After reading your comment last week, I set out reading with a determination to find the depth and quality to Anne’s character and I believe that I succeeded. I have found a new and deeper respect for the choices that she makes. The act of persuasion and influence still remain as the central power in Persuasion, but I see a deeper meaning as a rebellious and heroine-like spirit is portrayed through Anne’s character. I think that it is necessary for me to get my thoughts in order as to how “persuasion” affects the various characters in the novel. In addition, as I work towards the development of my final thesis, I think that it is important to address how “persuasion” blossoms and grows unstoppably throughout the novel.
Persuasion leads to the destruction of one of the characters in the novel. Frederick Wentworth temporarily falls in love with Luisa Musgrove, whom I recognize as Anne’s foil in Persuasion. Luisa is full of spirit and wears her emotions on her sleeves. Wentworth does not have to question his love for Luisa because she is so ready and able to return that love. She is full of conviction and confidence. These are the qualities that Wentworth believes Anne lacks. While in Lyme, the qualities that Wentworth admires in Luisa lead her to feel untouchable and capable of anything. Wentworth persuades her not to jump from the wall, but she disobeys him and is immediately forced in a coma. At this point, I believe, that Wentworth begins to once again value the stability and levelheaded actions of Anne. Anne’s reserved and thoughtful spirit no longer looks prude, but instead it looks appealing.
Although persuasion causes tragedy and its value and stance between good and evil is highly questionable, I realize the power that Anne has to defy this pressure. As I progressed towards to the end of the novel, I realize that Anne is truly an inspirational character. She is shy and reserved, but moving and dominant in her own right. She is in touch an aware of her instincts, but she does not let them sweep her off of her feet. She knows that she loves Wentworth, but she worries that he does not care for her as he once did. I absolutely adored the scene (which I also think is the climax/turning point of the novel) when Anne is having a discussion with Captain Harville about passion. With Wentworth only feet away with pen in hand, I knew that this was the true turning point for these two characters. Anne expresses her fervent belief that men let go of love and relationship much sooner than women. She thinks that men forget the strength and the connection that once consumed intimate relationships. The fact that this conversation was spoken in front of an eight-years-in-mourning Wentworth makes it even more powerful.
I have a few pages left to read of the novel, but I am officially persuaded that I love persuasion and I absolutely concur that Anne is a pivotal character in writing. As my thoughts are still jumbled and my final message/thesis is not yet clear (as is readily apparent in my blog), I know that a deeper message will come from my currently basic and shallow thoughts. This work of writing is very different (different in a good way) from what I expected and I think that I need to reflect on the themes that I have in mind. (597)
JSTOR articles:
Title: The Importance of Vision: "Persuasion" and the Picturesque
Link: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3886237
Title: The Bodily Frame: Learning Romance in Persuasion
Link: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3044848
Title: The Achievement of Persuasion
Link: http://www.jstor.org/stable/449831
Title: The Abiding Possibilities of Nature in Persuasion
Link: http://www.jstor.org/stable/450230
Title: Divided Attention in Persuasion
Link: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2933017
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1 comment:
After reading your first blog entry, I was starting to think I'd recommended the wrong Austen novel to you, especially when I saw a very strong new TV version of Sense and Sensibility over the weekend. But your newest entry shows how far you've progressed in your thinking about Anne Eliot and about Persuasion, so my soul is at peace with itself.
I especially like the way you describe Anne's conversatio with Capt. Harville. Living in a world where one's true feelings are so easily held back by the force of social convention and "manners," Austen's characters, it seems to me, always feel more than they can say (at least publicly), and therefore those moments when we realize just how strong those feelings are are for that reason much more powerful. It's one of the best things about Austen's novels as far as I'm concerned.
So, finish the reading, read the criticism, and think about a focus for the paper. Meanwhile, a good week's work.
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