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sophia_sol) wrote2015-01-17 05:23 pm
sophia_sol) wrote2015-01-17 05:23 pm
Persuasion, by Jane Austen
This has been an interesting experience, listening to the Persuasion audiobook instead of just rereading a paper copy for the umptillionth time. The thing about audio is that you can't skim through the bits that you aren't as fond of, so they have a lot more weight and presence than you may have previously realized.
Which is to say, I used to call Persuasion my favourite Austen but I'm no longer convinced that's the case.
I still absolutely adore the Anne/Frederick romance - my favourite Austen leading couple, for sure! And the Crofts remain THE BEST. And Austen is just generally good at writing. But one of the themes....
The frustrating thing about Persuasion is its preoccupation with rank, in multiple directions. It makes fun of Mary and Sir Walter and Elizabeth for thinking far too much of rank, and despises Mrs Clay for her pretentions towards marrying into a rank where she doesn't belong, and holds forth that Mr Elliot coming to appreciate the value of rank as he grows older is quite right, and says that Lady Russell has perhaps too much respect for rank, and has Anne explicitly rewarded for her kind condescension to continue her friendship with a woman of lower rank, and on and on.
All in all the general impression I get from Persuasion is as follows: rank is indeed inherently respectable and a good thing and all that, but a good person of rank is one who is careful to act as if it doesn't mean as much as it really does - but it really does mean a lot and nobody is allowed to actually forget it. And that just...makes me really uncomfortable? Especially with how much focus there is on the subplot of Mrs Clay! I really dislike how much focus the book puts on how everyone agrees that Mrs Clay is a terrible awful horrible woman for attempting to ally herself with higher rank. If I could delete the entire Mrs Clay subplot I would be FAR happier with this book. But of course a lot of other stuff hangs on the Mrs Clay subplot so removing it cleanly would be challenging. Sigh....
Which is to say, I used to call Persuasion my favourite Austen but I'm no longer convinced that's the case.
I still absolutely adore the Anne/Frederick romance - my favourite Austen leading couple, for sure! And the Crofts remain THE BEST. And Austen is just generally good at writing. But one of the themes....
The frustrating thing about Persuasion is its preoccupation with rank, in multiple directions. It makes fun of Mary and Sir Walter and Elizabeth for thinking far too much of rank, and despises Mrs Clay for her pretentions towards marrying into a rank where she doesn't belong, and holds forth that Mr Elliot coming to appreciate the value of rank as he grows older is quite right, and says that Lady Russell has perhaps too much respect for rank, and has Anne explicitly rewarded for her kind condescension to continue her friendship with a woman of lower rank, and on and on.
All in all the general impression I get from Persuasion is as follows: rank is indeed inherently respectable and a good thing and all that, but a good person of rank is one who is careful to act as if it doesn't mean as much as it really does - but it really does mean a lot and nobody is allowed to actually forget it. And that just...makes me really uncomfortable? Especially with how much focus there is on the subplot of Mrs Clay! I really dislike how much focus the book puts on how everyone agrees that Mrs Clay is a terrible awful horrible woman for attempting to ally herself with higher rank. If I could delete the entire Mrs Clay subplot I would be FAR happier with this book. But of course a lot of other stuff hangs on the Mrs Clay subplot so removing it cleanly would be challenging. Sigh....