Persuasion
Jane Austen
A Public Domain Kindle E-book. First published 1818
All the complaints I have made previously about Austen's books apply to this one. One difference, though only a slight one, is her acknowledgement of the fortunes made by British Navy officers through 'prize money', an euphemism for piracy (though this is not described as such, or in any but admiring tones). This is a nod to the historical context, though a distant one, with no mention of the Napoleonic wars then raging. The female-centred story again talks about a heroine who is initially disfavoured by the neighbourhood society, in contrast to her smart and popular, but silly step-sisters. At the end, though, it is she who snares (or, rather, is snared by) the most eligible bachelor of the bunch, and the one with the most decent character. Before that happens, however, there are several parties, walks in the park and by the seaside, encounters with undesirable men and women, and so on. The characters, as usual, are well-etched, and realistic, I suppose, for those times. The feelings expressed by them are familiar, even from what I understand of people today. So I guess they are universal, though banal. The writing is as smooth as honey, and as pleasant. It's only the story that's a little boring, and deja vu inducing. 'Easy reading' is how I'd classify it.
The 'Persuasion' in the title is a rather lame reference to the heroine's being persuaded by her mentor (a lady in their neighbourhood who acts as kind of governess after the death of her mother) to give up her first love, because he was 'only' a clergyman's son, lacking prospects, or 'expectations'.
No comments:
Post a Comment