Resumo de Persuasion - Jane Austen

Persuasion was Jane Austen?s last book, published a
year after her death in 1818. Her
heroine, Anne Elliot was reputed to be the closest character to Jane herself in
that she too is supposed to have developed a relationship with a young man who
left and she was never to hear from him again.
In her letters to her sister, Jane apparently tells Constance she intends
to make Anne?s story different.

Anne Elliot is twenty-seven, a kind, gentle woman
with an even temper and sweet character, the middle sister of three. She lives at Kellynch Hall with her widower
father, the vain and snobbish Sir Walter Elliot and her spoiled elder sister
Elizabeth. Her married younger sister
Mary lives with her husband Charles Musgrove and two young children. Elizabeth is self absorbed and opinionated,
while Mary complains constantly about being neglected and put upon by everyone
around her.

When Anne was nineteen, she fell in love with a
naval officer, Frederick Wentworth.
Unfortunately the match was considered unsuitable by her family, and
Lady Russell, a family friend. He was
summarily dismissed as having ?nothing but himself to recommend him?.

Due to his extravagance, Sir Walter is forced to
rent out his house and goes to stay in Bath for a while, taking Elizabeth with
him. Anne goes to stay with her sister
Mary, her husband and two small children.
While there, they have a lot to do with Charles? parents and two
sisters, Louisa and Henrietta.

The new tenant of Kellynch hall is a Mr and Mrs
Croft, the mistress of the house being Captain Wentworth?s sister. The Captain spends a good deal of time with
both the Crofts and The Musgraves, and appears to be paying a lot of
extravagant attention to Louisa and Henrietta.

Captain Wentworth, for his part goes out of his way
to ignore Anne and her sister Mary does not help Anne?s situation by openly
hoping he marries one of her sisters-in-law.

Anne, the Musgroves and Frederick Wentworth visit
Lyme, where Louisa, through her own stupidity suffers a serious accident in a
fall from the harbour wall. Badly
injured and unable to travel, she is placed under the care of the Harvilles,
friends of Captain Wentworth.

Louisa's affections are quickly occupied by a
Captain Benwick, a close friend of the Harvilles. Henrietta's affections are committed to her cousin, Charles
Hayter, leaving Frederick free to
pursue other potential brides, including Anne.

In Bath, Sir Walter and Elizabeth are more than content parading around and
fawning over anyone who sounds important. A welcome addition to their circle
arrives, a William Elliot, the heir and nephew of Sir Walter. Mr Elliot is recently widowed and desperate
to promote goodwill between himself and the Elliot family. This is a turnabout in his character because
previously, he was apparently married to an ?unsuitable" woman with no
interest in the family or the estate.

Anne is taken with him at first, which spurs Captain
Wentworth into action. However the
Captain does not show that he retains any affection for Anne, which hurts her
pride as she is still battling with her feelings for him.

The Elliots continue in their selfish, unobservant
ways and the Musgraves are occupied with their noisy family, so no one sees or
cares about Anne?s or Captain Wentworth?s feelings.

A myriad of small obstacles stand in their way: the
demands of their respective families, the noisy bustle of Bath, the past regrets
and disappointments, the uncertainty of each other's feelings, the influence of
Lady Russell, the attentions of William Elliot all prevent Anne and Frederick
of declaring their feelings for each other. Elizabeth?s haughty selfishness,
Sir Walter?s vanity and Mary?s self absorption even with regards to her own
children adds to the richness of the story.

The formula is set and naturally Anne and Frederick,
determined not to pass upa second chance of happiness, finally get
together. In reaching this conclusion
the writer weaves in a network of plots, sub plots and diversions which
distract and surprise before she allows the characters to end the story.

Anne is just a little to true, too pliant, to
obliging and willing to be put upon and fall in with everyone?s plans for her
that at times the reader does wonder if she will ever get what she wants. However, as always, love wins out at the
end.

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