Jane Austen's Persuasion

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Jane Austen's Persuasion

As the novel ‘persuasion’ progresses the romantic feelings towards

Anne Elliot, Austen’s protagonist conveyed from the hero Captain

Wentworth becomes more and more apparent.

We start of with Kellynch hall, the former Elliot residents now being

let to the Crofts. At Kellynch the feeling that are exposed towards

Anne are of disinterest. ‘Cold politeness’ Captain Wentworth freely

flirts with other young ladies of the manor and does not care to

acknowledge Anne apart from the odd glance or look. Captain Wentworth

is firstly perceived as a frivolous soul and his attitude towards

women are not that of earnestness. He seems to care not of whom he

sees, ‘Anybody between 15 and 30 may have me for asking’. It becomes

almost apparent to Anne that any feelings he may have had for our

heroine have disappeared, ’her power over him had gone’ Given the

situation it may be that captain Wentworth is angry at Anne for being

persuaded into the beak up of the relationship, ‘she had used him

ill’, ‘he had not forgiven her’. The feelings that are portrayed

towards Anne at Kellynch are of anger and disappointment, ‘and

disappointed him’ the setting in which these feelings are conveyed are

complementary, Kellynch as place were Anne is simply nobody ‘she was

only Anne’ her image and status obsessed elder sister and father don't

take much notice of her. Kellynch is a place connected to Anne with no

appreciation from her family this may reflect on captain Wentworth

feelings towards Anne. Sir Walter utilises the masquerades of a lavish

lifestyle ‘Kellynch was well furnished’ whilst contemplating the harsh

realities of debt and retrenching, similarly captain Wentworth may be

utilising the masquerades of...

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...’ he

does not know if Anne loves him or Mr Elliot. Captain Wentworth

becomes extremely open towards the end of the novel; he at the end of

the novel is obliged to write to Anne as a reaction to a conversation

between captain harville and Anne, in which he declares his love for

Anne.

To conclude, captain Wentworth feelings have developed immensely since

the begging of the novel from ‘cold politeness’ to the realisation of

his love for Anne Elliot.

Captain Wentworth seems to be persuaded by the settings of places, how

Anne Elliot was persuaded by Lady Russell to break up the

relationship. This may actually be a rather hypocritical view as

captain Wentworth, declaring that to be persuaded and uncertainty are

all traits he resents yet he finds them within himself. Captain

Wentworth’s uncertainty has driven him to behave the way has behaved

towards Anne.

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