Category Archives: Anne Elliot

January 10, 2008 · 8:00 am

Queen of pity parties


“Mary was happy no longer: she quarrelled with her own seat, was sure Louisa had got a much better somewhere, and nothing could prevent her from going to look for a better also. . . . Anne found a nice seat for her, on a dry sunny bank, under the hedgerow, in which she had no doubt of their still being, in some spot or other. Mary sat down for a moment, but it would not do; she was sure Louisa had found a better somewhere else, and she would go on till she overtook her.”

Persuasion, volume 1, chapter 10

I love Mary. Nothing snaps me out of my own pity parties faster than thinking of her, and her “I’m sure Louisa has found a better,” as Sophie Thompson says in her brilliant performance.

I realize now that I am not entirely sure what a hedgerow looks like, but here is a shot of one of the fields around Steventon, where Jane grew up.

2 Comments

Filed under Anne Elliot, Contentment (or not), Mary Elliot Musgrove, Persuasion

November 27, 2007 · 2:52 pm

Glorying in the sea

“Anne and Henrietta, finding themselves the earliest of the party the
next morning, agreed to stroll down to the sea before breakfast. They went to
the sands, to watch the flowing of the tide, which a fine south-easterly breeze
was bringing in with all the grandeur which so flat a shore admitted. They
praised the morning; gloried in the sea; sympathized in the delight of the
fresh-feeling breeze-and were silent;”

Persuasion, volume 1, chapter 12

Sent to me by reader friend Bonnie, who says “I love words and those always come back to me each summer
when heading to the beach. Jane wrote those sentences almost like worship.”

I agree. I’m still in North Carolina recovering from all the activity of the holiday. My favorite thing is my daily stroll on the beach, now with my lab Bess in tow, who rolls and runs and buries her little nose in the sand.

Comments Off on Glorying in the sea

Filed under Anne Elliot, Henrietta Musgrove, Nature, Persuasion, the Sea

October 2, 2007 · 8:00 am

The last smiles of the year

Fall has always been my favorite season (although now — and I have to laugh at myself — spring and summer are competing for the title. Winter occasionally as well, if it weren’t for the horrible darkness). I love that Anne loves fall as well.


“Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn, that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness, that season which has drawn from every poet, worthy of being read, some attempt at description, or some lines of feeing.”

Anne, on walking with the whole group at Uppercross
Persuasion, volume 1, chapter 10

I’m out for a walk to view some of the last smiles of the year with my new girl Bess.

Comments Off on The last smiles of the year

Filed under Anne Elliot, Nature, Persuasion, Poetry

August 23, 2007 · 10:38 am

Cold politeness

“His cold politeness, his ceremonious grace, were worse than anything.”

Anne of Capt. Wentworth
Persuasion, volume 1, chapter 8

 

1 Comment

Filed under Anne Elliot, Capt. Wentworth, Persuasion, Uncertainty in love

August 22, 2007 · 12:49 pm

The ruins of a face

“Once she felt that he was looking at herself, observing her altered features, perhaps, trying to trace in them the ruins of the face which had once charmed him…”

While Anne sits at the piano during dancing after dinner at the Musgroves
Persuasion, volume 1, chapter 8

Thanks to Mollands for the CE Brock illustration. Of course, that is Mr. Musgrove with Anne at the piano, and not Capt. Wentworth!

Comments Off on The ruins of a face

Filed under Anne Elliot, Beauty, Capt. Wentworth, Persuasion

June 5, 2007 · 4:03 pm

Moralists and preachers


I’m on a Persuasion kick just now. So here’s another quote — and another picture of Lyme, this one of the Cobb.

“When the evening was over, Anne could not but be amused at the idea of her coming to Lyme to preach patience and resignation to a young man whom she had never seen before; nor could she help fearing, on more serious reflexion, that, like many other great moralists and preachers, she had been eloquent on a point in which her own conduct would ill bear examination.”

Persuasion, volume 1, chapter 11

Comments Off on Moralists and preachers

Filed under Anne Elliot, Capt. Benwick, Hypocrisy, Patience, Persuasion

May 11, 2007 · 12:35 pm

Eight very short years

“Soon, however, she began to reason with herself, and try to be feeling less. . . . Alas! with all her reasonings she found that to retentive feelings eight years may be little more than nothing. Now, how were his sentiments to be read? Was this like wishing to avoid her? And the next moment she was hating herself for the folly which asked the question.”

Anne Elliot, on first encountering Captain Wentworth again over breakfast at Mary’s house, after not having seen him for years
Persuasion, volume 1, chapter 7

I love this quote. Anne’s trying to hard to be reasonable, to not feel what she’s feeling, to not think about Captain Wentworth, and she can’t help herself.

Comments Off on Eight very short years

Filed under Anne Elliot, Capt. Wentworth, Persuasion, Self-command, Uncertainty in love

May 10, 2007 · 12:08 pm

A mother’s province

“‘. . . indeed, Mary, I cannot wonder at your husband. Nursing does not belong to a man; it is not his province. A sick child is always the mother’s property: her own feelings generally make it so.'”

Anne Elliot, on Charles’s wanting to go to dinner at the great house in spite of the fact that little Charles was still recovering from his bad fall
Persuasion, volume 1, chapter 7

Comments Off on A mother’s province

Filed under Anne Elliot, Mary Elliot Musgrove, Men, Motherhood, Persuasion

January 17, 2007 · 7:00 am

Half the sum of attraction

“He was, at the time, a remarkably fine young man, with a great deal of intelligence, spirit, and brilliancy; and Anne an extremely pretty girl, with gentleness, modesty, taste, and feeling. Half the sum of attraction, on either side, might have been enough, for he had nothing to do, and she had hardly anybody to love; but the encounter of such lavish recommendations could not fail. It would be difficult to say which had seen highest perfection in the other, or which had been the happiest: she, in receiving his declarations and proposals, or he in having them accepted.”

the background on Anne and Captain Wentworth’s first meeting, eight years before the story begins

Persuasion, chapter 4

1 Comment

Filed under Anne Elliot, Beauty, Capt. Wentworth, Character description, Engagement, Love, Persuasion