To be honest, I did not begin Persuasion in any excited or eager
fashion. Prior to reading the book, I had engaged with two other Austen works: Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. While I do not
find Austen’s writing style disagreeable, I must note a remarkable similarity
between her works. Austen certainly wrote what she knew, and what she knew was
the landed gentry class, ballroom etiquette, and the strife of courting and
marriage. The books are not without merit, but I view them as “beating the same
drum.” Yet with Persuasion, though I
believe Austen repeats the same themes and topics, she does so with a bit of
freshness and maturity that reflects her development as a writer. Particularly,
the satirical and critical aspects of Persuasion
come through, breathing enough spirit into the text to hold my interest.
To
be as academically topical as possible, I believe that Austen’s usage of both
indirect and direct satire is fairly humorous. Characters within Persuasion speak for themselves in terms
of actions and speech, but just as often Austen will characterize on her own,
portraying exaggerated or ridiculous qualities. From class positions to subtle flaws,
characters in Persuasion are
effectively presented in satirical fashion. Some characters, such as Sir Walter
Elliot, are easily seen as parodies of their nonfictional counterparts. A
decent amount of situational irony is also employed throughout Persuasion, which helps to convey
Austen’s personal ideals.
Sir
Walter Elliot is the most accessible example of satirical parody in Austen’s
book. At the very beginning of the story, readers are introduced to a man who
“considered the blessing of beauty as inferior only to the blessing of a
baronetcy; and the Sir Walter Elliot, who united these gifts, was the constant
object of his warmest respect and devotion” (Austen 4). Help is, indeed, given
by Austen rather directly as a narrator to make fun of Sir Walter. Still,
readers get a strong sense of the man as pompous, vain, and self-infatuated.
Sir Walter is described as passing his time with the Baronetage, which
recounted his family’s aristocratic lineage, and thus “he could read his own
history with an interest which never failed” (Austen 3). Through Sir Walter,
Austen quickly establishes a connotation with privileged elites, one that
associates wealth and status with a penchant for narrow-mindedness and vaporous
sense.
Austen
nicely contrasts the likes of Sir Walter, an established and conservative man,
with that of Admiral Croft. The Crofts and other characters in Persuasion share the common theme of
being Navy members. A reader cannot possibly get through the book without
observing the ubiquity of the Navy and the men who serve therein. Of course,
such was not done by Austen by accident, but rather her esteem and admiration
for the individuals of the service prompted their inclusion. Austen comments on
class structure and the validity of merit in weighing a person’s worth, and
does so most obviously via Sir Walter and Admiral Croft. When first presented
with the idea of a sailor renting Kellynch Hall, Sir Walter replies with his
issues with the profession. He declares that the Navy is “the means of bringing
persons of obscure birth into undue distinction… and… it cuts up a man’s youth and vigour most
horribly” (Austen 15). Evidently, the parody that is Sir Walter takes issue
with someone succeeding on merit over heritage, an offense made worse by a lack
of beauty.
A few weeks after
the Crofts have settled into Kellynch Hall, Anne goes to visit them. While
commenting on slight alterations to the property, Admiral Croft notes that Sir
Walter “must be rather a dressy man for his time of life. Such a number of
looking-glasses! Oh, Lord! There was not getting away from one’s self” (Austen
91). With a hint of exaggeration, Austen humorously portrays Sir Walter’s vain
and narcissistic habits. Of course, it is Admiral Croft who has the mirrors
removed (for a much more modest setup). Both men symbolize the virtues (or
flaws) that Austen sees in their respective classes. And, in playing the two
characters in such a way, leaves the reader with an appreciation for the Navy
that is nonexistent for Sir Walter’s sphere of life.
Throughout Persuasion, Austen provides an
impression of disapproval for the rigid, stubborn old wealth by highlighting
the good lives of all those who do not fit into the class. Admiral Croft and
the other Navy officers represent but one chunk of this trend. The experiences
of Anne, especially in the enjoyment she gains by spending time with the
Musgroves or Mrs. Smith, provide further support. As Austen makes clear, Anne
finds no fondness or encouragement amongst her family, specifically her father
and Elizabeth, her sister. Though the Musgroves do not rest on the same status
level as Anne, she adores their company and familial atmosphere and dreads her
eventual residence in Bath with the rest of the Elliot blood. Upon entering
Bath, Anne “looked back with fond regret to the bustles of Uppercross and the
seclusion of Kellynch” (Austen97). Yet, even in Bath, Anne finds company in
Mrs. Smith, a remarkably less well-off individual in comparison to the Elliots.
Regardless, Anne respects and prefers Mrs. Smith, as opposed to the boring (but
elevated!) company of Lady Dalyrymple and Miss Carteret. Anne even contemplates
that Miss Carteret “would never have been tolerated in Camden Place but for her
birth” (Austen 108).
While other subtle
instances of satire exist through Persuasion,
I found myself constantly returning to the juxtaposition of “elite” versus “common”.
Though, in the case of the Musgroves or the Crofts, “common” is not quite apt,
for they possess positions of status and respect. Yet to the likes of Sir
Walter Elliot, a baronet, such people are beneath him and his well-bred
company. I definitely experienced greater amusement with Persuasion than Austen’s earlier works, and largely attribute this
fact to the maturity of subject and commentary in the book. However, I am much
more eager to read O’Brien.
Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Persuasion. New York: Random House, Inc., 1995. Print.
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