Title: Persuasion
Author: Jane Austen
Published by: Gramedia Pustaka Utama
Published on: 2019 (Originally in 1817)
Pages: 327
You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope.
-Chapter 23
Persuasion holds a special place in my heart, as it was Jane Austen's last completed book. The shortness of the story might have been affected by the illness she had in the final year of her life. It is special, too, because to be perfectly honest I disliked it on my first read almost a decade ago, only to finally be able to fully appreciate it once I was the same age as Anne Elliott.
Meet our main heroine, Anne Elliott. She was a 27 year old woman from a noble family. Her father, Sir Walter Elliott, was probably the most vain character Austen had ever invented. I mean Emma was sort of vain but she was fun and endearing, whereas Sir Walter Elliott was..... *coughs* ANYWAYS. I guess the only person more vain than he was Elizabeth, his eldest daughter. Anne was the middle child. Her baby sister, Mary, was a self-centered, overly-dramatic lass who fortunately managed to find an unfortunate gentleman to marry, lol.
You might wonder why I decided to explain the characters of each member of the Elliott household. It is important to the main conflict. See, seven years ago, she was engaged to one Frederick Wentworth, a sailor. Having a family that proud, they were dismissive towards Frederick, thinking a mere sailor was not good enough for an Elliott clan. Add Lady Russell, a good friend to her late mother, chiming in, poor Anne decided to end their engagement.
Fast forward, Anne was now 27 years old, still unmarried, and by society's standard had passed her prime. Even Jane described her as having lost her youthful beauty. The Elliott clan was on the verge of bankruptcy due to Sir Walter's excessive spending. They decided to rent out Kellynch Hall and live in Bath. By they, I meant Sir Walter and Elizabeth. Anne was tasked with renting out the estate. As providence would have it, the wife of the sailor who wanted to rent it was Frederick's sister. And guess whaa? Frederick was in town, looking for suitor.
As we all might have guessed, old feelings came flooding back to dear Anne. Frederick, still bitter by the way she ended their engagement, was at first cold but later tried to understand her reasoning. What would happen when the ember was still there, but ego got in the way?
EGGLYSIS
I first read Persuasion in my early twenties, still reeling from Pride and Prejudice and, of course, Mr Darcy. Compared to other Jane heroines, Anne was the oldest and dare I say the most mature. Which was a sore point for me as I couldn't relate. I was so, so dumb, impulsive, and immature when it comes to romance, and you can see why I am the way I am now.
Anyway, almost ten years later, I now found a new appreciation for Persuasion and, mostly, Anne. The romance burns slow and steady, not running like wildfires. Anne was endearingly introverted, and her actions subtly hid her raging emotions. In fact, every exchange between her and Frederick was done so beautifully subtle, I could cry from all the pining.
Every Jane male love interest always has the best romantic line. From Mr Darcy's 'You have bewitched me body and soul' to Mr Bingley's 'If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more'. Frederick's has got to be the one that describes their angst perfectly: 'I am half agony, half hope'.
And with that, I'd say that Persuasion is...
