West European Studies

Persuasion is Jane Austens last published novel in 1818. It was written during the end of Ms. Austens life so many would wonder if Persuasion would be the same story had the authors health permitted more revisions. The title of the book was not chosen by Jane Austen, who died before she was able to do so 1. Instead, her brother, Henry Austen who published the novel with Northanger Abbey chose the title. Perhaps, had Jane Austen lived to see the novel published, it would not even be entitled as such. This book, together with Northanger Abbey, introduced Austen to the world as the writer of previous titles such as Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma and Sense and Sensibility.

Discussion
General
One thing that can be said about Jane Austen is how she wrote only within her experiences2. During her short existence, she saw through four climactic periods of imperialism by the British. She was born in 1775, a year before America gained independence from Britain she lived through the time when Ireland saw its independence in 1782 and consequently, at this time, the nobility in France, so close to England, was being terrorized due to the French revolution lastly, she saw through the Napoleonic Wars where most of her writing was accomplished3. None of these events, however, showed in Persuasion or any of her writings. She wrote only within the scope of her experiences, living in places like Hampshire and Bath4. Considering this, it may be argued that Jane Austen may not be a good source of historical information. These facts, however, does not invalidate Austens significance as a historical writer. The following sections of this paper are a defence of Jane Austens relevance as a historical source using Persuasion as the point of argument.

The romantic era and Lord Byron
Persuasion was set in 1815-1816 Georgian England5. This is a time when the Enlightenment is giving way to the Romantic era that was revolutionized by Lord Byron (1788-1824)6. Indeed, one cannot talk of Jane Austen and history without mentioning Jane Austens contemporary.

As different as Byron and Austen were in terms of personality, writing style and character, Persuasion is actually perceived to be a great love story, rightfully belonging in the Romantic Era. Perhaps the greatest testament to Byrons influence on Persuasion is the character of Frederick Wentworth. The man can be considered a Byronic hero, being the typical tall, dark and handsome male, prideful, arrogant and perhaps with a hidden agenda when he came back to the place where he was once jilted. Another aspect of similarity is that the story of Persuasion is about love lost and regained, a very romantic concept that Byron himself continuously wrote about.

Persuasion, despite being considered as part of Romanticism, did not actually pull very far away from the Enlightenment era category. The writing of Austen is very observant, often commenting on the littlest details that the romantic era was completely against with. It can be argued that the reason why this is so is because Austen wrote within her own experiences. She was accustomed to being in a small social circle and this circle did not involve the complete abandon of wits and the flashy, flamboyant display of emotions that categorized the era of romance. Perhaps the reason why Jane Austen is being criticized as not a good historical source is because her writing was not actually contemporary at the time because by then, Lord Byron was all the rage in England.

Austen did not enjoy any success as a writer while she was alive. Part of this is because she published under a pseudonym, but even after four decades of being published under her name posthumously, her works only garnered attention late in the 19th century.

The Enlightenment, the Age of Reason
Persuasion, more than a love story, is about practicality. This is the greatest influence of the Enlightenment era on the text. Anne Elliot, the main character, is a spinster with a steady mind but generally overlooked by the people around her. She is as practical as can be, declining the pursuit of Frederick Wentworth for her hand in marriage due to the restrictions that was put upon them at the time. Anne Elliot is hovering on the end fringes of nobility while Frederick Wentworth was a nobody. The heroine, upon considering the advice of the people closest to her, chose to end the engagement, because of practical purposes.

Seven years later, and the setting at the beginning of the novel, the hero came back from being slighted, emerged as a man of consequence with wealth of his own to boast to the same society that had once scorned him. He looked for a wife and eventually realized that the heroine is still the woman he wants, pride be damned. He saw in her the qualities that would make him a good wife she is pretty, high-born, she seemingly retains the attraction from seven years past and most importantly, she has a rational mind.

Observations in defence of Austen
Jane Austen wrote, Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. ...the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove anything.7 Writing allowed Jane Austen to write about women empowerment at this time. Anne Elliot is a testament to this statement, being someone rational and practical despite being the constantly overlooked spinster and being treated like a nobody by her own family. Additionally, the wife of Admiral Croft is a woman allowed by her husband to take the reigns in driving the carriage alongside him. Austen believes in parity among married couples. This is why Persuasion emphasized practicality upon choosing ones partner in life.

In the early 19th Century, because of the independence of America, Ireland, the terror in France and the Napoleonic wars, the peerage and their wealth are slowly coming to a decline. No more existent are the land holdings in the aforementioned colonies and hence money is becoming a problem among the nobility. This era marked the emergence of the self-made men, the middle-classes investing in what would become at the latter part of the century as the industrial revolution. This was noted brilliantly in Persuasion. Sir Walter Elliot, someone who is very proud of his lineage (great emphasis is poured at the first chapter of the book) is driven out of his estate because of the threats of poverty. While, on the other hand, Frederick Wentworth is a man who has made his own fortune who is a very close relative to the people who rented Sir Walters estate. Those people are also self-made.

Some inconsistencies with history
Frederick Wentworth supposedly acquired his income from being a Naval Officer. At this time, in real life, the British were engaged with a cosmic battle with Napoleon. Napoleons name was not once mentioned in Persuasion though Frederick Wentworth could only have acquired his wealth from being a war hero, fighting with Bonaparte.

Upon the first engagement of the hero and heroine, Sir Walter Elliot, the comical father of the heroine did not explicitly refuse the match. Sure, it was met with disdain, but not rejected. At this time, daughters are the property of their fathers. One would think that Sir Walter would outright object the match, since he has the right to do so, considering Wentworths lack of future prospects.

There was not a single mention in the text of the independence of America or Ireland or the French Revolution. These events are primarily responsible for the decline of the wealth of the aristocracy.

Conclusion
Austen was not considered as a contemporary writer of her time. She did not write about the events that defined the British Empire that encompassed her lifetime but these do not discredit Austen as a historical writer. She wrote during the shift of the Enlightenment Era to the Romantic Era, hence her works are reminiscent of both periods, but leaning more on the Enlightenment side that was not anymore contemporary by the time her books were published. She also faced a great competition from Lord Byron who practically defines literature in the first two and half decades of the 19th century.

Despite all these, Austens works show what reflections the outer world has on her inner circle. The empowerment of women in marriage and rise of the middle class are issues from the 1810s that are very prominent in Persuasion and eventually, these would be topics that will be relevant 50-60 decades after. Jane Austen may just have wrote and published in the wrong era.