Matriarchal Assertiveness in Jane Austen's Persuasion by Dr. V

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Matriarchal Assertiveness in Jane Austen's Persuasion by Dr. V International Journal of Research (IJR) Vol-1, Issue-7, August 2014 ISSN 2348-6848 Matriarchal Assertiveness in Jane Austen’s Persuasion Dr. V. Asokkumar M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D., Associate Professor of English, E.R.K. Arts & Science College, Erumaiyampatti – 636 905, Pappireddipatti (Tk), Dharmapuri (Dt). India [email protected] cognitive qualities with in her. She is also Abstract compared with Elizabeth Benet in Pride and Prejudice that Elizabeth is In Jane Austen’s persuasion Anne representative of women being capable and Eliot develops as this individual of her own worthy to reason in the world of men, as well as shifts from passive to active. She whereas Anne’s individualism gives women finally marries Wentworth at the end of the something even more important in Austen’s novel, the marriage is not needed to assertion of the validity and worth of female complete her because she has already made emotions. Persuasion represents the her emotional transformation independent maturity of Austen’s work and more than of the marriage proposal. Persuasion is her other Novels. Austen’s more radical novel, because it account for and endorses a philosophy Introduction Jane Austen wrote “Men have had where action is based up on emotion, every advantage of us in telling their own instinct and interest for one’s own personal story”. Moers reveals, “Education has been happiness. In persuasion, Austen theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen dramatically shifts from creating her has been in their hands. Now women seized heroine as governed by propriety and the pen; and female self – consciousness reason to being permitted and encouraged brought heroinism to literature. As literary to respond and act based up on emotion and women have always been grateful to say, it instinct and assertion virtually unheard of all went back to the first heroine of letters, in the male dominated sphere of polite Samuel Richardson’s Pamela, not because society. Anne’s character serves to of her virtue but because; as she says elucidate and cement this shift in Austen’s herself. I have got such a knack of writing, tone and feminist worldview. Among the that when I am by myself, I cannot sit heroines of Austen Anne receives different without a pen in my hands”. Margaret A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON AES, DES AND HYBRID ENCRYPTION ALGORITHM ON VPN NETWORK Dr. V. Asokkumar P a g e | 1145 International Journal of Research (IJR) Vol-1, Issue-7, August 2014 ISSN 2348-6848 Kirkham points out that, together with spendthrift, who lavishly over spends and Mary Wollstonecraft, Jane Austen inherited he has brought the family into great debt. a common tradition of feminist By contrast Anne is completely free from development”. In the canon of British the snobbery which afflicts her father and literature Jane Austen occupies a high rank her sister Elizabeth. Anne’s judgments are among novelists. She is a realist and a correct because they are the outcome of practitioner of the domestic novel. Among earlier experience, and experience which her novels Persuasion represents the has involved her in much personal maturity of her vision and portrayal of her suffering. Moreover although she is female protagonists. ignored, she does not sit there feeling sorry for herself. Predicaments of Austen’s Heroine Portrayal of the Challenges in Persuasion is a story about the Persuasion Elliot’s family. Anne Elliot, the protagonist Jane Austen’s final novel, of Persuasion, is witty, clever and Persuasion, is an insightful portrayal of the considerate. At the age of nineteen Anne challenges faced by women in the 1800s. Elliot’s had fallen in love with Frederick The Story seen through the eyes of the Wentworth, but Anne disapproved to marry heroine, Anne Elliot. Her character him by accepting the words of Lady changes from passive to active over the Russell. Later Anne feels for her course of the novel. She holds both submissiveness to Lady Russell. This traditional and modern ideals to her should not be regarded as a weakness of character. Anne can be seen as the typical character. She acted passively no doubt, ‘sentimental core’, but at the same time she but as she later explains she thought it part is very headstrong. She can be seen as the of her duty to act in accordance with the emotional centre of the family. However advice of a woman whom she regarded as she is not always caring, she can also take her mother. Though Anne is on the whole on a more masculine role in certain a passive type of girl, she is capable of situations. This paper argues that Anne taking initiative when faced with a crisis. Elliot overcomes conventions as well as Sir Walter’s wife, the mother of shifts from passive to active. Through the Anne, died fourteen years ago and left him novel, Anne develops as this individual on with three daughters. Sir Walter is a A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON AES, DES AND HYBRID ENCRYPTION ALGORITHM ON VPN NETWORK Dr. V. Asokkumar P a g e | 1146 International Journal of Research (IJR) Vol-1, Issue-7, August 2014 ISSN 2348-6848 her own, and by the time she finally marries witty, clever, and considerate. Austen Wentworth at the end of the novel. referred to her in one of her letters as “a heroine who is almost too good for me”. Austen heroine she will make a Though Austen very frankly notes that the conscious effort to reject an inadequate bloom of youth has left Anne, and that she father, who is, in essence, a representative is not the prettiest of the young ladies in the of authority. Gilbert and Gubar also novel. Anne becomes most decidedly more maintain that this heroine will be fulfilled attractive when her better qualities are and a conclusion to the plot will be achieved noted. Anne is proud of her appearance, when the girl becomes a daughter to a and she is deeply hurt after overhearing that husband whereas becoming a man means Captain Wentworth thinks her appearance relinquishing achievement and much changed for the worst. Unlike her accommodating oneself to men. By a brief father, Anne also takes pride in practicality, exploration of Jane’s Austen’s Persuasion. intellect, and patience. Anne is feminine Anne Elliot seeks make approval in an while possessing none of what Austen attempt to complete a circle hat will bring clearly sees as the negative characteristics her from her ineffectual and effeminate of her gender. Anne is neither catty, flighty, father to realising her relationship with nor hysterical. On the contrary, she is level- Captain Wentworth. Miss Elliot conforms headed in difficult situations and constant to Gilbert and Gubar’s profile of a in her affections. Such qualities make her submissive female trying to survive, this the desirable sister to marry; she is the first survival id dependant on gaining male choice of Charles Musgrove, Captain approval and protection. Persuasion offers Wentworth, and Mr.Elliot. us such a heroine but one who acts submissively not only out of a sense of duty That Anne has her own mind is clear but also unconsciously. Lady Russell, from the way she rebels against the vanity although misguided at times, is allowed to of her father and elder sister. But Anne is truly dominate those around her, especially not one to avoid her responsibility and duty Anne. Though Persuasion dramatises a as a member of the upper class. She female’s herself for survival, it does allow understands and respects the importance of for a sense of quiet rebellion. making a “suitable” match, and is offended Anne Elliot, the protagonist of by the prospect of someone as low as Persuasion, is, like most Austen heroines, Mrs.Clay entering into her family through A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON AES, DES AND HYBRID ENCRYPTION ALGORITHM ON VPN NETWORK Dr. V. Asokkumar P a g e | 1147 International Journal of Research (IJR) Vol-1, Issue-7, August 2014 ISSN 2348-6848 marriage. She is conscious of the social a more masculine than woman normally did structure in which her relations operate, and in that time. through she may seek a bit more flexibility, she by no means wishes to seriously challenge notions of class. MATRIARCHAL ASSERTIVENESS IN JANE In the end, Anne concludes that she AUSTEN’S PERSUASION Persuasion has rightly been is right to have been persuaded by Lady described as a serious comedy. The serious Russell, even if the advice itself was problem for Jane Austen lay in managing misguided. The conclusion implies that the pssychological terms on which the what might be considered Anne’s flaw, her lovers could come together again. Anne, ability to be persuaded by others, is not really a flaw at all. It is left to the reader to who was responsible for breaking off her relations with Wentworth, must play an agree or disagree with this. But overall, she must be highly regarded; for in her respect active part in the healing of the breach. It is in this light that the cancelled chapter in for duty and with and independent mind, Anne balances passion and practicality. Persuasion must be seen. Jane Austen found something wrong in the way she had However, Anne is not always brought the lovers together in that chapter. In it there is rather artificially contrived in caring. She can also take on a more masculine role in certain situations. When incident when Admiral Croft compels Captain Wentworth to give Anne a message Louisa falls from the wall, Anne is the most calm out of everyone in the party. She is which assumes that she is to marry Mr.Elliot.
Recommended publications
  • Plagiat Merupakan Tindakan Tidak Terpuji Plagiat
    PLAGIATPLAGIAT MERUPAKAN MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TIDAK TERPUJI TERPUJI THE MARXIST FEMINIST CONCEPT IN THE CHARACTER OF ANNE ELLIOT IN JANE AUSTEN’S PERSUASION AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters By SINTA FITRIANI Student Number: 104214010 ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2014 i PLAGIATPLAGIAT MERUPAKAN MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TIDAK TERPUJI TERPUJI THE MARXIST FEMINIST CONCEPT IN THE CHARACTER OF ANNE ELLIOT IN JANE AUSTEN’S PERSUASION AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra in English Letters By SINTA FITRIANI Student Number: 104214010 ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA 2014 ii PLAGIATPLAGIAT MERUPAKAN MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TIDAK TERPUJI TERPUJI iii PLAGIATPLAGIAT MERUPAKAN MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TIDAK TERPUJI TERPUJI iv PLAGIATPLAGIAT MERUPAKAN MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TIDAK TERPUJI TERPUJI v PLAGIATPLAGIAT MERUPAKAN MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TIDAK TERPUJI TERPUJI vi PLAGIATPLAGIAT MERUPAKAN MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TIDAK TERPUJI TERPUJI Don’t you give up Don’t you quit You keep walking You keep trying There is help and happiness ahead It will be alright In the end.. Trust GOD And believe in good things to come.. -Jeffrey R. Holland- vii PLAGIATPLAGIAT MERUPAKAN MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TIDAK TERPUJI TERPUJI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Jesus Christ, my Savior, who always strengthens me, so that I can accomplish this thesis. I could not imagine how I could be without His blessings.
    [Show full text]
  • Emma 29 Chapter 2 “You Pierce My Soul”: Feeling Embodied and Persuasion 51
    Theory and Interpretation of Narrative James Phelan and Peter J. Rabinowitz, Series Editors ImagInIng mInds The Neuro-Aesthetics of Austen, Eliot, and Hardy Kay Young The Ohio State University Press Columbus Copyright © 2010 by The Ohio State University. All rights reserved. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data young, Kay Imagining minds : the neuro-aesthetics of Austen, Eliot, and Hardy / Kay young. p. cm.—(Theory and interpretation of narrative) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8142-5174-4 (pbk. : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-8142-1139-7 (cloth : alk. paper)—ISBN 978-0-8142-9238-9 (cd) 1. English literature—19th century—History and criticism. 2. Consciousness in litera- ture. 3. Other minds (Theory of knowledge) 4. Mind-brain identity theory. 5. Austen, Jane, 1775–1817—Criticism and interpretation. 6. Eliot, George, 1819–1880—Criti- cism and interpretation. 7. Hardy, Thomas, 1840–1928—Criticism and interpretation. I. Title. II. Series: Theory and interpretation of narrative series. PR468.C66y68 2010 823’.809353—dc22 2010022225 This book is available in the following editions: Cloth (ISBN 978-0-8142-1139-7) Paper (ISBN 978-0-8142-5174-4) CD-ROM (ISBN 978-0-8142-9238-9) Cover design by Janna Thompson-Chordas. Text design by Jennifer Shoffey Forsythe. Type set in Adobe Bembo. Printed by Thomson-Shore, Inc. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials. ANSI Z39.48-1992. 9 8 7
    [Show full text]
  • Anne Elliot, the Narrator, and Sound in Jane Austen's and Adrian Shergold's Persuasion
    The Corinthian Volume 20 Article 12 November 2020 Playing with Noise: Anne Elliot, the Narrator, and Sound in Jane Austen's and Adrian Shergold's Persuasion Brianna R. Phillips Georgia College & State University Follow this and additional works at: https://kb.gcsu.edu/thecorinthian Part of the English Language and Literature Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Phillips, Brianna R. (2020) "Playing with Noise: Anne Elliot, the Narrator, and Sound in Jane Austen's and Adrian Shergold's Persuasion," The Corinthian: Vol. 20 , Article 12. Available at: https://kb.gcsu.edu/thecorinthian/vol20/iss1/12 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Undergraduate Research at Knowledge Box. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Corinthian by an authorized editor of Knowledge Box. Phillips 1 Brianna Phillips Playing with Noise: Anne Elliot, the Narrator, and Sound in Jane Austen’s and Adrian Shergold’s Persuasion In Jane Austen’s Persuasion (1817), Anne Elliot occupies a noisy world of piercing voices, slamming doors, cutlery scraping plates, children running, laughing, and a “hundred” other sounds. Because she is often noiseless in this loud narrative world, the presence of sound is thrown into relief and profoundly affects Anne’s body and consciousness. Throughout the novel, Anne’s responses to noise within a crowded room parallel her inward feelings in that when the noisiness bewilders her senses, her response reflects her simultaneous discomposure at seeing or interacting with Captain Frederick Wentworth, whom she was persuaded not to marry eight years before.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploring Interiority in Jane Austen's Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice
    Western Oregon University Digital Commons@WOU Honors Senior Theses/Projects Student Scholarship Fall 2019 Exploring Interiority in Jane Austen’s Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice Bailey Thompson Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/honors_theses 1 Exploring Interiority in Jane Austen’s Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice By Bailey Thompson An Honors Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation from the Western Oregon University Honors Program Dr. Thomas Rand, Thesis Advisor Dr. Gavin Keulks, Honors Program Director December 2019 2 Acknowledgements There are so many people I would like to thank for their support throughout the two years it took for me to complete this project, and I want to take a moment and recognize a few of them now. First, I want to thank God for His never-ending patience and love for me. Life hasn’t always been easy, but I know that You are always with me. Without You, there is no way I would have accomplished the things I have today. I would also like to thank my family. My parents, Greg and Kelly Thompson, are my biggest encouragers, and their constant love and support means more to me than I can express. I am also so grateful for my brothers and grandparents, who have always been there for me. You guys are the best, and I feel so insanely lucky to have a fun, smart family that’s as awesome as ours. Additionally, I would not be the writer I am today without Dr. Camille Schuler or Dr. Cornelia Paraskevas, two of the most knowledgeable and inspirational language arts educators I have ever met.
    [Show full text]
  • 3. Mothers and Daughters in Jane Austen
    JANE AUSTEN NORA BARTLETT EDITED BY JANE STABLER B Reflections of a Reader ARTLETT NORA BARTLETT EDITED BY JANE STABLER All lovers of Jane Austen, the most knowledgeable as well as those who have just discovered her, will have much to learn from these modest, searching, and wonderfully perceptive essays. Prof. Richard Cronin, University of Glasgow This volume presents an exhilarating and insightful collection of essays on Jane JANE AUSTEN Austen – distilling the author’s deep understanding and appreciation of Austen’s works across a lifetime. The volume is both intra- and inter-textual in focus, ranging from perceptive analysis of individual scenes to the exploration of motifs across Austen’s fiction. Full of astute connections, these lively discussions hinge on the study of human behaviour – from family relationships to sickness and hypochondria – highlighting Austen’s artful literary techniques and her powers of human observation. Jane Austen: Reflections of a Reader by (the late) Nora Bartlett is a brilliant contribution to the field of Jane Austen studies, both in its accessible style (which preserves the oral register of the original lectures), and in its foregrounding of the reader in a warm, compelling and incisive conversation about Austen’s works. As such, it will appeal widely to all lovers of Jane Austen, whether first-time readers, students or scholars. As with all Open Book publications, this entire book is available to read for free on the publisher’s website. Printed and digital editions, together with supplementary digital material, can also be found at www.openbookpublishers.com Cover image: Woman Reading, Portrait of Sofia Kramskaya by Ivan Kramskoi (1837–1887).
    [Show full text]
  • Lehigh Preserve Institutional Repository
    Lehigh Preserve Institutional Repository An Early Loss of Bloom: Spinsters, Old Maids, and the Marriage Market in Persuasion" Horn, Dashielle 2012 Find more at https://preserve.lib.lehigh.edu/ This document is brought to you for free and open access by Lehigh Preserve. It has been accepted for inclusion by an authorized administrator of Lehigh Preserve. For more information, please contact [email protected]. “An Early Loss of Bloom:” Spinsters, Old Maids, and the Marriage Market in Persuasion by Dashielle Horn A Thesis Presented to the Graduate and Research Committee of Lehigh University in Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Arts in English Lehigh University 27 April 2012 i © 2012 Copyright Dashielle Horn ii Thesis is accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts in English. “An Early Loss of Bloom:” Spinsters, Old Maids, and the Marriage Market in Persuasion Dashielle Horn Date Approved Thesis Director Dr. Elizabeth Dolan Department Chair Dr. Scott Gordon iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract 1 Introduction 2 Historical Context 4 Biographical Information 21 Anne Elliot as Spinster 23 Works Cited 44 Vita 48 iv ABSTRACT Thomas Gisborne warns young women in his 1797 An Enquiry into the Duties of the Female Sex that society expects them to marry well (meaning to marry someone wealthy), but he argues that marriage should be based on morality instead of economics. As Anne Elliot learns, the judgments family and friends make about potential marriage partners can deeply influence whether those marriages occur at all. As a result of the pressure from Lady Russell’s assessment of the young Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Capturing the Gaze in Jane Austen
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Supervised Undergraduate Student Research Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects and Creative Work 5-2014 Power, Self-Transformation, and Looks: Capturing the Gaze in Jane Austen Victoria R. Knight University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_chanhonoproj Part of the Literature in English, British Isles Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Recommended Citation Knight, Victoria R., "Power, Self-Transformation, and Looks: Capturing the Gaze in Jane Austen" (2014). Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_chanhonoproj/1806 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Supervised Undergraduate Student Research and Creative Work at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Power, Self-Transformation, and Looks: Capturing the Gaze in Jane Austen Chancellor’s Honors Program Honors Thesis Victoria Knight Advised By Dr. Misty Anderson May 6th, 2014 I. Introduction In 1975, the feminist film critic Laura Mulvey published a paper in the journal, Screen, on the revolutionary concept of the “male gaze” in film. The premise of “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” posited that films were shot from a distinctly male perspective, and the way the camera would pan down a woman’s body illustrated the intentional objectification and a desire for pleasure. Mulvey continued to argue that males were the active “gazers”, while women were the passive “looked-upon”, and thus, women had no agency of their own.
    [Show full text]
  • 1. Introdaction Everybody Needs to Love and Be Loved
    1. Introdaction Everybody needs to love and be loved. Love is a gift from God, which makes somebody happy, peaceful and comfortable. Love is not primary a relationship to a specific person. It is an attitude, an orientation of the characters, which intimacy the relatedness of a person in the world as a whole, not toward one “object” of love. The meaning of love itself is very meaningful to everyone who ever experience it. And it also influences the readers. In life people always have relation with other; it might be having relation in friendship or in love. Love is a kind of feel has chemistry which owned by person who falls in love, because every person is created by God to have a pair in life. Love can make people happy but also can make them sad. When person falls in love everything will be done to make his or her partner happy even though it looks difficult. Talking about love always becomes interesting and endless topic. There are many kinds of love such as love your friend, sweetheart (a person who you love much) or love to your family. Love usually happen between man and women or girls and boys. However, love can also appear between two people from different society. Without love people, may get suffer and become sad, because love can give power for persons life. Everyone needs love; it helps for growing and surviving in the world. The researchers choose Persuasion that published in 1815 and August, 1816 by the author Jane Austen. The title of this research is love story of Anne Elliot as reflected in Jane Austen’s Persuasion: An Objective Analysis.
    [Show full text]
  • The Classical Bildungsroman As an Ontological Dimension of the Novel of Counter-Development in England from Jane Austen to Ford Madox Ford (1813–1924)
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2-2020 The Remnants of Harmonious Bildungs: The Classical Bildungsroman as an Ontological Dimension of the Novel of Counter-Development in England from Jane Austen to Ford Madox Ford (1813–1924) Anne E. McFadden The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/3579 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] THE REMNANTS OF HARMONIOUS BILDUNGS: THE CLASSICAL BILDUNSROMAN AS AN ONTOLOGICAL DIMENSION OF THE NOVEL OF COUNTER-DEVELOPMENT IN ENGLAND FROM JANE AUSTEN TO FORD MADOX FORD (1813-1924) By ANNE E. MCFADDEN A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in English in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2020 ©2020 Anne E. McFadden iii The Remnants of Harmonious Bildungs: The Classical Bildungsroman as an Ontological Dimension of the Novel of Counter-Development in England from Jane Austen to Ford Madox Ford (1813-1924) By Anne E. McFadden This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in English in satisfaction of the dissertation requirements for the degree in English ____________________ ___________________________________ Date Chair of Examining Committee ____________________ ____________________________________ Date Executive Officer Supervisory Committee: Richard Kaye Alan Vardy Tanya Agathocleous The City University of New York iv ABSTRACT The Remnants of Harmonious Bildungs: The Classical Bildungsroman as an Ontological Dimension of the Novel of Counter-Development in England from Jane Austen to Ford Madox Ford (1813-1924) By Anne E.
    [Show full text]
  • DR Persuasion TG
    A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO THE PENGUIN EDITION OF JANE AUSTEN’S PERSUASION By DIANA MITCHELL, Ph.D. SERIES EDITORS: W. GEIGER ELLIS, ED.D., UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, EMERITUS and ARTHEA J. S. REED, PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, RETIRED A Teacher’s Guide to Jane Austen’s Persuasion 2 INTRODUCTION Persuasion by Jane Austen is a novel rich in intrigue and romance. Although Austen’s focus seems to be the manners and morals of the time, this concern is embedded in the tentative relationship between Anne Elliot and Captain Frederick Wentworth and in whether the relationship will flower again to the heights of the love they once had. On the most basic level Persuasion is a love story, both interesting and entertaining. On a deeper level it examines human foibles and societal flaws. The question of the importance of propriety is raised frequently as is the issue of appearance vs. reality. Family relationships and duty to family are both foci of the story. Within this family context relationships between men and women are examined, and it is interesting to see how male and female relationships have changed since the late 18th century. Of course, love and marriage are at the center of the story since it is through love that Austen brings into play most of the other issues. For fans of television soap operas, the subtleties of the novel will leap to life. For those raised on action/adventure stories, the plot will seem slow. The novel’s lack of action and antiquated language and mores will probably be the biggest hurdles teachers will face in involving students in reading Austen’s novel.
    [Show full text]
  • Dancing to the Altar in Recent Film Adaptations of Jane Austen's Novels
    From Page to Screen: t Dancing to the Altar in :L Recent Film Adaptations of i Jane Austen’s Novels NORA FOSTER STOVEL Nora Foster Stovel is Professor of English at the University of Alberta, where she teaches twentieth- century literature. She has published books and articles on Jane Austen, D. H. Lawrence, Margaret Drabble, and Margaret Laurence. She has edited four books by Margaret Laurence and has completed Divining Margaret Laurence: A Study of Her Writing. She is currently composing “‘Sparkling Subversion’: Carol Shields’s Double Vision.” “To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love” (9), writes Jane Austen at the outset of Pride and Prejudice. So she includes dances in all her novels to catalyze courtship, the subject of Mr. Elton’s charade in Emma (72) and the subject of all of Austen’s fiction. Austen herself was fond of dancing and excelled in the art, as we know from her letters. She wrote to her sister Cassandra from Steventon about a 1798 Christmas Eve ball: “There were twenty Dances & I danced them all, & without any fatigue. I fancy I could just as well dance for a week together as for half an hour” (24 Decem- ber 1798). Not all of her characters are fond of dancing, however. Fitzwilliam Darcy, for example, dislikes the activity, and it takes all of Volume One of Pride and Prejudice to overcome his distaste. In Emma, George Knightley says, “‘Fine dancing, I believe, like virtue, must be its own reward’” (258). But Austen demonstrates that dancing with the right partner can lead to greater rewards.
    [Show full text]
  • Full Screen View
    THE TYRANNY OF PASSIVE-AGGRESSION IN JANE AUSTEN'S NOVELS by Claudia J. Lockhart A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Schmidt College of Arts and Humanities in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida April 1993 THE TYRANNY OF PASSIVE-AGGRESSION IN JANE AUSTEN'S NOVELS by Claudia J. Lockhart This thesis was prepared under the direction of the candidate's thesis advisor, Dr. William Coyle, Department of English and Comparative Literature. It was submitted to the faculty of The Schmidt College of Arts and Humanities and was accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE: Dean, The Schmidt College of Arts and Humanities •L~•-r•... K--...._.--. , - '<L- () "' )1~,--&--cA_---- /v ~r 19/J Dean of Graduate Studies Date ll ABSTRACT Author: Claudia J. Lockhart Title: The Tyranny of Passive-Aggression in Jane Austen's Novels Institution: Florida Atlantic University Thesis Advisor: Dr. William Coyle Degree: Master of Arts Year: 1993 Passive-aggression is an insidious form of tyranny that uses hypochondria and other tactics to manipulate. Presumably with her mother in mind, Jane Austen frequently portrays the passive-aggressive character and ridicules hypochondria, as in the satirical Sanditon. Mr. Woodhouse and Mrs. Churchill are life-denying parental figures in Emma, who use illness and hypochondria to manipulate their children, much like Mansfield Park's Lady Bertram, who uses hypochondria and social withdrawal to control her family. In Persuasion Mary Musgrove, a young copy of Lady Bertram, uses hypochondria and hysteria to manipulate, and Mrs.
    [Show full text]