History Literature / Persuasion

Creator/JaneAusten's last completed novel, published posthumously. A much more contained, simple story than some of her more popular novels, it has as its heroine Anne Elliot, a 27-year-old spinster. Keenly intelligent, sweet, and selfless, Anne was considered very pretty in her youth and fell deeply in love with a young naval officer, Frederick Wentworth, seven years before the novel began. However, she was influenced by family friend Lady Russell to reconsider her engagement with Wentworth on the grounds of imprudence -- Wentworth being merely an ambitious young stripling with no social status, no money and no sure prospects. Anne was thus persuaded to break it off.

* PlotInducedStupidity: Even fans of the novel have trouble understanding how everyone except Anne loses the ability to function when Louisa Musgrove falls off the wall, especially since nearly all of the men in the party are high naval officers that have been to war.
** PTSD has been suggested by some.
** Could be attributed to the Bystander Affect (social psychological phenomenon that refers to cases in which individuals do not offer any means of help to a victim when other people are present.)

* HaveAGayOldTime: Apparently, [[PostMortemCharacter Richard Musgrove]] has not deserved another name than "Dick"...

* HaveAGayOldTime: Apparently, [[PostmortemCharacter Richard Musgrove]] has not deserved another name than "Dick"...

* HaveAGayOldTime: Apparently, [[PostmortenCharacter Richard Musgrove]] has not deserved another name than "Dick"...

* HaveAGayOldTime: Apparently, Richard Musgrove has not deserved another name than "Dick"...

Made into a Granada miniseries in 1971, a movie starring Amanda Root and Ciarad Hinds in 1995, and a made-for-tv movie (this time starring Sally Hawkings and Rupert Perny-Jones) in 2007.

* {{Expy}}: Many critics, ex. Creator/CSLewis, see Anne as a better-written version of [[MansfieldPark Fanny Price]].

* {{Expy}}: Many critics, ex. Creator/CSLewis, see Anne as a better-written version of [[MansfieldPark Fanny Price]].

** Mr William Elliot of the Kellynch family and a future baronet(Sir Walter's heir presumptive) married a low born woman from a butcher's family who was vastly rich. He wanted to be wealthy quickly and independent, and when he was young, he did not value the baronetcy and Blue Blood connections a lot. His wife is said to have loved him a lot, but he did not love her and it's implied that he treated her rather harshly, if not outright cruelly. From what is known he must have been at least emotionally abusive to her. It's probable that Mr Elliot did not mix with her family after her death, so her family gained very little from this marriage while Mr Eliot was all take and no give.

** Mr William Elliot of the Kellynch family and a future baronet as a heir presumptive to Sir Walter married a low born from a butcher's family woman who was vastly rich. He wanted to be rich and independent, and when he was young, he did not value the baronetcy and Blue Blood connections. His wife is said to love him, but he did not love her and it's implied that he treated her rather harshly, if not outright cruelly. From what is know he must have been at least emotionally abusive.

* NobilityMarriesMoney: Anne Elliot fell for Captain Wentworth before the start of the plot. Her friends and aristocratic family tell her to reject him because he's poor. A few years on, he's risen up through the ranks of the navy and made quite a lot of money, while Sir Walter Elliot is deep in debts. However, the marriage of Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliot relies on their love, and he doesn't care much for her coming from BlueBlood and she doesn't really care about his great wealth beyond being happy that they can afford to get married and have a comfortable income.

* OneSteveLimit: Averted with Charles Musgrove and Charles Hayter. Charles and Mary Musgrove's eldest son is also named Charles. Mrs Smith's late husband was also called Charles, but he doesn't actually appear in the book.

* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: Wentworth gets one of the most gorgeous in literature: "[[CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming You pierce my soul]]. I am half agony, half hope..."

* HappilyMarried: The Crofts

* ImpoverishedPatrician

* KissingCousins: Henrietta Musgrove and Charles Hayter.

* LoveDodecahedron: Mary's husband Charles was originally in love with her sister Anne, who is in love with Captain Wentworth, who flirts with Henrietta (whom Charles Hayter is in love with) and Louisa Musgrove, who eventually marries [[spoiler:Captain Benwick]], who also showed interest in Anne before Mr. Elliot did, and Anne's sister Elizabeth has always planned to marry Mr. Elliot, but he ultimately runs off with [[spoiler:Mrs. Clay]], whom Lady Russell and Anne feared had intentions of marrying Sir Walter Elliot. ''Whew'' -- Austen, you really outdid yourself this time.
* LoveHurts: Basically the whole novel consists of this.
* TheMatchmaker: Lady Russell -- she has a similar success record to [[{{Emma}} Emma Woodhouse]].

* NewOldFlame: Anne and Wentworth are this to each other.

* OneSteveLimit: Averted with Charles Musgrove and Charles Hayter.
** Charles and Mary Musgrove's eldest son is also named Charles. And Mrs Smith's late husband was also called Charles, but he doesn't actually appear in the book.

* SceneryPorn - The Georgian architecture at Bath in the adaptations is to die for.

* SettleForSibling: Charles Musgrove did this.

* SuddenlySuitableSuitor: the fact that "suddenly" takes seven years doesn't prevent this trope from occurring.
* TemporaryLoveInterest: Mr. Elliot and Louisa Musgrove for Anne and Wentworth - though it's half-hearted in both cases.

* PlotInducedStupidity: Even fans of the novel have trouble understanding how everyone except Anne loses the ability to function when Louisa Musgrove falls off the wall, especially since all of the men in the party are military men that have been to war.

* IdiotBall: It takes clear-headed and intelligent Anne Elliot much too long to understand that she is freely encouraging Mr. Elliot's attentions with her semi-flirtatious behavior during the walk in the rain and at the concert, when all such interactions between eligible men and women were put under a social microscope.
** Though it's possible Anne did have some slight attraction to Mr. Elliot and so did it subconsciously and when he made his feelings clear, she realized just what she was doing.
** He is also very charming and, till Mrs Smith told Anne about his true character, nothing to be worried about, and he was genuine in his attraction to her. Also Anne is often ignored over Elizabeth so it's possible that she was enjoying the attention too much to realise the problem it would create with Captain Wentworth.

* DoubleStandard: Anne pointing out to Captain Harville that the reason all the poems and books he knows speak of women's inconstancy is... [[MostWritersAreMale because all those books were written by men]].

** He is also very charming and till Mrs Smith told Anne about his true character nothing to be worried about and he was genuine in his attraction to her. Also Anne is often ignored over Elizabeth so it's possible that she was enjoying the attention too much to realise the problem it would create with Captain Wentworth.

* YamatoNadeshiko: Anne

* BlackSheep: Anne, in her family.