THE PERSUASION OF MISS JANE AUSTEN BLOG TOUR - GUEST POST BY SHANNON WINSLOW

Many thanks to Maria for inviting me to visit as part of my virtual book tour for my new novel, The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen! For today’s post, Maria challenged me to devise a “top ten” list of some kind. I decided to go with my top ten personal favorite quotes from the book – excerpts I’ve never shared before. It’s a collaborative effort between Jane Austen and myself, as you will see.

The Persuasion of Miss Jane Austen represents the private journal the great authoress wrote alongside the novel Persuasion, documenting the story behind the story – her real, life-long romance with a sea captain of her own. She’s reflecting back on their early days of exquisite felicity, their painful parting, and what became of their second chance years later – the events which inspired what she wrote in her final, most-poignant novel.

Jane’s relationship with her captain didn’t influence only Persuasion, though, but all her other books as well. She says…

PERSUASION IN JANE AUSTEN'S PERSUASION AND ... OTHER NOVELS

by guest blogger Victoria Grossack

Some may think that focusing on the art and importance of persuasion in Jane Austen’s last written novel, Persuasion, is inappropriate, for she did not choose this title herself.  The book was published after her death, and its title chosen by one of her brothers, Henry Austen.  While writing it Jane called the story “The Elliots.”  Henry Austen likewise chose the title for his sister’s other posthumously published work, Northanger Abbey, called“Susan” during Jane Austen’s life (readers may notice that Northanger Abbey has no Susan in it; when Jane Austen revised this work, she changed the heroine’s name from Susan to Catherine).Henry Austen may have selected the titlePersuasion based on its similarity to the titles of two of his sister’s other successful works: Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility.  Perhaps Persuasion, being shorter, merits only a single word.

Jane Austen’s other novels contain explicit examples of persuasion that are vital to their plots.  In Sense and Sensibility, John Dashwoodis persuaded by his wife not to assist his half-sisters.  Pride and Prejudice’s Mr. Bingley is persuaded by his sisters and Mr. Darcy to stay away from Jane Bennet, a decision he regrets and eventually puts aside.  Emma persuades Harriet Smith that Mr. Elton is in love with her.  The Thorpes persuade General Tilney that Catherine Morland is broke.Fanny Price is pressured by many to accept Henry Crawford as a suitor in Mansfield Park; even though she is generally considered the weakest of the heroines, she resists firmly. 

SEARCHING FOR CAPTAIN WENTWORTH BLOG TOUR - INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR JANE ODIWE + GIVEAWAY

After reading Searching for Captain Wentworth, her Persuasion based just released novel I had some questions for Jane Odiwe. She gladly accepted to answer and even granted you readers of My Jane Austen Book Club a signed paperback copy of the book. Leave your comment + your e-mail address, where we can contact you in order to be entered in the giveaway contest. It's open internationally and ends on 21st September.

Hello Jane and welcome back to My Jane Austen Book Club. I’ve just finished reading your new Searching For Captain Wentworth and I’ve got some questions for you.  First of all, congratulations on another delightful Austen-inspired novel.  I loved reading it. Then, to my first question: are you still searching for your Captain Wentworth?

No, I’m very lucky - I met my Captain Wentworth when I was 17 - there were a few obstacles in our way at first, but we overcame them and have been happily married for many years!

If you had to choose between Captain Wentworth and Mr Darcy?

Captain Wentworth every time! What’s not to love? He’s a man in uniform, a self-made man and writes an amazing love letter! Mr Darcy can be a bit of a stuffed shirt, though I love the way he realises his mistakes.

JANE AUSTEN'S BIRTHDAY SOIREE - BEST WISHES FROM YOUR BEST MEN, MISS AUSTEN!

Welcome to the  Jane Austen's Birthday Soiree on My Jane Austen Book Club! You know, this is an idea  Katherine Cox's at November's Autumn  and I had some time ago and we've invited other bloggers and Austen writers to join us in this celebration of Jane Austen's Birthday. 

But, after 30 of those friends accepted the invitation,   something strange happenedto me: the more I tried to figure out something special and original as Jane's birthday gift the more I found my ideas  and words inadequate. Our gifts could be letters (Jane loved writing them and wrote brilliant ones), cards or any other item we could think of, and we had to post it or about it today, on December 16th. So,  I decided to leave space to Jane's best men: who better than them can use words effectively and to the point? And who could  make Jane happier as guests to her birthday party? So, I'll leave the stage to Mr Darcy, Mr Tilney, Mr Knightley, Edmund Bertram, Colonel Brandon and Captain Wentworth. They and their words are my gift to Jane. 

There are gifts for you as well! You'll find a great Austenesque giveaway contest on each one of the participating blogs. Click, visit, comment all of them following the links in the list below and you'll get plenty of chances to win extraordinary prizes! Start from here, if you wish. The details of my giveaway are below, at the end of this post, which I really hope you'll like. Good luck to you all and a very happy birthday to our dear Jane.

WHAT IS CAPTAIN WENTWORTH’S X-FACTOR? JULIET ARCHER'S GUESTBLOG + GIVEAWAY OF PERSUADE ME

Today's guest here on My Jane Austen Book Club is Juliet Archer. She was already here on 15th September, on occasion of the release of her PERSUADE ME, a modern retelling of Persuasion, Jane Austen's last novel.
In this guestblog she answers one of the questions I sent her for my interview. She liked it so much, she asked me to write a separate post. What's Captain Wentworth X-factor? Enjoy her piece, answer the question yourself in your comment and  enter the giveaway of a copy of PERSUADE ME. Don't forget your e-mail address, please.

This was originally one of Maria’s questions. I liked it so much that I asked to write a separate guest blog on it!

When Anne first falls in love with Wentworth, he has all the right ingredients to succeed (apart from the wealth and position that her family value most), but these have yet to be put to the test. The man who shows up years later is outwardly a success, but emotionally a wreck. And, it seems, the woman who hurt him is the only one who can heal him. But he has to change to win her back, just as she has to leave her comfort zone and earn his trust.

I think his X-factor is his heroic struggle to overcome his previous pain and disappointment; but he only achieves this by discovering – and appreciating – Anne’s worth all over again.

So, what about my version – Dr Rick Wentworth? The outward trappings may have changed – he’s a scientist rather than a naval captain, and he’s been in Australia for ten years instead of in the Napoleonic Wars for eight – but in essence he’s the same damaged hero as Austen’s original. He’s still a self-made man, a sharp contrast to Sir Walter with his inherited wealth and privilege. His strong relationship with his sister Sophie Croft and her husband remains, as does his instinctive kindness to Anne at Uppercross, rescuing her from one of the unruly Musgrove boys and arranging a lift for her on the walk.

All you Austen addicts will notice some differences. For example, there’s more tension initially between Wentworth and Charles Musgrove, with Rick suspecting the worst about him and Anna, and no apparent reconciliation with Lady Russell. My story hints at a hard working-class upbringing for Wentworth, a common factor for many English self-made men. And being a celebrity today – even a minor one – involves much more than having one’s career documented in the Navy List!

But Rick still buys an umbrella in Bath, and offers it to Anna, and writes her a letter …

Juliet Archer

GIVEAWAY TIME!!! 

So, what do you think is Captain Wentworth X-factor? Leave your answer + your e-mail address and get a chance to win a copy of PERSUADE ME, Juliet Archer's modern version of Austen's Persuasion. This giveaway is open worldwide and ends on 4th October.  

Visit Juliet Archer's site

Read my review of Persuade Me

Talking Jane Austen with ... Juliet Archer

THE PERFECT HERO by VICTORIA CONNELLY - REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

GIVEAWAY 

There's an international giveaway linked to this post granted by HarperCollins. Read my review of Victoria Connelly's second novel in the Austen Addicts Trilogy, The Perfect Hero. Leave your comment saying who your perfect hero is from fiction or real life, don't forget to add your e-mail address, and you'll have the chance to win a copy of this romantic and amusing Austenesque read. The giveaway ends on June 14th when the name of the winner will be announced. 

P.S. Many readers have been experiencing troubles logging in and trying to comment on blogger blogs. If you can't comment, send an e-mail message to learnonline.mgs@gmail.com saying you want to be entered in this  giveaway contest.  

Review and giveaway are part of the 

JANE IN JUNE II event hosted at Book Rat by Misty.

MY REVIEW 

“Maybe Jane Austen’s fans are destined to be disappointed by love because nothing could ever live up to the happy endings created in fiction”. 

This is what Adam Craig, one of the main characters in Victoria Connelly’s latest novel, thinks. The same can be said of the perfect hero: who might live up to Mr Darcy’s charm or Captain Wentworth’s passionate loyalty? Maybe... your favourite actor? Someone you admire and dream about? Imagine that  he, a real dream-come-true, arrives where you have just opened a B&B and is one of your first guests with the director and a bunch of colleagues.  Imagine also that he starts flirting with you disguised as Captain Wentworth since the cast you host  is shooting Persuasion. Add to these facts that this dream man is the most handsome you’ve ever laid eyes on, with his blond hair and blue eyes. Wouldn’t you think the perfect hero has landed into your real life? I’m sure that, like Kay Ashton,  you would.

Let’s cool our enthusiasm and give this story some order.

Die-hard romantic  Kay Ashton uses her inheritance to open a B&B in the seaside town of Lyme Regis in Dorset and is dumbstruck when the cast and crew of a new production of Persuasion descend, needing a place to stay. Kay can’t believe her luck – especially when she realises that heart-throb actor Oli Wade Owen will be sleeping under her very own roof!

Meanwhile, co-star Gemma Reilly is worried that her acting isn’t up to scratch, despite landing a plum role. She finds a sympathetic ear in shy producer, Adam Craig, who is baffled by the film world as she is. Kay thinks the two, Gemma and Adam, are meant for each other and can’t resist to try herself at matchmaking like Austen’s  Miss Woodhouse.

Then when Oli turns his trademark charm on Kay, it seems that she has found her real-life hero. But do heroes really exist?  Or do they only exist in movies and books?

Kay is a lovely heroine who reminds partly Emma,  in her funny attempts at matchmaking,  as well as Marianne,  in her romantic, passionate, naive vision of love. Oli Wade Owen in Wentworth’s uniform has the aspect of Rupert Penry Jones (on the left) and  the impertinence of  George Wickham.

Gemma Reilly  recalls Anne Elliot in her initial little self-confidence overcome little by little in her journey through the book.  

Adam Craig ... well, Adam -  not to give away too much -  is ...  my favourite character together with his hilarious grandmother, Nana Craig. She is funny, colourful and terribly nosy.  She has hated actors since she was left by her husband,  in search for fame in the movies,  for a  beautiful actress.  She has brought Adam up and their relationship is definitely unique.

Could I not like a romance set in Lyme Regis, with a glamorous cast shooting Persuasion involved, written with  a light touch and witty prose, featuring  gorgeous heroes and beautiful sensitive heroines? There’s too much of what I like best  not to recommend it to all of you, Janeites like me,  or fond of romances in general. 

If you liked, A Weekend with Mr Darcy, you can't miss this!

GUESTBLOG: JULIET ARCHER, TAMPERING WITH PERFECTION + GIVEAWAY

Juliet Archer describes herself as ‘a 19^th-century mind in a 21^st-century body – actually, some days it’s the other way round’. She is on a mission to modernise all six of Jane Austen’s completed novels. The first in the series, The Importance of Being Emma, was shortlisted for the 2009 Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance – a genre she believes Austen excelled at. The second, Persuade Me, will be published in September. You can find out more about Juliet on www.julietarcher.com and www.austenauthors.com; she is also taking part in the Austen Twitter Project. Today she is talking to My Jane Austen Book Club about Austen’s heroes and offering a copy of The Importance of Being Emma as a giveaway. Please comment and provide your email address if you would like to be entered into the giveaway competition.Open worldwide, this giveaway ends on April 14th.

Hi, everyone! And thank you, Maria , for inviting me along. I love your blog and drop in as often as I can.

Some of you may be asking, ‘Why on earth would anyone tamper with Jane Austen?’ Well, first of all, my theory is that most romantic fiction is modeled on one of Austen’s stories. Hate at first sight? Think Pride & Prejudice. Lost love regained? Persuasion. Old friends falling in love? Emma. Love Gothic-fantasy-style? Northanger Abbey, and so on. Second, if you want to write comedy romance, why not learn from the master of the genre? Austen attained absolute perfection with her unforgettable characters, sparkling dialogue, elegant prose and page-turning plots.

But in my view there’s no point in producing a pale imitation – you have to tamper with it to make it your own. That’s why I’ve decided not only to bring Austen’s novels bang up to date, but also to get inside the heads of her heroes. I find that this is the most enjoyable part of modernising Austen – filling in the gaps that she left in our understanding of her male characters. Apparently, she never wrote a scene with just men in it – there had to be a woman. For each of her heroes, therefore, she provides a starting point and an end point and a few little clues along the way – but the rest is up to me!

Inevitably, modernising Jane Austen’s novels means taking certain liberties with the originals, mainly around transporting the characters, dialogue and plot lines into today’s world. These liberties are acceptable to Austen fans, because without them the modernisation would be stuck in a time warp, belonging to neither the 19^th nor the 21^st century. 

See all Jane Austen heroes HERE

 When it comes to tampering with Austen’s heroes, however, an author is treading on far more dangerous ground. Imagine Mr Darcy with a lisp, or a manic-depressive Henry Tilney! But sometimes leaving them unchanged just will not do.

When I started my first modernisation, The Importance of Being Emma, I took a long, serious look at George Knightley. Forget Jeremy Northam, Mark Strong and Jonny Lee Miller, who portray him on screen! In the original, he’s 37, has no apparent history with the opposite sex, is a pillar of Highbury society and woos Emma with the immortal line, ‘God knows, I have been a very indifferent lover’. So, on paper at least, he has far less appeal for most readers than Darcy or Wentworth. And why would 21-year-old Emma Woodhouse, with her rampant eligibility and penchant for matchmaking, consider him remotely lustworthy? Well, knowing the original Emma, she was after position rather than passion – but my heroine was already evolving into a sassy, savvy, 21^st-century woman.

There was no alternative: George Knightley had to have a makeover. I cut the age difference between him and Emma, to make sure he’s not old enough (technically) to be her father. Changed his first name from George to Mark (in spite of my weakness for George Clooney, ‘George’ just didn’t feel right as I didn’t know any 34-year-olds by that name – they’re all much older or younger). Gave him a stunning girlfriend, and kept him well away from Highbury while Emma was growing up. It seems to have worked: readers love the new Knightley, as does Emma who we first meet at 14 years old, in the prologue. It’s a flashback to the moment when Knightley discovers she has a crush on him; he deals with it less than sympathetically, giving Emma every reason to resist his charms when they meet years later …

And if I say that Mark Knightley is six foot two, dark-haired and blue-eyed, can you guess who my inspiration was for this makeover?  

Yes! Richard Armitage. Who else?

 Moving on to my next modernisation, however, the hero of Persuasion didn’t need any tampering with – apart from giving him a more convincing reason to disappear for 8 years than the Napoleonic Wars! I still wanted him to do something sea-related – so Captain Frederick Wentworth has become Dr Rick Wentworth, a marine biologist who’s become a world expert on sea dragons, beautiful creatures that live only off the south coast of Australia. He returns to England on a book tour and meets Anna Elliot, the girl who refused to go to Australia with him 8 years ago. The words ‘forgive and forget’ aren’t in Rick’s vocabulary, but the word ‘regret’ is definitely in Anna’s. When they meet again, can she persuade him that their lost love is worth a second chance? You’ll have to read the book to find out – although I suspect you already know what the answer is!

I’ve already started work on my third Austen modernisation, Northanger Abbey. Like Wentworth, the delicious Henry Tilney doesn’t need much tampering with. Neither will Darcy, I’m sure, when I get round to updating Pride & Prejudice.

But what about Edward Ferrars and Edmund Bertram? They’re often considered the least attractive of Austen’s male leads. For a start, each is entangled with the anti-heroine, Lucy Steele and Mary Crawford respectively, to a far greater extent than Austen’s other heroes. Both have a second, potentially more attractive, male lead to contend with – Colonel Brandon and Henry Crawford. Finally, on the page their personalities have less impact than playful Henry Tilney or brooding Fitzwilliam Darcy. At this stage, I see Edmund as more of a challenge than Edward – but who knows?

Let’s return now to my 21^st-century version of Wentworth and an extract from Persuade Me – that fateful moment when he and Anna meet again in Uppercross, at the house of Charles and Mona (another name change, for obvious reasons!) Musgrove:

Charles took a little turning off the lane, beside a large sign saying ‘Uppercross Manor’, and Rick followed him blindly. Down a side path, into a sudden fragrance of lavender, across a wide sunny terrace strewn with kids’ toys. Then through a door and –

Two worlds collided. The one he inhabited now, with its ship-like order and restraint; and the one he’d glimpsed eight years ago. With a girl who’d once wiggled her toes at him until he caught hold of her small, perfect foot and covered it in kisses.

This girl. These toes. This foot.

He dragged his gaze to her face. She was too busy with the little boy to notice him, so he had several long seconds to study her haggard, unkempt appearance. He felt oddly pleased that she’d lost her looks; especially since she wouldn’t see much change in his.

At last, she glanced up and their eyes met. He watched her smile fade and her face go rigid with disbelief; then she flushed and looked away.

The boy broke the strained silence. ‘Who dat man?’

Charles breezed in – Rick hadn’t even realised that he’d gone out of the room – and said, ‘That’s Rick, he’s coming up to see our lake. Sorry, Rick, haven’t introduced you. This is Anna, Mona’s sister, and my son, Harry. By the way, Anna, have you seen my spare rod?’

She gave him a stunned look, but said nothing.

Charles’s voice softened noticeably. ‘Don’t worry, you’re obviously on another planet, I’ll check the shed.’ He turned to Rick and added, ‘She’s whacked – my other son sprained his ankle yesterday and he’s had a bit of a restless night. Poor Anna bore the brunt, she’s wonderful with the children, always happy to come and help us out.’

Quite the little ménage à trois, Rick thought sourly. He cleared his throat, muttered ‘Hi’ and followed Charles outside.

It was over. He’d met her again and he’d felt nothing. Nothing at all.

I hope you recognise something of Jane Austen’s original hero and feel that my tampering has not been in vain!

Thank you for ‘listening’ – any questions?

Juliet Archer

RE-WATCHING PERSUASION (1995 & 2007)

PERSUASION 1995

Starring : Amanda Root as Anne Elliot, Ciarán Hinds as Captain Wentworth, Sophie Thompson as Mary Musgrove, Corin Redgrave as Sir Walter Elliot, Victoria Hamilton as Henrietta Musgrove, Fiona Shaw as Mrs. Croft, and Susan Fleetwood as Lady Russell

What I like in this older film version ...

The film manages to capture the poignancy and beauty of the novel and, surprisingly, stays rather faithful to the book. The whole things is very understated and subtle but the body language is electric. Amanda Root and Ciarán Hinds excel as the leads and their on-screen chemistry is unmistakable as smouldering, unexpressed emotions threaten to penetrate the surface of their reserve. To read the great anxiety and breathtaking emotion on a manly face as Ciaràn Hinds's is touching.

I don't know exactly why,  but I find this Persuasion 1995 far more affecting than Pride and Prejudice 1995, though the leads there may be sexier. The supporting cast are wonderful and I'm sure that, if you are a lover of Jane Austen the writer rather than simply adaptions of Jane Austen,  you will like this version.

.

PERSUASION 2007

Starring: Sally Hawkins - Anne Elliot, Rupert Penry-Jones - Captain Frederick Wentworth, Anthony Stewart Head - Sir Walter Elliot, Julia Davis - Elizabeth Elliot, Amanda Hale - Mary Elliot Musgrove, Sam Hazeldine - Charles Musgrove, Nicholas Farrell - Mr. Musgrove, Alice Krige - Lady Russell, Tobias Menzies - William Elliot, Jennifer Higham - Louisa Musgrove

What I like in ITV recent TV movie ...

Actually I saw Persuasion 1995 only after this newer version, as a comparison and for a sense of duty. It was a cult a Janeite can't avoid watching. But Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry -Jones were in my mind the first visual representations of Anne and her Wentworth that I could compare to the works of my imagination dating back to the first reading of the book.

I had a soft spot for Rupert Penry-Jones when I bought the DVD ,  I had seen him as Adam Carter in Spooks in at least 2 series at that time and watching him as my first Captain Wentworth on screen just took my breath away. He embodied my Captain Wentworth to perfection. The first time he enters that room - and he is utterly dashing -   with his  blue eyes staring at Anne with cold anger,  I can't avoid shivering. Yes , I know, many  Janeite watchers  have claimed that he is too handsome, his features too gentle to realistically embody a  navy captain roughed by sailing. However, I can't but like him, just as he is. A gourgeously fascinating captain Wentworth.

I also liked Sally Hawkins. Just like Amanda Root , she's not dashinlgy beautiful , but  she works divinely with her looks and facial expressions and is so compelling in her desperate running after Wentworth in the end. Her physical effort, her palpitating excitement, a tear dropping down just in the expectation of a long-wished kiss make the moment of the declaration awesome. Not very Austenesque? Maybe, but very romantic.

Am I supposed to choose my favourite one  at this point? No, please don't ask me. I honestly find them both very good, though one is more appreciated by my literary taste and the other one by my impulsive love for  romance. Is it a deuce acceptable?

Ok. That is all for now. Remember, Jane in June goes on with all its fun at Book Rat. And this post is part of the event. Remember you've got the possibility to win my double giveaway just leaving your comments on the posts showing this badge on the left. For more information on June's giveaway, check my right sidebar. Good luck!

THOUGHTS ON CAPTAIN WENTWORTH - THIS MONTH'S HERO

(Captain Wentworth 2007 , Rupert Penry-Jones)

"A man does not recover from such a devotion of the heart to such a woman! He ought not; he does not”.

Is Captain Wentworth the prototype of the romantic hero? In fact , Persuasion is more an elogizing over the self-made man. A very brave, obstinate, handsome and charming self -made man. But Captain Wentworth is just one of several naval officers in this story who have risen from humble beginnings to affluence and status on the strength of merit and luck, not by inheritance. It marks a time where the very roots of society were changing, as 'old money' (exemplified by Sir Walter) had to accommodate the rising strength of the nouveau riche (such as Wentworth). The success of Austen's own two brothers in the Royal Navy is probably significant.

(Captain Wentworth 1971, Bryan Marshall)

Captain Wentworth had no fortune. He had been lucky in his profession; but spending freely, what had come freely, had realized nothing. But he was confident that he should soon be rich: full of life and ardour, he knew that he should soon have a ship, and soon be on a station that would lead to everything he wanted. He had always been lucky; he knew he should be so still. (chapter 4)

(Captain Wentworth 1995, Ciaràn Hinds)

Captain Wentworth is the prototype of the 'new gentleman.' Maintaining the good manners, consideration, and sensitivity of the older type, he adds the qualities of gallantry, independence, and bravery that come with being a well- respected Naval officer. He has made his own fortune through hard work and good sense, in direct contrast to Sir Walter Elliot, Anne’s father, who has only wasted the money that came to him through his title. Without land or high birth, Captain Wentworth is not the traditional match for a woman of Anne Elliot's position.

In the novel, Captain Wentworth develops, eventually overcoming his pride and shame at being once refused, in order to make another ardent overture to his chosen bride: his extraordinarily passionate  letter which was partly the topic of this post of mine in November 2009 .  This development is a sign of a promising future for their relationship. Like Admiral Croft, who allows his wife to drive the carriage alongside him and to help him steer, Captain Wentworth will make Anne happy, respecting and loving her throughout their marriage. This is Austen ideal vision of marriage, a “marriage of true minds”.

Though, when the paths of Wentworth and Anne do cross again,  he goes for a woman who’s the opposite to Anne: Louisa Musgrove. While Anne tends to watch and listen, Louisa is the one who is being watched and listened to by others. Since Louisa goes out and gets what she wants, whether it’s fixing her sister up with Charles Hayter or arranging a family trip to Lyme, Wentworth thinks that’s a sign of her firmness of character. And firmness of character, in his mind, translates as reliability – he can trust that once she makes up her mind, she’ll stick to it, while with persuadable characters there’s no way of knowing what they’ll do next. Wentworth tells Louisa as much:

"It is the worst evil of too yielding and indecisive a character, that no influence over it can be depended on. You are never sure of a good impression being durable; everybody may sway it." (chapter 10)

So, whatever might have been, what we have by the time the novel itself begins is a Wentworth who is doing very well for himself. What he lacks in birth and family connections, he makes up for in wealth and charisma. His "air" (chapter 20) is such that even Lady Dalrymple admires him. His ability to make a convert of even Sir Walter by the novel’s end shows how far money and style can get you even in aristocratic society, and suggests that the social hierarchy might be more open to change than it initially seems.

To get to his eventual revelation of feelings he needs some help, he needs to be sure, he needs to hear Anne demonstrate she's changed. That's spurs his will, he writes his letter while listening to Ann talk to Captain Harville: "No, no, it is not man's nature. I will not allow it to be more man's  nature than woman's to be inconstant and forget those they do love, or have loved. I believe the reverse. I believe in a true analogy between our bodily frames and our mental; and that as our bodies are the strongest, so are our feelings; capable of bearing most rough usage, and riding out the heaviest weather."

"Your feelings may be the strongest," replied Anne, "but the same spirit of analogy will authorise me to assert that ours are the most tender. Man is more robust than woman, but he is not longer lived; which exactly explains my view of the nature of their attachments. Nay, it would be too hard upon you, if it were otherwise. You have difficulties, and privations, and dangers enough to struggle with. You are always labouring and toiling, exposed to every risk and hardship.Your home, country, friends, all quitted. Neither time, nor health,

nor life, to be called your own. It would be hard, indeed" (with a faltering voice), "if woman's feelings were to be added to all this."

 

Only then Captain Wentworth beautiful words starts flowing down the paper ...

"I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago". ........

Do you think you know Persuasion well?

Try this QUIZ!

And remember this post is part of the Jane in June event, so leaving your comments here you can have another chance to win my double giveaway. Have a look at my right sidebar for information. Good luck!