Persuasion

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Nikki It's not historical fiction! Historical fiction is when an author writes about a historical period in the past, ie Philippa Gregory writing in 2001 ab…moreIt's not historical fiction! Historical fiction is when an author writes about a historical period in the past, ie Philippa Gregory writing in 2001 about the Tudors. Jane Austen was writing IN the early 19th century ABOUT the early 19th century. You can't just classify every book written before 1900 as historical fiction.(less)
Angelika I would recommend reading Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility first. All of Austen's books are great, but those two are my favorite and what …moreI would recommend reading Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility first. All of Austen's books are great, but those two are my favorite and what I would recommend for someone new to Austen. Emma is a bit long, and she is not Austen's most likable heroin, in my humble opinion. (less)
Ars Actualitatis I think you're coming at this from a very modern perspective, but we need to take historical circumstance into account when judging her actions. A wom…moreI think you're coming at this from a very modern perspective, but we need to take historical circumstance into account when judging her actions. A woman's job (and only means to secure her own future) was to marry in or above her station and into money (and have children, of course). Romantic love (as in the all consuming soulmate kind) was considered a bonus, but neither the goal nor the main aspect of marriage. As you can see from the example of Anne Elliot's school friend, having a rich husband was key, for survival basically (there simply were no options for respectable women to earn their own living). As much as Anne is the character in this novel that invites our sympathies because she isn't as hung up about class and titles as the others, money is still important for her future, and her being a sensible woman, it just made sense to not gamble everything away on a possibility. Note how the novel deconstructs the idea of class being that important, but not the idea of wealth. It's not so much saying "see, everyone can be a worthy person/husband, even if they're poor", but rather "everyone with money can be a worthy person, even if they're not part of the gentry/aristocracy and made their own fortune rather than inheriting it in the dignified old fashioned way".
It is in everyone's personal opinion whether it is a more admirable trait in a very young person to rebel and ignore everyone else's advice and throw caution to the wind, or them having the sense to see that someone like Lady Russell might have a point (and as much as the story makes her out to be the villain, she wasn't exactly wrong, no one could have known whether Wentworth would make a fortune or die penniless at sea, leaving Anne behind a poor widow).
I think a good modern analogy would be the age old dilemma of the high school/college film: should the young woman take the scholarship to the amazing school that gives her the opportunity to make a career and life for herself, or should she throw everything away to stay in town with her high school boyfriend who may or may not amount to anything? I think most of us would suggest doing the sensible thing, and that is what Lady Russell suggested and what Anne did.
Apart from that, Anne never questioned her love for him, only whether she wanted to endanger everything from her family's connections, to the affections of her mother-like friend, and potentially her entire future security for him and it was very hard for her to break the engagement. Thus I find it asking quite a lot of her to "not to be too disappointed" by him marrying someone else.
As for him being too good for her: equally, you could say that Wentworth should have been aware of what the "problem" actually was, prove himself to her family and then come back for her. He's not a perfect character, and within the social framework that Austen observes to acutely, he carries his share of responsibility for what happened by being stroppy and carrying grudges against people who don't really count (aka the Elliots).

Just my 2 cents.(less)

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