Persuasion

Jane AustenApr 2015

4.1

Word count: 97K words
Chapters: 25

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Summary

This volume, first published in 2006, is a comprehensive scholarly edition of Jane Austen's innovative final novel.

Editor's review

Persuasion is Austen's last completed novel. It is not long, yet it renders "second chances" with extreme restraint. Anne Elliot, as her youth is slipping away, meets her former lover again. On the surface the story is about a marriage choice; beneath it lies a layered examination of persuasion, compliance, regret, and self-affirmation. Austen writes with a cool, understated touch the tentative probing in dialogue and the failures of speech in social settings, and she also captures the new atmosphere brought by the naval class. There is no exaggerated conflict, yet emotion accumulates through waiting and misunderstanding, and in the end reveals a mature weight. This scholarly edition helps readers attend to historical context and linguistic detail while reading closely—suited to those willing to slow down and savor irony and reticence. It offers no noisy theatricality, but its edge shows in quiet places, making it a volume especially worth returning to when rereading Austen.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who love Austen and want her mature work can appreciate a more restrained and inward emotional style.
Readers who have known missed chances and reunions, and are willing to reflect on "listening to advice" versus autonomy in intimate relationships.
Close readers who prefer psychological portraiture, irony, and everyday dialogue, and do not depend on strong plot.
Students of English literature, or readers who wish to read the text closely with the help of a scholarly edition.

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting passionate confessions, dense conflict, or dramatic reversals may find the story flat.
Readers wholly unfamiliar with nineteenth-century English country social etiquette, and unwilling to slow down, may struggle to enter the situation.
Readers who want only a plot summary and are unwilling to ponder the subtext of dialogue may easily miss the book's brilliance.

Reading tips

First clarify, along a timeline, each contact between Anne and Wentworth after their reunion, noting what she leaves unsaid.
Pay attention to the ways "persuasion" recurs in the novel; consider who persuades whom, on what grounds, and at what cost.
Slow down when reading dialogue; distinguish the probing and emotion beneath polite phrasing, then revisit key scenes.
Read the main text first, then consult background notes and annotations, so as not to let interpretation frame your judgment prematurely.

Copyright information
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24

FAQ

Is Persuasion Austen's last novel?

Yes. It is the last novel Austen completed and revised in her lifetime, and is usually associated with the more mature, restrained style of her later period; for specific edition information, consult the publisher's note in this volume.

Can I read this directly without having read Austen's other works?

Certainly. The book stands alone, and its characters and plot do not depend on the other novels; if you have read Pride and Prejudice, you will more easily notice her quieter, more reticent turn in Persuasion.

Is this scholarly edition suitable for general readers?

Yes, but with a caveat: a scholarly edition may contain considerable background explanation and annotation. On a first reading, read the main text first and leave the introduction until afterward, so that an analytical framework does not preempt your own judgment.

What exactly does "persuasion" refer to in the novel?

It refers both to Anne's yielding to others' advice years earlier and giving up the engagement, and to the characters' continual acceptance or resistance of outside opinions in family, social, and romantic life; as you read, note the power and emotion behind each act of persuasion.

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About the author

Jane Austen Author · British · 1775–1817

Jane Austen (1775–1817) was a British novelist, born into the family of a clergyman in Steventon, Hampshire, and she remained unmarried throughout her life. She wrote six novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Persuasion, and Northanger Abbey. With delicate irony she portrayed the marriages and daily life of the English gentry, and she is regarded as one of the most important writers in the history of the English novel. Her works are commonly classified under foreign literature, inspirational growth, and world classics, and they are widely read among Chinese readers; this library holds 88 editions of her works.