The Final Chapters of Persuasion

Sorry for the delay in posting. I was incommunicado this weekend up in Vermont, and was unable to find a good block of time to dedicate to writing this blog. I finished Persuasion in the hills of Vermont, as rain pelted down on the roof of the small home I was visiting. The landscape reminded me exactly of what England must have looked like in Persuasion: misty hills, dark and mysterious forests. I was reading the book in front of a fire, and surrounded by close friends - very similar to how Anne must have spent her days. The setting couldn't have been more perfect.

Well, the last time we talked Anne had made it to Lyme. Well, not much happens of note for a few pages. Anne visits her friend, Mrs. Smith (the one who had that great outlook on life), and finds out that a rumor has traveled far and fast that Anne was going to marry William Elliot. Anne heartily disagrees, saying that she wouldn't marry him; we all know it's because she's in love with C. Wentworth. Mrs. Smith then goes on to dish that William Elliot was best friends with her late husband; in fact, William was a poor man who used Mrs. Smith and her husband on his way up the social ladder. Even more surprising, William shared with Mrs. Smith some thoughts and feelings about his own inheritance, saying that "no way would I ever want to have the Elliot name" (I'm paraphrasing there). Even MORE surprising: William forced Mrs. Smith into poverty! Although, at this point, I don't really find this surprising; William is a sneaky jerk - and we find out that he was only interested in Anne so that he could keep an eye on Mrs. Clay (the lady who was going after Sir Elliot, Anne's father). Oy vey.

So with that plot line petering out, we move on to the real juicy gossip: Anne and C. Wentworth end up together, and totally in love. In fact, we find out that C. Wentworth had always been in love with Anne and hadn't loved anyone else since their fateful split eight years prior. C. Wentworth tells Anne that he still loves her after overhearing Anne discussing the difference between men and women in relationships. Her quote is below.

"I hope I do justice to all that is felt by you, and by those who resemble you [a third party man]. God forbid that I should undervalue the warm and faithful feelings of any of my fellow-creatures. I should deserve utter contempt if I dared to suppose that true attachment and constancy were known only by woman. No, I believe you capable of every thing great and good in your married lives. I believe you equal to every important exertion, and to every domestic forbearance, so long as --if I may be allowed the expression, so long as you have an object. I mean, while the woman you love lives, and lives for you. All the privilege I claim for my own sex (it is not a very enviable one; you need not covet it) is that of loving longest, when existence or when hope is gone."

Then C. Wentworth slips Anne a hastily written note that says, and I'm paraphrasing: "I love you so much, I offer myself to you again, don't say man forgets sooner than woman because I've been loving you for eight years and haven't loved anyone else."

So, Anne and C. Wentworth live happily ever after. They had loved one another for eight years apart, and now get to spend the rest of their lives together. Yay!

Final Analysis

All in all, I thought this book was great. The language slowed me down at first, and led me to grade this book at a "B" because of the fact that most people in the year 2009 would have a hard time relating, or even understanding, it. [Which is unfortunate, but we can move on]. I felt very smart reading the book on the T into work every morning. I [somewhat] smugly turned my nose up to the people reading Jodi Picoult or Stephanie Meyer books, but then felt pretty bad about it; people pick books to read for the entertainment factor, not to feel smart. Everyone has their own standards for what constitutes entertaining, though. I've read both Jodi and Stephanie - easy reads, and pretty entertaining. However, for me, a book is truly entertaining when it challenges me by stretching my mental dictionary, teaches me about new theories and eras, and expands my greater appreciate for the written word.

Books have a fabulous history. There were book stores in Lyon, in the first century BC. Libraries were in existence as early as 377 AD. To possess books was to show your wealth, and your knowledge. Your wealth, because you could pay a tutor to teach you to read, and your knowledge because you could read them. Books really started to have an impact on the development of societies, cultures, and governments when the movable type printing press was invented in the 15th century, when the rich and landed nobility had access to centuries of knowledge from philosophers, poets, and writers. Persuasion is a novel that I feel can have an impact on those who choose to read it. It may not be as lyrical and empowering the Illiad. It may not be as socially relevant or philosophically enlightening as Jean Jacques Rousseau's Discourse on Inequality. But Jane Austen's Persuasion is a novel that still touched and moved me, and because of the beautiful imagery and colorful and deep characters Austen drew for me, Persuasion re-inspired not only my love of reading novels, but my hope and faith in the power of writing. I hope that some of you out there will choose to pick up Persuasion and see for yourselves.