Jane Austen For Dummies (57 page)

The Baronetcy,
which is Sir Walter's favorite book because he sees his name and the land and title he inherited printed in it

Navy List,
which includes the names and ships of naval officers who have earned their rank by fighting courageously in a time of war and who have made themselves by
doing

Minimized by her father and sisters, heroine Anne Elliot is “only Anne” to them, a mere nothing. Having “lost her bloom” in the eight years since her romance and break-up with Captain Wentworth before the novel begins, Anne is wispy and quiet, still in love with Wentworth, but feeling helpless to do anything about it because he hasn't attempted to contact her again, and protocol of the day says she can't make the first move in contacting him.

Yet as the novel proceeds and Anne moves farther away from her demeaning family, her stock with people goes up. She moves from being “only Anne” in the minimal sense to being “only Anne” in the unique sense. When she's at the Musgroves' two homes,
only Anne
can tend to the children well and listen patiently to everyone's complaints. At Lyme, Mr. Elliot looks admiringly at
only Anne.
When Louisa has her accident at Lyme,
only Anne
keeps her head as all about her lose theirs and Louisa hurts hers: Anne offers smelling salts and sends the proper individual — the one who lives in Lyme — to find help. At Bath,
only Anne
can translate the Italian songs.
Only Anne
regains her lost “bloom.” Austen's use of the word “bloom” likens Anne to a flower that miraculously revives after eight years of dormancy. And at the end of the novel, Anne is the only heroine over whom Austen casts a shadow by writing in the final line that “She gloried in being a sailor's wife, but she must pay the tax of quick alarm”: her contemporary readers saw in hindsight that in setting her novel before Napoleon's escape from Elba, Austen was deliberately placing Wentworth in future danger with the revival of war with France.

Some readers of this novel complain that the final section drags, beginning with the question the narrator poses on behalf of Anne: “How was the truth to reach him?” (P 2:8). The truth refers to Anne's lack of interest in Mr. Elliot as a husband and her true love for Wentworth: How will Anne convey this to Wentworth, who seeing Anne and Mr. Elliot together, has become jealous and shows Anne only formal courtesy? Nowadays, Anne would invite him for coffee and explain things. But in Austen's day protocol said that the woman should be passive, letting the man make the first move. Thus, in the novel's concert scene, she can make room on the bench for Wentworth to sit next to her, but she cannot, as a lady, say, “There's room here; why not sit down with us?”

As readers go along the slow and torturous route with Anne in subtly getting the “truth” to Wentworth, Austen has Anne accomplish her task cryptically. Anne converses with Captain Harville about female constancy, which Wentworth overhears as he writes a note to Captain Benwick. While Anne is speaking directly to Harville, she's also communicating indirectly with Wentworth. As Wentworth is writing to Benwick, he's cautiously listening to Anne. Hearing her speak with passion and force of women's constancy in love, Wentworth now has the emotional permission he needed from her to write the passionate note he leaves for her to find. While all of this is highly romantic, Austen was also having Anne behave as a lady should in her day. She can't approach the man; it's his move.

In the 1995 film of
Persuasion,
Anne runs after Wentworth when he abruptly and jealously leaves the concert and stops him to ask if there's anything worth staying for. Anne is acting not only out of character in this added scene but also against the rules of behavior of the day. So when you think about it in the film: if Anne is willing to break with decorum and physically run after Wentworth at the concert, why wouldn't she come right out and tell him the truth? Adding that scenes undercuts Anne's real dilemma in the novel of “How was the truth to reach him?” in terms of the etiquette of the day.

Decide whom you want in your group — people you know from work, school, or the neighborhood? Do you prefer meeting new people? Do what's most comfortable for you.

Most reading groups have about ten members — a number that allows for discussion and lets everyone have a chance to talk. If you desire new people to join the group, post a notice in the library, at local bookstores, at work, and at schools, colleges, and universities. Now, be smart: Don't put personal info on the notice (just announce the meeting place and time and its purpose), and plan to meet in a public place, such as a library, a bookstore (many bookstores have pleasant areas for book clubs to meet), a coffee shop, and so on. If your book group is comprised of people you already know well, you can let friends know of your plans by e-mail, phone, and word-of-mouth. With friends, you can also meet at someone's house. Be sure to divide responsibilities so that people know what to bring: cookies? cold veggies and dips? teas? juices? napkins and paper plates? paper cups? You get the picture!

At the first meeting, come up with a plan for meetings: How frequently will you meet? Will one person “run” the book group or will the leadership role rotate among members? How will books be selected — for Austen, do you want to start with her youthful works and move forward? Will you also read her letters?

Be sure no one dominates the group. Encourage everyone to talk. Help the quiet people to speak up without embarrassing them.

Here are few topics for a group that has read all of Austen's novels:

These questions will get you going on
Northanger Abbey.
If you really want to get the most out of this novel, you might want to begin with reading Ann Radcliffe's
The Mysteries of Udolpho,
so you know what Austen is spoofing and why Austen's heroine Catherine is so terrified!