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Persuasion
by Jane Austen
by Jane Austen
3.5 really. I don't know what to make of this one. I know it's usually regarded as Austen's most mature novel. Sure, the main character is 28 and there's lots of autumnal references, as well as political symbolism - but I didn't find it all that deep and full-fleshed.
It's the story of Anne Elliot, a gentleman's daughter who had become engaged to a captain Wentworth 8 years before the novel begins, but broke the engagement due to family pressures. She has never stopped loving him, and now she encounters him again and hopes that he will still have feelings for her.
Now, as I see it, there's two ways one can take this premise. One, you can explore how these two people have changed. Are they still the people they fell in love with in the first place? Will they still love each other, and if so, will it be for the same reasons? Two, you can use the tension created by this background to write an otherwise standard romance, which is what happens here. The result is a succesion of scenes along the lines of "OMG, he found me a place in the carriage so I won't have to walk home - he LUUUUUUVS me!".
Of course, this is all superbly written, and the book is by no means an average romance, but it's still a pretty conventional one. Which would be fine, if it wasn't full of hints dropped to remind the reader that this oh-so-mature and more adult and complex than, say, Pride and Prejudice. It probably is, but Pride and Prejudice works much better as a comedy of manners than Persuasion does as a character study.
It's the story of Anne Elliot, a gentleman's daughter who had become engaged to a captain Wentworth 8 years before the novel begins, but broke the engagement due to family pressures. She has never stopped loving him, and now she encounters him again and hopes that he will still have feelings for her.
Now, as I see it, there's two ways one can take this premise. One, you can explore how these two people have changed. Are they still the people they fell in love with in the first place? Will they still love each other, and if so, will it be for the same reasons? Two, you can use the tension created by this background to write an otherwise standard romance, which is what happens here. The result is a succesion of scenes along the lines of "OMG, he found me a place in the carriage so I won't have to walk home - he LUUUUUUVS me!".
Of course, this is all superbly written, and the book is by no means an average romance, but it's still a pretty conventional one. Which would be fine, if it wasn't full of hints dropped to remind the reader that this oh-so-mature and more adult and complex than, say, Pride and Prejudice. It probably is, but Pride and Prejudice works much better as a comedy of manners than Persuasion does as a character study.
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Reading Progress
| 03/13/2011 |
|
40.0% | "He had, in fact, though his sisters were now doing all they could for him, by calling him "poor Richard," been nothing better than a thick-headed, unfeeling, unprofitable Dick Musgrove, who had never done anything to entitle himself to more than the abbreviation of his name, living or dead. Oh my God. Jane Austen just called somebody a dick. I need to go lie down." |
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Fantastic review! [what Cindy said]Are you an Austen fan? This is my Austen book to read next. I am not. Do you think this is easier or similar to P&P or S&S (in terms of readability)?
Aww, thanks! I appreciate the compliments. I usually write these late at night and I keep getting the feeling that they're gramatically weird in some places.I am, Meghan. It is very readable, though it didn't grab me as much as P&P did. There's less characterization through direct dialogue and bantering, which is one of the best things about Austen (I know I'm not the only one who thinks that, because they keep releasing new screen adaptations of her work in which people very politely tear each other apart). And having the constant feeling that the narration should be focused somewhere else didn't help either. Man it's distracting.
It's a good book though - it's just that I am an Austen fan, so I tend to begin at A+ and start substracting, if you know what I mean.
This one's been sitting on my shelf for quite a while. Good to know how it stacks up to Pride and Prejudice- how did you know what was to be my point of reference for this? : )
I'm reading this as soon as I finish P&P. Didn't read your review, 'cause I like going into books without knowing anything at all about them, but I'll return to it when I'm done to see if we agree.
Oh! And:'"He had, in fact, though his sisters were now doing all they could for him, by calling him "poor Richard," been nothing better than a thick-headed, unfeeling, unprofitable Dick Musgrove, who had never done anything to entitle himself to more than the abbreviation of his name, living or dead. Oh my God. Jane Austen just called somebody a dick. I need to go lie down."'
That cracked me up too.
Persuasion and Pride as Prejudice are completely different, I would never compare the two. Pride and Prejudice is more comical(Mr Collins) and what's the word.....light. There are sad parts in Pride and Prejudice, but the book is on the happy side.
Persuasion is beautifully melancholic throughout the whole book, well up until the end of course. There is a sadness that sticks to me about first and real loves not working out. They meet eight years later and he seems to be better than ever while she is suffering......we witness two people who should have ended up together because they are still so much in love. It's sad.
Both are equally marvelous novels but my emotional states were completely different when reading the two.
Persuasion is beautifully melancholic throughout the whole book, well up until the end of course. There is a sadness that sticks to me about first and real loves not working out. They meet eight years later and he seems to be better than ever while she is suffering......we witness two people who should have ended up together because they are still so much in love. It's sad.
Both are equally marvelous novels but my emotional states were completely different when reading the two.
Yes! You are really good at distilling it down.