her novels. In this one I see that she often gives characters good qualties which them posess to a fault. In this one Anne was so helpful that she ended up trying to please other people.

Also, in this novel Austen was extremely direct in her disdain for the class system-... more openly than I have ever read from her. It is fun to see the evolution in her novels as she becomes more and more open about her ideals.

This novels main themes where vanity, wisdom with age and you guessed it... persuasion. I will have to think on the vanity theme more. Espeically considering that Austen even after berating those who are vain through the character of the baraon still describes her hero and heroine as attractive.

I do have a few things that I actually struggled with in this novel. First the bad characters were mere chracitures. Thier descriptions made the Baron to appear foolish, but never anything more. Also I don't think that I have ever noticed it before but the characters are pretty flat. They lack a certain human complexity. Only the protagonist has a slighlty deeper character and it is mostly alluded to through her situation. I think that this story is premature, it was published after Austen died and I think that she would have perhaps developed the characters more had she lived.

I know that the happy endings of her novels are all far fetched, given their defiance of the class system which was a part of Victorian England. But I struggled with Anne's family's ability to accept Frederick at the end of the novel. Either it goes too far or the characters are not develope well enough to adapt and change so dramatically within the context of the story. I think for me it went too far. It is like the one stunt in a fantasy movie that is a bit over the top it bugs me. However, I do enjoy a happy ending. Thank you Austen, I knew I could count on you....less

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Núria rated it:

09/24/07

bookshelves: 2007, borrowed, favorites, read-more-than-once

Read in January, 2001

'Persuasión' es mi novela de Jane Austen favorita. Por lo tanto, una de mis novelas favoritas. La protagonista, Anne Elliot, probablemente es mi heroína de ficción favorita. Anne Elliot es una joven de 27 años no muy agraciada físicamente ni con mucha fortuna que heredar, esto quiere decir que, con lo mayor que ya es, probablemente se va a quedar para vestir santos. Su padre y su hermana mayores son unos presumidos que la tienen por un cero a la izquierda, mientras que su hermana men...more 'Persuasión' es mi novela de Jane Austen favorita. Por lo tanto, una de mis novelas favoritas. La protagonista, Anne Elliot, probablemente es mi heroína de ficción favorita. Anne Elliot es una joven de 27 años no muy agraciada físicamente ni con mucha fortuna que heredar, esto quiere decir que, con lo mayor que ya es, probablemente se va a quedar para vestir santos. Su padre y su hermana mayores son unos presumidos que la tienen por un cero a la izquierda, mientras que su hermana menor sólo la necesita para que haga todo lo que a ella no le apetece hacer. Hace años un joven soldado de la marina le propuso matrimonio, pero aunque ella estaba enamorada de él, persuadida por una amiga de su madre, lo rechazó, porque estaban en guerra y él aún no tenía medios. Ahora se vuelve a encontrar con el joven soldado, que ahora es un capitán prestigioso que quiere sentar la cabeza, pero él aún está enfadado con ella.

Como siempre en Austen no importa lo que se cuenta sino como lo cuenta. ¿Por qué es tan genial? Porque nadie como Austen sabe describir con el más mínimo detalle las cosas más insignificantes y banales pero que en realidad son las más importantes. Porque nadie como ella sabe describir cómo funciona la psicología de sus protagonistas. ¿Por qué 'Persuasión' es lo más genial entre lo genial de Austen? Porque nunca estás segura de si va acabar bien o mal, porque toda la novela tiene un tono melancólico, o directamente triste, porque es tan fácil sentir empatía por Anne, identificarse con ella, sufrir cuando ella sufre. Oh, Anne. Porque Anne es la mejor heroína de Austen, la más inteligente, la que parece que es muy poquita cosa y que siempre se deja llevar por los otros pero que en realidad tiene un carácter y una fuerza impresionantes, porque no se va a conformar con menos de lo que en realidad desea, porque prefiere estar sola que mal acompañada y las convenciones sociales le importan un pimiento, porque defiende lo que cree cuando hace falta, porque es modesta e insegura y no se acaba de creer que se merezca lo que desea, etc. Oh, Anne.
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Kristen rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439688)

07/23/08

bookshelves: alltimefavorites, feminism, goodfiction

Read in July, 2008

How does Austen manage to be so subtle yet tackle so much in each work? This book has it all: romance, sibling rivalry, sharp critique of class-based discrimination, and a strong female lead. I adored it.

When I began the book, Elizabeth Bennet (Pride and Prejudice) was firmly entrenched in the number one spot of endearing heroines. But Anne Elliot now rivals her. She has the strength, wit and independence of Bennet but is a bit more open. Austen's understated writing gave me just the ...more

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Shafitri rated it:

06/05/08

bookshelves: all-time-favourite, classics

I love this book, I really do. A lot of people think that Pride & Prejudice, Emma, and Sense & Sensibility are better than this book, however, I think this is the best Austen book I've read so far. I like the character Anne Elliot so much, maybe because she is too simple and quiet unlike Emma or Lizzie Bennet, or maybe because she suffers more, but handles it really well. She's also very patient and strong. However, I'm kinda disappointed by the Hero, Captain Wentworth, I love Mr.Darcy (...more

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Elizabeth rated it:

02/11/08

bookshelves: 2008, austen-and-friends, classics-women, favorite-books, favorite-writers, in-england, nineteenth-century, reading-group

Read in February, 2008

This is my favorite Jane Austen work. I love Elizabeth Bennett as I love a sister, but I love Anne Elliot as a woman I would want to be. She is highly principled, smart, kind, and moderate. I also think that it shows more emotion than her other books. There is a great deal of walking and sighing and reciting lines of romantic poetry to oneself. It’s charming and comic and true all at once. I also like that Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth are adults. They have enough experience to have lear...more

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Vanessa rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439688)

01/21/08

Read in January, 2008

This was only the second Jane Austen novel I have ever read (the other one being "Pride and Prejudice"), but I have seen the films "Sense and Sensibility", "Emma" and "Mansfield Park", and it seemed to confirm my feeling that she tells the same story over and over again. Certainly, so many of her stories have similar elements - the mousy heroine who is full of good sense; the love interest who seems like a class-A jerk to begin with but who she ends up wi...more

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Rachel C. rated it:

02/02/08

bookshelves: austen-stuff, serious-stuff

Read in January, 1999

An excellent Austen, recently revisited by me in both novel form and PBS television adaptation. (Rupert Penry-Jones as Wentworth - HUBBA HUBBA!)

I love that Anne and Wentworth have this huge secret from most of the other characters - whenever they're in the same room everything has a double meaning, even when they're ostensibly talking to other people. It's got a few slow-moving sections, but the last two chapters more than make up for it. Captain Wentworth is an even better letter-writer ...more

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Elesa rated it:

(review of isbn 0141439688)

03/14/08

Read in November, 2007

I always say that I don't really like romance for its own sake. But that is obviously not true. Persuasion is nothing if not romance, and I enjoyed every minute. This is my first Jane Austen novel and I was more pleased than I even expected. I have seen lots of movies based on her books, but never this one, and I think now that it is my favorite. As is often the case in Austen's novels, the main character, Anne, is in a family full of silly people who don't understand her. However, they weren't ...more

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Erie rated it:

04/15/08

bookshelves: classic

Read in April, 2008

recommends it for: Those who believe in second chance and Amang Suramang (?) Ha!

This is my second Jane Austen's works after Pride and Prejudice. Patience, is the keyword for me to finished this book. Frankly, it takes me a while to get into the language. And after reading this book I daresay that all of her book contains happy ending and marriages :)
Bottom line, it's about mistakes and second chances. The story about Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth who used to love each other but Anne was persuaded (for a certain reason) to break off their engagement. And their ...more

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Sarah rated it:

04/04/08

This is my favorite Jane Austen, and I tend to read it when I have that need for some “Austen therapy”. Anne is much older than any other Austen heroine (she is 28 by the end of the book), but that difference in age has made her more wise, thoughtful, intelligent, and sensitive. She has known the pain of disappointed love, and has lived through it. She didn’t “die of a broken heart” or anything like that. She suffered, learned from it, and managed to come out the other side with her se...more

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Annie rated it:

08/29/07

Read in January, 2003

This is one of my favorite Jane Austen's, you feel so sad for the lonely heroine and so happy when she gets a second chance. But having reread it recently I have a few complaints: all of her books end a little too tidily, and this one in particular is abrupt. You wait the whole book for the two to get together but it's done in a moment and the book is wrapped up the next. And I had forgotten how drippy it gets at the end. Captain Wentworth's letter to Anne was ridiculously romantic - a rom...more

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Kanchan rated it:

08/22/07

Read in November, 2003

Persuasion is widely appreciated as a moving love story despite what has been labelled as a simple plot, and exemplifies Austen's acclaimed wit and ironic narrative style. Austen wrote Persuasion in a hurry, during the onset of the illness from which she eventually died; as a result, the novel is both shorter and less polished than Mansfield Park and Emma, and was not subject to the usual pattern of careful retrospective revision.

Although the impact of Austen's failing health at the time of ...more

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Paria rated it: