LoveReading Says
May 2014 Guest Editor Daisy Goodwin on Persuasion...
I love Jane Austen with a deep and enduring passion, and I think the story of Anne Elliott’s second chance is possibly my favourite. The way that she revives as a character like a flower soaking up water is quite miraculous. It is also has a plot of clockwork perfection. I read this book at least once a year and I always find something new to marvel at.
The Lovereading view...
Set in the fashionable societies of Lyme Regis and Bath, Persuasion is a brilliant satire of vanity and pretension, but, above all, it is a love story tinged with the heartache of missed opportunities. In her introduction, Gillian Beer discusses Austen's portrayal of the double-edged nature of persuasion and the clash between old and new worlds. This edition also includes a new chronology and full textual notes.
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Persuasion Synopsis
Persuasion is the last completed novel by Jane Austen and it was published posthumously in 1818. Readers have often connected Persuasion with Northanger Abbey as the setting of both stories is in Bath, a highly fashionable health resort with which the author was well acquainted. Another interesting point to note is that the title of ';Persuasion' was probably not envisioned by Jane but by her brother or sister. Another theory is that her two siblings had a great role in choosing the title of the story.Persuasion opens with a brief spotlight on the Elliot family. The reader gets to know that the Elliots are a well-respected family who are landowners. Lady Elliot died a long time ago leaving behind her three daughters - Anne, Elizabeth & Mary (married). Due to mounting debts, Sir Walter decided to move to a house in Bath with far less comforts. They were lucky to find tenants for their home as Admiral & Mrs. Croft were well-mannered people from the Navy. Anne is very excited to see Mrs. Croft as she is the sister of the man whom she loves dearly. But to understand the situation we need to go back 8 years when he she was happy to be betrothed to Frederick Wentworth, a naval officer. However, Anne broke off the engagement when she was persuaded to think that the match was unworthy by the widow Lady Russell, her mother's friend. Anne felt deep regret as a result of this decision and Wentworth too was bitter after seeing the unwanted interference of Lady Russell and the lack of fortitude on the part of Anne. iBoo Worlds Best ClassicsiBoo Press releases World's Best Classics, uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work. We preserve the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. All titles are designed with a nice cover, quality paper and a large font that's easy to read.
About This Edition
About Jane Austen
Jane Austen was born on 16 December 1775 at Steventon near Basingstoke, the seventh child of the rector of the parish. She lived with her family at Steventon until they moved to Bath when her father retired in 1801. After his death in 1805, she moved around with her mother; in 1809, they settled in Chawton, near Alton, Hampshire. Here she remained, except for a few visits to London, until in May 1817 she moved to Winchester to be near her doctor. There she died on 18 July 1817.
As a girl Jane Austen wrote stories, including burlesques of popular romances. Her works were only published after much revision, four novels being published in her lifetime. These are Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1816). Two other novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, were published posthumously in 1818 with a biographical notice by her brother, Henry Austen, the first formal announcement of her authorship. Persuasion was written in a race against failing health in 1815-16. She also left two earlier compositions, a short epistolary novel, Lady Susan, and an unfinished novel, The Watsons. At the time of her death, she was working on a new novel, Sanditon, a fragmentary draft of which survives.
Fellow novelist Katharine McMahon on Jane Austen...
I can't not choose her. And whichever I've read last is always my favourite. The nuance of emotion, the understanding of human nature revealed by Austen constantly delights me. When I reread Sense and Sensibility recently, for the first time Elinor came across as quite prissy and destined to marry a rather spineless husband. I wonder if that was intended?
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