Persuasion

Jane Austen's Persuasion is such a mature and accomplished novel, containing neither the sing/song, this and that type of title. It's just a single word: persuasion. And what an evocative word. It's as evocative as the novel's protagonist, Anne Elliot. Anne's journey can be understood in the three themes I've chosen for my AM comp. list even though she doesn't read like a hero - she's the most unassuming hero you'll meet on this list.

Anne Elliot as Campbellian Hero:
I wonder if J. Campbell himself would look at Elliot in this light. The novel contains none of the trappings we usually associate with the hero - with the possible exception of Louisa Musgrove's fall at Lyme Regis. We see a confined, defeated Anne at the outset. The home once run economically by her mother is now in financial trouble. Mr. Elliot and Elizabeth have accumulated some debt since the mother's death. The absence of the mother is an interesting component to the story - Anne herself cannot fill that role though she's best suited, and neither of her sisters is suited at all for the task. But Anne's heroic journey is one of self-discovery - she learns the depth of her own ability to love - even when the love is not reciprocated and there is no hope of it ever resolving in a union. Luckily for Anne, it does resolve happily. She also learns the power of verbalizing her opinions. When she says to Capt. Harville, "All the privilage I claim for my own sex...is that of loving longest, when existence or when hope is gone," she is being her most transparent. The Anne at this point in the novel has returned to life. The events that happen to this point show Wentworth Anne's true character. Louisa's fall is a type of trial Anne undergoes. Her clarity and quick action captivates Wentworth. She passes the test. Another idea that Anne must deal with is one Austen had to deal with. In a letter to Fanny Knight regarding this novel, Jane wrote: "Women have a dreadful propensity for being poor - which is one very strong argument in favor of Matrimony." If Anne doesn't get married - she's screwed. The Elliot estate cannot go to her; her best bet would be to be a governess. So Anne, in her way positions herself to be noticed by Wentworth who still loves her. Anne's entire character - in its quiet way - bestows boons on everyone she comes into contact with. She is a father confessor, a healer, care-giver, and peace maker. She must also learn not to be persuaded by even well-intentioned advice. Her journey takes her from Kellynch Hall to Uppercross, to Lyme Regis, to Bath. In each situation she grows in her self-awareness. Notice the different woman she is with her father and Elizabeth in Bath than at Kellynch. Her assertion of her right to associate with Mrs. Smith and her comment on the prudence of keeping society with someone like Mrs. Clay shows a new point in her development. When she comes to know Mr. Elliot's true reasons for his attention to her - she makes a decision for herself even to the point of disregarding the advice of Lady Russel.

Outsider: Anne is completely at odds with her surviving family; they are all self-absorbed while Anne, while self-reflective, is essentially selfless. Her almost wallflower quality places her on the sidelines - she is liked but not often considered on her own account.

Religion: By accounts, Austen was religious, yet religion seems to play as a cultural device in her novels. Characters may be guided by spiritually inspired morals, but no faith or reliance on God is seen. Religion is primarily seen in characters who become clergymen - some sincere, some silly. Perhaps Anne's religion is Frederick Wentworth or even more abstractly, love - the thing she hangs onto when all hope is gone. There is also a certain self-reliance that is present in Anne. She realizes her family is ridiculous - so she makes her own quiet way for herself. That statement about love being her god is silly of me and doesn't play out. Deeper than that is the moral codes that Anne obeys - she lives among silly people whose values lean toward the superficial. Anne's spiritual growth comes when she sticks to her principals in spite of what goes on around her. Her development into a whole person is spiritual - everything she does is guided by these principals. We cannot imagine Mary or Elizabeth visiting a Mrs. Smith or helping a fallen Louisa, or nursing Mary's own child back to health.