Persuasion Summary
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How It All Goes Down
The Elliots of Kellynch Hall, a family of minor nobility, are in financial trouble.
Their sense of how important they are has long been larger than their bank
account allows. The duct-tape patching job they've been doing on their finances is
finally falling apart, so they come up with a last-ditch plan: move out of the
ancestral mansion and rent out the place to someone else to increase their
income. And so the Elliots move out, and the newly rich Admiral Croft and his
wife move in.
While the Crofts are total strangers to the Elliots, it turns out Mrs. Croft's
brother, Captain Wentworth, is not. In fact, eight years ago Wentworth and the
middle Elliot daughter, Anne, had hit it off so well that, after dating for a few
months, they were already talking marriage. Wentworth's service in the navy,
however, didn't give him enough steady income or social status to please Anne's
family and her mentor, Lady Russell. Eventually Lady Russell persuaded Anne to
break it off with Wentworth, and Anne has been kicking herself ever since.
Meanwhile, Wentworth has struck it rich, but has never gotten back in touch.
Back in the present, Anne's snobby dad Sir Walter, her equally snobby older
sister Elizabeth, and Elizabeth's hanger-on Mrs. Clay head off to the fashionable
town of Bath where they can show off more cheaply than at home. Anne goes to
stay first with Lady Russell, and then with the youngest of the Elliot clan, Mary,
who is married with children to Charles Musgrove. Things start to get more
exciting (and more awkward) when Captain Wentworth comes to visit his sister.
Not only is he still angry at Anne for dumping him, but he's doing some intense
flirting
with
her
cousin-in-law,
Louisa
Musgrove.
Anne and the Musgroves go to the nearby seaside village of Lyme Regis with
Wentworth to visit his old friend Captain Harville. As a bonus, they get to meet
Harville's cheerful family and his depressed friend, Captain Benwick, who is
working through the death of his fiancée by reading the saddest poetry he can
find. A fun time is had by all (even Benwick seems to be enjoying himself once he
finds out that Anne has read some of his favorite odes to depression), until Louisa
tries to show off by leaping off a staircase into Wentworth's arms, but instead
takes a headfirst dive into the pavement. While everyone else is staggering about
like zombies, only Anne keeps her brains and gets Louisa medical attention.
Louisa stays in bed at Lyme with the Harvilles to avoid knocking her brain about
any further, while Anne goes with Lady Russell to see what her dad and sister
have been up to in Bath. It turns out they've been making friends with one
William Elliot (and yes, he's related to them). Mr. Elliot is going to inherit
Kellynch Hall and the family title when Sir Walter dies. The last time the two
Elliot branches met, bad stuff went down and they weren't talking to each other
for a while, but now all seems to be fine and dandy. Elizabeth has her eye on Mr.
Elliot, despite his having blown her off before, but Anne is the one he's interested
in.
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Anne attends dreary rounds of parties where her family embarrasses her by
sucking up to the next rank above them on the social ladder. Then she gets a
letter from her sister Mary with the best gossip she's heard in years: Louisa is
getting married! But not to Captain Wentworth (phew!). Louisa's brain has been
jostled into a liking for poetry, and she and Captain Benwick are planning to
make some sweet poetry of their own, leaving Captain Wentworth to look
elsewhere
for
a
wife.
And that elsewhere he decides to look turns out to be the town of Bath, as Anne
finds out when she runs into him one rainy morning when she is out shopping
with Elizabeth, Mrs. Clay, and the attentive Mr. Elliot (who the local gossips are
convinced is going to marry Anne). Wentworth and Anne cross paths again at a
concert, where Anne realizes both that Wentworth is still madly in love with her –
and
that
he's
mad
jealous
of
Mr.
Elliot.
Anne visits her old friend Mrs. Smith, who has some dirt to dish on Mr. Elliot: in
short, he ruined her life and is a selfish hypocrite. Anne is relieved to have some
ammo behind her if her family hassles her about wanting to marry Wentworth
instead
of
Mr.
Elliot.
The next time Anne and Wentworth have an opportunity to exchange meaningful
glances with each other, as star-crossed lovers tend to do, Anne tries to send him
some signals under the radar that he should just propose (again). Apparently
some of her signals get through, as Wentworth leaves her a note that basically
says "I like you. Do you like me? Check Yes or No" (or it would, if Wentworth were
a middle-school girl). Soon after, they run into each other on the street and finally
manage to get all their misunderstandings sorted out. Marriage bells ring, even
Lady Russell comes around, and all is well.
Persuasion Chapter 1 Summary
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The novel opens with Sir Walter Elliot indulging his snobbishness by once
again taking up the Baronetage, an encyclopedia of the English nobility, to
read his favorite entry: his own.
The Baronetage’s brief history of the Elliot family segues into today’s
episode of Backstory Playhouse: Sir Walter is a widower with three
daughters, Elizabeth the Favorite, Anne the Sensible, and Mary the
Married. Guess which one will be our protagonist.
Anne takes after her now-dead, also-sensible mother, and is aided by her
mother’s still-living, yes-she’s-sensible-too friend Lady Russell. This is great
because it’s already clear that sense is a commodity in short supply in the
Elliot household.
Also introduced (from afar, since he hasn’t shown up in person yet) is
William Elliot, Sir presumptive, who will gain ownership of the Elliot estate
once the current Sir kicks it (shorter inheritance laws in nineteenthcentury England: no girls allowed).
More backstory: in fact, showing up in person at the Elliot estate wouldn’t
be a good idea for young William, as he’s committed not one but two sins
against the current regime. Not only did he turn down Elizabeth, he then
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went on to marry a woman who had a lot of money but no class, a cardinal
sin for rank-obsessed Sir Walter.
Out of the backstory and into the present: a more immediate problem
presses on Sir Walter, as he’s been running up the nineteenth-century
equivalent of massive credit card debt, and he must figure out a way to
"retrench" (1.20), to dial down his expensive lifestyle, before he goes
bankrupt.
Persuasion Chapter 2 Summary
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Lady Russell and Anne come up with a new budget for the Elliot family, but
Sir Walter and Elizabeth can’t conceive of living the simple life (they’d
probably be about as good at it as Paris Hilton).
Sir Walter himself unwittingly suggests the solution: leaving Kellynch Hall
for cheaper digs.
Anne wants to stay in the neighborhood and hates the town of Bath, so of
course Sir Walter decides to leave the neighborhood and settle in…wait for
it…Bath! At least Lady Russell is pleased.
Lady Russell does have an ulterior motive: Elizabeth has been getting
chummy with one Mrs. Clay, and Lady Russell wants to split the pair up
before they become BFFs.
Persuasion Chapter 3 Summary
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Sir Walter’s lawyer, Mr. Shepherd, proposes an admiral as an ideal tenant;
England’s war with Napoleon’s France has just ended, so there are plenty
of naval officers coming ashore and looking to spend their war booty.
Sir Walter thinks any mere rich admiral should consider himself very
fortunate indeed to score Sir Walter’s own Kellynch Hall, and says so.
Mrs. Clay assures Sir Walter that any naval officer would take good care
not only of the house but also might do a little gardening; Sir Walter,
however, wants to keep his shrubberies to himself. (Perhaps he’s had a bad
run-in with Monty Python's Knights Who Say Ni?)
Anne makes her first contribution to the conversation, speaking up for the
naval profession and saying they have an equal claim to a home.
Sir Walter explains his double objection to naval men: first, some of them
have acquired high rank through personal success (horrors!), and thus take
precedent over Sir Walter himself when his daddy could beat their daddy
(in social standing, at least); and second, they look all old and ugly and
stuff. (Apparently no one ever told them to wear sunscreen. Also, it hadn’t
been invented yet.)
Mrs. Clay responds that any job has its health dangers, and really one can
only keep looking young and healthy if one is rich enough not to have to
work.
All this talk of admirals is not for nothing, for soon a real life Admiral by
the name of Croft gets a yen for renting Kellynch Hall.
Sir Walter thinks better of the idea upon learning that Admiral Croft comes
from a gentlemanly family and isn’t a total scarecrow in looks.
Anne chimes in with more detail on the Admiral’s background and
accomplishments, but Sir Walter’s more interested in his appearance.
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Mr. Shepherd points out that Admiral Croft would make a great tenant: not
only is he willing to pay high rent, he’s bringing his wife along, and
everyone knows that women have Magical Cleaning Superpowers. He also
notes that this particular wife is much smarter about the business
arrangements than her husband.
Furthermore, Mrs. Croft’s brother had been a curate (a lowly church
official) in the area, but no one can remember his name – except for Anne,
who says he was called Wentworth.
Since Sir Walter makes it clear that curates matter about as much as
badgers and slightly below penguins in his scheme of the world, the subject
is dropped.
Sir Walter, with support from Elizabeth, decides that an Admiral is just the
thing for a tenant, as the title sounds impressive while still remaining
firmly inferior to Walter’s own Sir.
The chapter ends with Anne saying cryptically to herself, as she walks in
the garden alone with her excited emotions, that soon "he" may be walking
these same paths.
Persuasion Chapter 4 Summary
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The narrator, however, doesn’t leave us in suspense for long, and helpfully
explains that it is not Mr. Wentworth the curate for whom Anne is
blushing, but his brother, Captain Frederick Wentworth.
Cue flashback: seven years previously, in 1806, the dashing young Captain
Wentworth had come to town and, within a few months, he and Anne had
fallen head over heels in love with each other.
While the Captain had impressed Anne with his personal charisma, Sir
Walter and Lady Russell were less impressed with his empty wallet and
lack of friends in high places to help fill it.
Eventually, Lady Russell had convinced Anne that it was best for the both
of them if they parted; at the time Anne herself believed it, but the spurned
Captain Wentworth left town in a huff.
In the long years that followed, Anne had remained stuck in her small
hometown, never meeting anyone who held a candle to her lost Captain.
Three years after the failed engagement, Anne had received another
proposal, this time from a local boy: Charles Musgrove, second place in the
county’s Rich and Famous rankings (after Sir Walter); she turned him
down.
Anne has serious hindsight issues, as now she believes it would have been
better to follow her heart and keep the engagement.
Twisting the knife, Captain Wentworth has been just as successful as he
said he would be, and is now comfortably rich – and, as far as Anne knows,
still unmarried.
We return to the present, where with all these complicated emotions roiling
around internally, Anne works hard to keep a stiff upper lip in the presence
of her family, aided by the fact that they hardly notice her anyway.
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Persuasion Chapter 5 Summary
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Anne decides to take a walk that just happens to coincide with the Crofts
arriving to take over Kellynch Hall.
The rental goes off with out a hitch, with Sir Walter pleased that his tenant
is not completely hideous and the Admiral assured that his landlord is not
quite a complete nitwit.
As the logistics of the move get figured out, it’s settled that Anne will stay
with her younger sister Mary and then with Lady Russell, while Elizabeth
and Sir Walter head out to set up house in Bath, with Anne joining them
later.
Lady Russell is dismayed to learn that Elizabeth doesn’t want Anne around
to crimp her style in Bath, but is still taking Mrs. Clay along as her wingwoman. Sisters, Lady Russell thinks, should back each other up.
Anne, however, has other worries about the situation: she thinks Mrs. Clay
might be lining up Sir Walter as her sugar daddy.
Anne tries to warn Elizabeth of her concerns, but her sister blows her off,
saying that Mrs. Clay is the last woman on earth whom looks-obsessed Sir
Walter would fall for.
The Bath Party Bus, er, Carriage, sets off in style, with Sir Walter,
Elizabeth, and the dreaded Mrs. Clay aboard, while Anne walks alone to
Lady Russell’s house.
Both women are depressed at the break-up of the family (since they’re so
much fun to have around, apparently), so Lady Russell leaves town and
Anne moves in with her sister Mary, who lives with her husband and
children at Uppercross Cottage, while her in-laws live at the Uppercross
Great House.
Anne and Mary have a conversation in which Anne counters Mary’s
incessant whining about her health and how nobody likes her with "forced
cheerfulness" (5.40).
It actually works, and Anne manages to get Mary to forget about her
hypochondria and neglected self-importance for long enough to eat lunch.
Anne and Mary pay a visit to Mary’s in-laws, Mr. and Mrs. Musgrove, and
their two young, vivacious daughters Louisa and Henrietta, who are
popular but aren’t ringing any wedding bells yet.
Mary invites the two Miss Musgroves to join her and Anne on a walk
through the countryside.
Persuasion Chapter 6 Summary
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In the land of the Musgroves, Anne suffers the pangs of a reality show
contestant who returns to the real world only to find that no one was
actually watching Survivor: Circle Pines. Not surprisingly, it turns out that
no one cares about the Elliots quite so much as the Elliots care about
themselves, and the Musgroves aren’t really concerned that the Elliots! had
to rent out! their estate!
Anne resolves not to be sucked in by her family’s blinders in the future,
and to work on fitting in with the Musgroves.
She fits in almost too well, however, as she gets stuck listening to more
drama and self-centered complaining than on a Facebook wall.
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Anne would like to tell them all to suck it up and deal, but can only drop
hints about "forbearance" (6.11).
Still, she enjoys the change of company and the younger Musgroves’
tendency to break into a dance party, Austen-style whenever possible.
While the Musgrove girls bust their moves, Anne prefers DJ-ing (well,
playing the Greatest Hits of the 1800s on the piano) to dancing.
The Crofts move into Anne’s old house, and come to visit Anne and Mary.
Anne hangs out with Mrs. Croft, but thinks more about her visitor’s
brother, the long-lost Captain Wentworth.
So, when Mrs. Croft mentions her brother, who used to live in the area, and
his now-married state, Anne’s heart goes a-flutter.
But it turns out her blushes are misplaced, for it is the other brother, the
curate, who is no longer on the marriage market.
However, the Admiral drops a comment that some unspecified Wentworth
brother is going to visit soon, so Anne is left uncertain whether to keep her
blush motor running.
After the Crofts leave, Anne gets filled in on the gossip by Henrietta: it is
indeed Captain Wentworth who is on his way.
Henrietta also warns them that her mother is in a weepy mood, for it turns
out her no-good dead brother Richard worked on Captain Wentworth’s
ship, and mom’s waxing sentimental over him now that he can’t write home
asking for money anymore.
The Musgroves decide to introduce themselves to the Captain, who was so
nice to their dear departed Dick, when he arrives, and so the evening goes
on.
Persuasion Chapter 7 Summary
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Captain Wentworth arrives at Kellynch Hall, and sets the family circle astir
with excitement.
Mary and Charles are looking forward to meeting the Captain, but their son
falls and injures himself badly, so they decide to stay home with him.
Except neither of them really wants to do that: Charles tries to foist nursing
duties on Mary, but Mary is having none of that.
Anne solves the dilemma by volunteering to stay home with the boy while
both his parents go party with the Captain and rest of the Musgrove family.
One would almost think she’s trying to avoid meeting a certain someone.
Anne wonders about how Captain Wentworth feels about meeting her, and
thinks that, if she were in his position, she would have come back for her
years ago.
The partying parents return, and report that Captain Wentworth is the
coolest guy ever and their new best friend.
The next morning Charles comes in as Mary and Anne are finishing
breakfast to say that Captain Wentworth is dropping by before they go out
for a fun morning of shooting things.
Anne barely has time to realize what’s happening before the dreaded
moment arrives, and she is face to face with her lost love in a room full of
oblivious people.
And then, just as soon, he is gone, and Anne is left to try to figure out her
complicated feelings and to guess at his.
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She gets a hint of what her former paramour is thinking about her when
Mary reports that he said to Henrietta that Anne looked so different he
almost wouldn’t have recognized her. Burn. At least Anne finds that
knowledge strangely comforting (or at least thinks that it should be
comforting, which is not quite the same thing).
While Captain Wentworth hadn’t meant his remark to seem quite so harsh,
on his side things are definitely not cool between him and Anne: he still
hasn’t forgiven her for caving to other people and blowing him off all those
years ago – even though he’s never since met a woman he liked quite so
much.
Still, he’s definitely looking to pick up a wife, and he tells his sister the
requirements for the job are "a strong mind, with sweetness of manner"
(7.40) – basically Anne, with a stronger backbone.
Persuasion Chapter 8 Summary
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Anne and Captain Wentworth cross paths frequently in the small world of
Uppercross.
They don’t talk much to each other directly, but Anne keeps her eye on
Wentworth, and is quite the expert at reading between the lines of what he
says and does.
One evening, when they’re all together, Anne listens as the Musgrove girls
ask Captain Wentworth about his ships so they can look them up on their
recently-acquired navy list (a yearly who’s-who of naval ships and their
officers).
His first ship was the Asp, which was a death trap that had the good
fortune not to sink until they had returned to port with their spoils. (We’d
like to interrupt this program to bring you a Historical Context Lesson:
during this period, members of the British Navy received prizes for
capturing ships, so if you were as lucky as Captain Wentworth, you could
get very rich very quickly. If you think this sounds a bit like piracy, you’re
not far off – the privateers Wentworth mentions taking aboard were
basically legal pirates. This concludes the Historical Context Lesson.)
Captain Wentworth says that knew the Asp was a beater ship before he
ever boarded it, but he really wanted a job "in the year six" (8.2) which just
happens to be (if you’re keeping score at home) the year that Anne turned
him down.
Conversation turns to Captain Wentworth’s next, sturdier, and even more
money-making ship, the Laconia, which he shared for a time with his friend
Harville.
This happens to be the same ship on which poor dead Richard served,
causing Mrs. Musgrove to get all weepy again.
Once he figures out who she’s talking about, he comforts her, but not
before Anne (and only Anne) notices that, for a moment, his expression
suggests that he cared as little for Richard as anyone else did while he was
alive.
The Admiral mentions for no particular reason that, if Captain Wentworth
had followed a slightly different schedule earlier in the year, he might have
had three women bumming a ride on his ship.
Wentworth says it’s just as well, because a ship is no place for a woman.
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His sister, Mrs. Croft, calls him out, saying that she’s spent most of her life
on ships and did just fine, thank you very much.
Wentworth continues to protest, and the Admiral Croft plays his trump
card, saying that when the Captain has a wife he’ll think differently, and
the argument grounds to a stalemate.
Mrs. Croft talks about her travels around the world, and says that the only
time she felt troubled was when she was left behind on shore while her
husband was out at sea.
Enough, with the conversation, it’s dancing time!
Anne plays the piano as usual, glad that it gives her cover if she
occasionally gets a bit teary-eyed watching her former beau enjoying every
woman in the room making eyes at him.
Once Anne leaves the piano and returns to find Captain Wentworth in her
seat; he yields the place to her with cold politeness, which she thinks is
worse than if he were openly snarky with her.
Persuasion Chapter 9 Summary
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Captain Wentworth decides to stick around Kellynch, since looking for his
own potential wife is more interesting than meeting his brother’s new bride.
He frequently visits Uppercross – not surprisingly, since the Musgroves
treat him like a rock star, while the Crofts have their own couple-y things
to do.
Wentworth’s universal popularity takes a hit, though, when Charles Hayter
returns to town.
Hayter is cousin to Henrietta and Louisa, and in fact had a thing going with
Henrietta before Wentworth came on the scene. He isn’t too pleased that
Henrietta is giving him the cold shoulder while falling over Wentworth.
(Isn’t the whole dating-your-cousin thing a bit incestuous, you might ask?
Perhaps it is today, but marriages between first cousins were considered
perfectly fine in Austen’s England.)
Still, Henrietta may be counting her chickens early, as she and Louisa are
running neck and neck for the Wentworth prize.
Charles (Musgrove; this is going to get confusing, isn’t it? Let’s revert to
elementary school and just call them Charles M. and Charles H.) thinks
Louisa is ahead, but Mary backs Henrietta; she has ulterior motives,
though, as she doesn’t want the low-class Hayters as her in-laws.
Anne’s (unspoken, as usual) opinion is that it doesn’t make much
difference whether Louisa or Henrietta is the chosen one, so long as
Wentworth makes up his mind soon enough that the other one isn’t too
heartbroken to be passed over for her sister.
One morning Anne is alone in a room with the still-invalid injured boy,
when Captain Wentworth walks in on her. It’s a mistake, of course, as he’s
really looking for the Musgrove girls. Awkward silence ensues.
Someone approaches…perhaps this will help ease the situation? Nope, it’s
Charles Hayter. The awkwardness increases.
Another new arrival, but still no help: this one’s two years old and not the
world’s most brilliant conversationalist.
In fact, the kid is downright annoying, literally hanging around Anne’s neck
as she’s trying to tend to his older brother.
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Charles H. limits himself to ineffectual scolding from across the room, but
suddenly Anne finds herself free of the nuisance.
It is Captain Wentworth who has come to her rescue, and Anne finds
herself once more all a-flutter and ashamed that her emotions still manage
to run away with themselves whenever the Captain is around.
Persuasion Chapter 10 Summary
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Anne has her take on the situation, but wants to stay out of Musgrove
drama, so she keeps her opinions to herself. Still, she thinks Louisa is
ahead, but in her heart of hearts doesn’t believe Captain Wentworth really
loves either of the Musgrove girls.
She also notices that Charles H. has withdrawn from the field, and thinks
this is a wise move on his part.
The Musgrove sisters come to visit Anne and Mary and say that they’re
going on a long and boring walk which Mary certainly doesn’t want to join
them on because it’s going to be so long and boring, and did they mention
long?
Anne suspects that the sisters have some scheme for which they don’t
really want company, but Mary insists on joining them anyway.
Charles M. and Captain W. at this moment return from their morning
round of shooting things, and join the walking party as well.
On the walk, Anne tries to stay out of everyone’s way so she can dwell on
her mental collection of emo poetry in peace.
Captain Wentworth chats with the Musgrove sisters, and Anne notices that
Louisa is getting more attention from him than her sister.
Mention of the Crofts’ habit of crashing their buggy leads Louisa to say that
she would rather be wrecked with her boyfriend than driven safely by
anyone else; Captain Wentworth’s obvious pleasure at this display of
reckless loyalty troubles Anne.
The walking group arrives at Winthrop, the Hayter home, which is the
apparent intended destination of the Musgrove girls. Henrietta seems
uneasy, but Louisa talks her into going into the house; Charles M.
accompanies her.
The party splits further: Louisa and Wentworth go off walking together,
leaving Anne with the cranky Mary.
Mary goes off after Louisa, whom she is convinced is somewhere having fun
that Mary wants to horn in on.
While Mary’s off whining elsewhere in the underbrush, Anne, unseen,
overhears a conversation between Wentworth and Louisa.
Louisa says that Henrietta would have turned back from Winthrop earlier,
but for her firmer sister’s influence; Wentworth compliments Louisa on her
decisiveness.
The conversation turns to Mary, whom Louisa says has too much of the
Elliot pride, and that the Musgroves wish Charles M. had married Anne
instead.
Wentworth is surprised to hear that a) Anne had a marriage proposal and
b) she turned it down.
Louisa says that her parents blame Lady Russell for persuading Anne that
Charles M. wasn’t smart enough for her.
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The walking party regroups, and Henrietta brings Charles H. back with her;
the status of the pair has apparently changed from "it’s complicated" back
to "in a relationship."
They set off walking in pairs: Henrietta and Charles H., Louisa and
Wentworth, and Mary and Charles M….and Anne.
Mary keeps whining about how it’s so difficult being her, so Charles splits
as soon as he can, leaving tired Anne without a arm to support her.
The group runs into the Crofts in their chaise (French for chair – basically a
horse-drawn bench on wheels, the Mini Cooper of carriages).
The Crofts, having room for only one more, offer to give a ride to whichever
lady is most tired, but no one takes them up on the offer. They’re just
about to leave when Wentworth whispers something to them, and they
insist that Anne join them.
Before Anne has time to argue, Wentworth has helped her into the carriage.
For Anne, the gesture is full of meaning: she thinks that while he hasn’t
forgiven her, he at least cares whether she lives or dies – or in this case,
walks or rides.
When she finally leaves her own thoughts and tunes back into the Crofts’
conversation, they too are talking of Wentworth, but, having missed out on
the morning’s events, are still caught up in yesterday’s argument as to
which Musgrove sister he will choose.
The Crofts talk about their own whirlwind wedding, and wonder why
Wentworth doesn’t just grab one of them and head for Vegas. (Fun fact: the
Las Vegas of Jane Austen’s England was Gretna Green, a village just over
the border into Scotland, where different laws enabled young people to get
quickie marriages without their parents’ permission. They probably didn’t
have Elvis impersonators to perform the ceremony, though.)
The Admiral is about to crash the carriage into a post, but Mrs. Croft takes
hold of the reins and guides them to safety; Anne thinks that this is how
their marriage works, with Mrs. Croft steering her husband through his
mess-ups.
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Lady Russell is due to return, and Anne wonders if she will see more or less of
Wentworth once she leaves Uppercross for Kellynch Lodge.
Captain Wentworth disappears for a few days; when he comes back, he
explains that he was visiting his friend Captain Harville, who is currently nursing
an old wound at the nearby seaside resort Lyme Regis.
His description of the town and his friend gets everyone so excited, there’s only
one solution: road trip!
They arrive in the November evening at the picturesque village, and our
narrator waxes poetic about its loveliness.
Captain Wentworth introduces everyone not only to Captain Harville, but also
to Captain Benwick, who had sailed on the Laconia with Harville and Wentworth.
Benwick was engaged to Harville’s sister Fanny, but she died before they could
get married, and Benwick has been depressed ever since.
Anne thinks that Benwick is a bit of a poser, since her heart’s just as broken
as his and she’s not nearly so mopey; also, as a man, Benwick has far more
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opportunities to go find someone else or do something else than stuck-at-home
Anne has had.
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We get a careful class ranking of the characters: Captain Harville is "a perfect
gentleman," though "not equaling Captain Wentworth in manners" (does this
mean Wentworth is more than perfect?), and Mrs. Harville is a step down the
ladder in "polish" (11.15)
While the Harvilles may not have polish, or, as it soon becomes apparent,
much wealth, they do have genuine kindness and hospitality in spades, and Anne
gets a little depressed thinking that, through not marrying Wentworth, she also
missed out on his network of friends.
Though the Harville lodgings are small, the Captain has tricked them out to
make the most of the space, and Anne is impressed by his creativity and constant
activity.
The Musgroves & Co. head back to their hotel for dinner.
After dinner, Captains Harville and Benwick come for another visit, and Anne
ends up talking to the still Eeyore-ish Benwick.
Their chatting focuses mostly on his favorite, mostly depressing poetry
(modern conversational equivalent: do you think Bright Eyes or Death Cab for
Cutie is better?), and Anne suggests that Benwick might be cheerier if he read
some inspirational, character-building prose once in a while (or listened to some
stadium rock?), though privately she thinks that she hasn’t been all that good at
taking her own advice.
Persuasion Chapter 12 Summary Page 1
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Anne and Henrietta wake up early and go for a walk on the beach; Henrietta is
in that relationship stage where she can’t talk about anything but her boyfriend.
Louisa and Captain Wentworth join them, and then they head to town to do
some shopping.
On their way they run into a strange man who totally checks Anne out; his
doing so causes Captain Wentworth to realize that Anne is looking more like her
old (younger) self.
Back at the hotel Anne runs into the stranger again, and notes both that he
has "exceedingly good manners" (12.7) and that he is in mourning.
At breakfast they notice the man’s carriage leaving, and Captain Wentworth
asks the waiter who the stranger was. Turns out his name is Mr. Elliot.
Mary immediately assumes that the man is their cousin, Mr. William Elliot,
who is currently in mourning for his wife.
Mary bemoans not getting a chance to introduce herself, while Anne tries
gently to convince her that, because of the family feud, Sir Walter would prefer
mutual shunning.
To herself, Anne feels pleased that the future occupant of Kellynch appears to
have manners and good sense (unlike the current bunch).
The Harvilles and Captain Benwick join the Musgrove entourage for their last
walk around Lyme.
Captain Benwick again locks onto Anne to continue their emo-poetry
discussion of the preceding evening.
The group reshuffles, and Anne finds herself with Captain Harville, who
discusses Benwick’s sad history and Wentworth’s exemplary friendship.
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They drop the Harvilles off at their house and continue their walk on the Cobb,
a kind of pier on two levels (it’ll be easier to visualize what happens next if you
check out a picture of the Cobb steps.
Apparently, simply walking down the precarious steps is too boring for Louisa,
who insists on jumping off them into Wentworth’s arms.
Wentworth thinks this isn’t the greatest idea, but indulges her; the first jump
goes according to plan, but when Louisa insists on doing it yet again she’s a bit
too quick for Wentworth and falls to the ground, knocking herself out.
Wentworth is shocked into silence; Mary starts screaming; Henrietta faints;
only Anne remains capable of making decisions, and sends Benwick off for a
doctor.
Under Anne’s guidance, they bring the still unconscious Louisa to the
Harvilles’ lodging.
The doctor arrives, and assures them that Louisa’s bump on the head is not
fatal, and that she’ll probably be fine.
Deeply relieved, Louisa’s family and friends try to decide what to do next, since
she has to stay in bed for a while.
First order of business: deciding who will go to Uppercross to break the news
to Louisa’s parents.
Charles wants to stay with his sister, so Wentworth agrees to take Henrietta
and Mary home, leaving Anne to take care of the head trauma victim, since, as
Wentworth says, there is no one "so capable as Anne" (12.60)
Anne overhears that last bit from outside the door and is set all a-flutter once
more.
Wentworth appeals directly to Anne to be Louisa’s nursemaid, and Anne
unhesitatingly agrees.
All is well until Mary Mary Quite Contrary gets wind of this plan, and insists
that she should stay and Anne should go.
The others are powerless before the might of her whine, so it is Anne (after
getting an attentive farewell from Captain Benwick) who sets off for Uppercross
with Wentworth and Henrietta.
Wentworth mostly ignores Anne on the journey, through his few words to her
suggest that he feels a little guilty for not having prevented the tragedy.
Anne refrains from saying "I told you so," but secretly hopes that Wentworth is
rethinking his preference for resolute characters.
As they arrive at Uppercross, Wentworth asks Anne’s opinion of his plan: that
he go in first to break the news.
Anne agrees with this proposition, and feels pleased that he values her
judgment enough to ask her what she thought.
The announcement made, Anne and Henrietta remain at Uppercross while
Wentworth heads back to Lyme.
Persuasion Chapter 13 Summary Page 1
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Anne stays for two days at Uppercross, making herself useful to the worryaddled Musgrove parents.
Charles M. visits Uppercross, and assures his parents that Louisa is no worse
and that Mrs. Harville is taking excellent care of her.
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There is talk that the family nanny should go with Charles back to Lyme, but
no action; Anne takes a page out of designer Tim Gunn’s book and makes it work.
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Charles Hayter also visits Lyme and brings back reports that Louisa is not
dead yet, but is getting better, and Captain Wentworth is staying with her.
The Musgrove parents make vague noises that they would like to go to Lyme to
be with Louisa, but appear incapable of actually making up their minds, getting
in their carriage and going. Anne, continuing to channel Lisa Simpson as the only
competent person around, makes all the arrangements and sends them off.
Anne joins the newly-returned Lady Russell at Kellynch Lodge, and is plunged
back into a different family drama. Still, Anne’s more interested in what’s going
on with the Musgroves than what her own father and sister have been up to in
Bath.
Anne and Lady Russell pay a visit to the Crofts; Anne already knows and likes
them, but Lady Russell is prepared to be huffy at these intruders to Kellynch.
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Anne learns, with pleasure, that Captain Wentworth has been complimenting
the way she handled Louisa’s dive into the pavement.
Admiral Croft invites Anne to tour her old house, but she declines.
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The Admiral discusses the various changes he and Mrs. Croft have made to
the house, most notably removing the umpteen giant mirrors from what had been
Sir Walter’s room.
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The Crofts mention that they will be away visiting friends until after Anne
leaves to join her family in Bath, and Anne is relieved that there is no danger of
running into the Captain again.
Persuasion Chapter 14 Summary Page 1
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Charles and Mary return to Uppercross as Christmas approaches, leaving
Louisa improved in health but still not completely recovered.
In Lyme, the elder Musgroves and the Harvilles have been holding an informal
competition as to who can be kinder and more generous, and even Mary has been
enjoying herself.
Anne asks Charles how her old partner-in-poetry Captain Benwick has been
doing, and Charles says that he had accepted an invitation to Uppercross, but
then for some reason changed his mind (Charles thinks it’s because he found out
Anne was no longer staying with the Musgroves).
Charles and Mary argue as to whether Benwick is particularly interested in
Anne, or just likes her taste in books (Charles says yea, Mary says nay).
Lady Russell reserves judgment in the Benwick matter until actually meeting
the man.
Mary brings up running into Mr. William Elliot, but Lady Russell, still hung up
on the old drama of his rejection of the current Sir, shuts her down.
Anne learns that Captain Wentworth has been steering clear of Louisa, afraid
that the excitement of seeing him would further damage her bruised brain.
Anne and Lady Russell expect Captain Benwick to turn up any day now, but
he never does.
Mr. and Mrs. Musgrove return to Uppercross, bringing the Harville kids back
with them; their own younger children also come home from school for the
holidays, so there’s a full house at Uppercross.
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Lady Russell isn’t too fond of the current kindergarten atmosphere of
Uppercross, but the more motherly Mrs. Musgrove thinks of it as "quiet
cheerfulness" (14.28).
Lady Russell’s own idea of quiet cheerfulness, the narrator notes, is the hustle
and bustle of the Bath streets: to each her own.
Anne, however, is not eager to leave the countryside for a city life in Bath, even
though her sister’s last letter reported that the interesting Mr. Elliot has been
mending bridges with her and Sir Walter.
The possibility of meeting up with Mr. Elliot is still the one not-completelydark spot for her, however, as Anne finally arrives at her family’s lodgings in
Camden Place.
Persuasion Chapter 15 Summary Page 1
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Anne enters Camden Place feeling like she’s going to prison, but her family are
highly pleased with themselves and their situation in Bath, which makes them
more pleasant to her than usual.
Mrs. Clay also puts out the welcome mat, but Anne knows that the woman
couldn’t care less about her.
Sir Walter and Elizabeth hold forth on their popularity and superiority in Bath
society, though Anne thinks they feel like big fish only because the pond is so
small.
They also report on Mr. Elliot and how he switched from He Who Must Not Be
Named to That Guy We Talk About Constantly; he’s explained away his previous
bad behavior as due to misunderstanding, and has been entirely forgiven.
Anne tries to pick out the truth from her family’s reporting, which she knows
is biased, but remains uncertain as to the reasons behind Mr. Elliot’s change in
behavior.
Sir Walter discusses the levels of attractiveness displayed by Mr. Elliot and his
acquaintances the Wallises, and allows that they’re pretty enough to hang out
with him, but holds that most of the Bath population is not up to Sir Walter’s
standards of prettiness.
Sir Walter asks Anne about Mary and how her prettiness is doing, and says
that he would send her a new hat and pelisse (a kind of coat) if he didn’t think
she would go outside in it and ruin her skin.
Mr. Elliot comes for a visit, and Sir Walter introduces him to "his youngest
daughter" (15.18) Anne (Mary, apparently, doesn’t count).
Anne recognizes him as the stranger she met in Lyme, and sees that he had no
idea who she was.
Mr. Elliot is pleased to discover her identity, and behaves so politely that she
thinks there is "only one person" (15.18) she could compare him to – hmm,
wonder who that "one person" could be…
Mr. Elliot impresses Anne with how sensible he is, though of course the other
people in the room set a low standard.
They talk of Lyme, and Anne tells him (and her family, who are a much worse
audience) of Louisa’s accident; Mr. Elliot reminds Anne of Lady Russell in his
genuine concern.
The clock strikes eleven, and the party breaks up, with Anne feeling that the
evening was much less of a drag than she was expecting.
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Anne’s still concerned that she’s going to get Mrs. Clay as a wicked
stepmother.
Mrs. Clay offers to leave, but both the elder Elliots insist that she stay.
It doesn’t help Anne’s worries that, when her father is trying to give her beauty
advice, he holds up Mrs. Clay as an example of what his favorite face cream can
do.
Anne feels powerless, and thinks that she would feel better about Mrs. Clay
becoming Mrs. Walter Elliot if Elizabeth became Mrs. William Elliot. Her own
backup plan is to move in with Lady Russell.
Lady Russell is rather cranky that Anne is getting ignored while Mrs. Clay gets
all the attention; despite her crankiness, though, she still enjoys being a Bath
scenester.
As Lady Russell gets to know Mr. Elliot, she likes him more and more, and is
pleased with his sense of moderation and family pride.
Anne, however, thinks that Mr. Elliot has more than family pride on his mind,
and suspects him of being after Elizabeth, but Lady Russell doesn’t see things
that way.
In any case, Anne knows that the first Mrs. William Elliot has been in the
ground for only seven months, and so he might not be too eager to enlist a second
wife, even if the first one was unsatisfactory.
Until that becomes clear, Anne simply enjoys their friendship, as Mr. Elliot is
by far the person in her limited social circle she most enjoys hanging out with,
even though he cares more about rank than she does.
This difference becomes especially clear when a cousin to the Elliots, known
unfortunately as the Dowager Viscountess Dalrymple, and her daughter arrive in
Bath.
The Dalrymples are higher up on the social ladder than the Elliots, so Sir
Walter is anxious to get some of their reflected glory. The backstory fairy explains
the difficulty: Sir Walter was ill when Lady Dalrymple’s husband died, and so
didn’t send a letter of condolence; the Dalrymples struck back by similarly
ignoring Lady Elliot’s death, and the two families have been giving each other the
silent treatment ever since.
Knowing this, Sir Walter writes an elaborate letter to smooth things over,
which has the desired effect. Soon Sir Walter and Elizabeth are name-dropping
their illustrious cousins at any chance they get.
Anne feels ashamed that her family has gone to such efforts to get in with
people she finds boring and stupid, but Lady Russell and Mr. Elliot hold that
rank brings along a whole bunch of other privileges that are worth pursuing.
Anne tells Mr. Elliot that her pride makes her want to make friends based on
who she is rather than who her family is; Mr. Elliot replies that he, too, is proud,
and that having Sir Walter set his eyes on those above him will keep his attention
away from those below him – especially, Mr. Elliot hints, Mrs. Clay.
Anne can’t argue with that, and likes Mr. Elliot all the more for his sharing her
dislike of Mrs. Clay.
Persuasion Chapter 17 Summary Page 1
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Anne finds out that Mrs. Smith, who had taken Anne under her wing at school
when she was lonely and homesick, is staying in Bath.
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Mrs. Smith has had some bad luck – her husband had been foolish with
money before he died, leaving her poor, and an illness has made her disabled.
Anne, not telling her snobbish family but with the support of Lady Russell,
goes to visit Mrs. Smith at her lodgings in Westgate Buildings.
Anne is impressed that, despite all Mrs. Smith’s misfortune, she still manages
to stay cheerful and upbeat.
Mrs. Smith says she has the help of her reliable landlady and her nurse, the
landlady’s sister, who has helped Mrs. Smith in both giving to the poor and
selling to the rich.
Nurse Rooke also brings Mrs. Smith all the latest gossip that she hears when
her nursing job takes her into rich families.
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Anne says that the sick chamber must produce lots of good stories of human
heroism, and Mrs. Smith replies that the tales are more often of the bad side of
human nature than the good.
Nurse Rooke’s current patient, however, is too boring to furnish even bad
gossip – she is Mrs. Wallis, who turned up previously as a friend of the Elliots in
Bath.
Anne manages to visit Mrs. Smith several times on the DL before her family
finds out.
Anne’s recent activity comes to light when she refuses a last-minute invitation
from Lady Dalrymple because she already has a date to go over to Mrs. Smith’s.
Sir Walter makes fun of Anne for choosing to go see a poor old sick woman
rather than the high-class Dalrymples, trying to shame her into doing what he
wants, but she doesn’t give in.
In the process Sir Walter also mocks Mrs. Smith’s common name, which
makes Mrs. Clay rather uneasy, as Anne notices.
Later, Lady Russell tells Anne all about the party she missed, and makes sure
to repeat all the good things Mr. Elliot said about Anne.
Lady Russell is convinced that Mr. Elliot has a thing for Anne, and highly
approves of a marriage that would put Anne in her mother’s place as lady of
Kellynch Hall.
While Anne is entranced by the idea of being Lady Elliot, not for the title but
for being able to keep her home, but doesn’t entirely trust Mr. Elliot – the surface
of his character seems nice enough, but Anne suspects that it might just be an
act, as he seems a little too perfect.
Lady Russell has no such suspicions, however, and holds firm to her dream of
marrying Anne off to Mr. Elliot in a year or so, once he no longer has to wear
black for his first wife.
Persuasion Chapter 18 Summary Page 1
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Remember that other storyline, the one with the Musgroves? Anne does too,
and wonders what’s going on with that.
Fortunately she gets a thick letter from Mary, and, even better, the letter was
brought to Bath by the Crofts, whom Anne looks forward to seeing again.
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Sir Walter makes inane background noise making sure that no one forgets that
Admiral Croft is his tenant and that therefore he is, like, totally better than the
Admiral, and prettier too, while Anne reads her letter.
Mary is cranky about many things: everything is boring, the Musgroves aren’t
having any parties, the Harville children are still at Uppercross, the weather
sucks, all the fun stuff happens when she’s not around, when will Mrs. Clay get
out of the Elliots’ guest bedroom, not that they would ask her to stay with them
anyway, why does everyone else get to go to Bath while she has to stay in boring
old Uppercross?, there’s a sore throat going around which she’ll probably get, etc.
And that was just the first half of the letter. The second half, however, has the
juicy gossip. Louisa has returned to Uppercross, but not alone: Captain Benwick
is with her, to ask her father for permission for the couple to get married.
Anne is astonished at the news. Her family asks about the letter without really
waiting for her answers, and then turn to the matter of more concern to them,
whether they should introduce the Crofts to Lady Dalrymple. (They decide not.)
Anne finally gets away to her own room to think over the letter. She wonders
what Captain Wentworth thinks of the situation, and hopes that Louisa’s change
of heart hasn’t destroyed the friendship between him and Benwick.
Anne is also curious how lively Louisa and mopey Benwick got involved with
each other in the first place, and concludes that the head injury must have
awakened Louisa’s inner emotional side and a taste for poetry.
What really gets Anne’s heart rattling, though, is the thought of Captain
Wentworth’s being available again.
Anne meets up with the Crofts, but they seem out of the loop on the latest
Louisa/Benwick gossip.
The Crofts are in town for the Admiral’s health, and are always out walking.
For Anne, who often sees them when she is out riding with Lady Russell, they
appear as exhibit A of what a happy couple looks like.
Once when Anne is walking home she runs into Admiral Croft, who’s looking
at a picture of a boat in the shop window and criticizing the fact that it resembles
a real boat as much as a Photoshopped cover model resembles the real person.
The Admiral, unaware that he’s been scooped, tells Anne that Louisa and
Captain Benwick are engaged.
Of more interest to Anne is his information on Captain Wentworth’s response
to the situation; according to the Admiral, Wentworth is far from heartbroken at
the way things played out, and in fact seems like he couldn’t care less.
The Admiral says that he must get Captain Wentworth to come to Bath and
check out the pretty girls there to see if any of them would do as a wife.
Persuasion Chapter 19 Summary Page 1
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Even as Anne and the Admiral speak of inviting him, however, Captain
Wentworth is already on his way to Bath.
One day Anne is out with Mr. Elliot, Elizabeth, and Mrs. Clay, and they go into
a shop to get out of the rain.
Elizabeth manages to bum a ride from Lady Dalrymple in her carriage, but
there is only room for two. Anne and Mrs. Clay do a Chip-n-Dale routine as to
who can be more polite and self-sacrificing to give up the remaining seat and walk
home with Mr. Elliot instead (which is what both of them really want), but Anne
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eventually wins that game and is set to go with Mr. Elliot while the other two ride
in the carriage.
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While this is all being settled and Mr. Elliot is going off to run an errand for
Elizabeth, Anne sees Captain Wentworth out the window, walking down the
street.
All goes black for Anne and her heart skips a beat, but she manages to recover
herself before anyone else notices.
Soon Wentworth himself comes into the shop with a group of friends, and is
surprised and embarrassed to see Anne.
They strike up an awkward conversation, even though Elizabeth pointedly
ignores Wentworth.
As Elizabeth and Mrs. Clay go off to fly Air Dalrymple, Wentworth offers to
walk Anne home, but she tells him that Mr. Elliot has already claimed that task.
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At that moment, Mr. Elliot returns, and Wentworth recognizes him as the
stranger who was so obviously checking Anne out way back in Lyme.
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After Anne leaves with Mr. Elliot, the ladies in Wentworth’s group of friends
discuss the rumor that the pair will marry, and say that they like Anne much
better than her older sister even if most of the men rank them the other way
around.
Mr. Elliot attempts to engage Anne in his usual pleasant conversation, but her
mind is whirling with Wentworth.
Anne thinks about all the things she would like to know but doesn’t: what
Wentworth is feeling, how long he is staying in Bath, and what Lady Russell will
say once she finds out.
The next morning Anne is out with Lady Russell, but primarily on Wentworth
watch. (It’s 10am…do you know where your Wentworth is?)
She finally sees him, and thinks that Lady Russell sees him too, but really the
older woman is just trying to find a particularly sweet window arrangement that a
friend had mentioned to her, and totally missed that Wentworth just walked by.
A few days pass with no Wentworth, as he moves in less fashionable circles
than the Elliots.
But, at last, an opportunity arrives: there’s going to be a concert benefit for
someone in Lady Dalrymple’s orbit, and Anne knows that Wentworth is fond of
music…perhaps he will attend?
Anne even puts off Mrs. Smith this time so that she can go to the concert, in
hopes of running into Wentworth.
Mrs. Smith, ever plugged in to the gossip, has some idea of what’s going on,
and makes a prediction that Anne will soon have other concerns ranking above
visiting her old friend.
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Persuasion Chapter 20 Summary Page 1
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Sir Walter, Elizabeth, Mrs. Clay, and Anne are at the concert, sitting around
waiting for the fashionably-late Dalrymples when Captain Wentworth walks in.
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Anne starts talking to him, despite feeling the eyes of her father and sister
sending daggers at her back. Eventually they relent slightly, however, just enough
to give the Captain the slightest bow and curtsey.
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After the usual small talk of the weather and the town, the conversation turns
to Lyme, and Anne and Wentworth discuss the strange turn of affairs that
brought Louisa and Benwick together.
Wentworth says that at least the couple doesn’t have to deal with obnoxious
parents, before Anne’s blushes clue him in that he’s not being the world’s most
tactful person.
Wentworth goes on to say that Louisa’s nice and all, but she doesn’t seem
bookish enough for Benwick, and he’s surprised that his friend fall for her,
especially after seeming so hard hit when his previous fiancée Fanny Harville
died.
Moving from the personal to the abstract, he says that "A man does not recover
from such
a devotion of the heart to such a woman. He ought not; he does not" (20.10).
He then falls silent, perhaps thinking of the experience of someone other than
Captain Benwick.
Anne picks up the conversation, turning it back to Lyme more generally, and
says that she would like to visit the town again.
Wentworth blames himself for Louisa’s reckless leap, and is surprised that
Anne would want to revisit the site of previous trauma.
Anne says that the bad part was only at the end, and that memory can
transform even bad experiences into good.
The Dalrymples and Mr. Elliot arrive and sweep Anne away from Wentworth;
when she looks for him again, he has disappeared into the crowd. Anne thinks it’s
just as well, as she needs time to think over their conversation.
Once Lady Russell arrives, the group heads to their seats, trying to attract as
much attention as possible to themselves.
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Anne barely notices what’s going on around her, as she is much more
concerned with the happy thoughts inside her head: she goes over Wentworth’s
words and actions, and realizes that he still loves her.
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Even with such internal distractions, she manages to enjoy the concert, and to
translate the Italian of the performance into English for Mr. Elliot, who flatters
her intelligence and modesty.
Mr. Elliot drops a hint that he has heard much of Anne even before they met in
Bath, and Anne is curious as to who could have been telling him stories about
her.
He says that he has long been enchanted by the name Anne Elliot, and hints
at a hope that the name will never change.
Anne is distracted from this conversation when Lady Dalrymple and Sir Walter
spot Captain Wentworth and discuss his hotness.
Anne tries to catch Wentworth’s eye, but senses that he is purposefully
avoiding her gaze, and she doesn’t manage to exchange a look with him before the
show starts again and she has to turn her attention back to the stage.
She still keeps an eye out for him, though, and wishes that Mr. Elliot would
leave her alone.
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At intermission she hopes he’ll come find her, now that half her group has
gone off for snacks, but he doesn’t turn up.
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Intermission ends and they sit down again. Anne has sneakily managed to get
a seat closer to the aisle, all the better for potential Wentworth-gazing. Her
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position is improved even more when the people at the end of the row depart
early, leaving an invitingly empty spot next to Anne.
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She finally spots Captain Wentworth, but his manner is colder than before.
They talk of the concert and Anne manages to warm him up a bit again but,
just as Wentworth seems about to sit down, Mr. Elliot butts in to ask Anne to
translate more Italian.
When Anne finally gets free, Wentworth speaks to her only to say goodbye.
Anne tries to convince him to stay (for the music, of course), but he goes off
rather huffily.
Anne realizes what is going on – he’s jealous of Mr. Elliot! While Anne is happy
at this further proof that he cares about her, she’s also worried about how to let
him know that she still wants him and doesn’t care a bit about Mr. Elliot.
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Anne is glad that she’s going to see Mrs. Smith, as it means she won’t be
seeing Mr. Elliot.
Not that she hates him – it’s just she has realized that Captain Wentworth is
the only one for her, and so Mr. Elliot is rather a waste of time.
Anne tells Mrs. Smith about the concert, but Mrs. Smith is more interested in
the audience than the music, and Anne was so busy looking out for Captain
Wentworth that she didn’t see much else.
Mrs. Smith teases Anne about having eyes for only one person, and Anne
blushes, thinking of Captain Wentworth and wondering how her friend could have
picked up on that so quickly.
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Anne is surprised to discover, however, that Mrs. Smith thinks that one person
is Mr. Elliot.
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In fact, Mrs. Smith wants Anne to use her influence with Mr. Elliot to do her a
favor.
Anne explains that she’s glad to help, but that she and Mr. Elliot are really
just friends.
Mrs. Smith doesn’t believe her, and praises Mr. Elliot as "safe" husband
material, for he is not one to be "misled by others to his ruin" (21.32).
Anne replies that Mr. Elliot seems nice enough, but that it’s hard to feel like
she knows him well, and protests that it was NOT Mr. Elliot who made the
concert so enjoyable – unintentionally implying by her denial that there was
someone else causing her enjoyment.
Anne regrets giving so much away, but realizes that the only way to convince
Mrs. Smith that she is not going to marry Mr. Elliot is to persuade her that there’s
a different man she wants to marry.
Anne asks why Mrs. Smith thinks she and Mr. Elliot were going to get hitched.
Mrs. Smith says that, with the family connection, it seems the obvious thing to
do, and that the gossip networks have taken it as a given.
When Anne asks if she can still do Mrs. Smith’s Mr. Elliot-related favor, if only
in a friendly way, Mrs. Smith pulls back, saying it’s nothing.
Curious, Anne presses Mrs. Smith for more information on Mr. Elliot, since
she’s known him for so long.
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Mrs. Smith resists at first, but eventually decides to spill everything she knows
about Mr. Elliot, just in case Anne might change her mind and decide to marry
him after all.
It’s story time! Pull up a carpet square and get comfortable, because Mrs.
Smith has a lot to tell: attend the tale of Mr. Elliot, who is "black at heart, hollow
and black!" (21.52).
Mrs. Smith’s husband and Mr. Elliot were close friends; at this time the
Smiths were doing pretty well for themselves, and helped Mr. Elliot out with
money when he was in a jam, which was often.
This was also the time when Mr. Elliot first met Sir Walter and Elizabeth, and
blew them off to marry his first, low-class-but-rich wife.
Mrs. Smith explains why he was so rude to the Elliots: first and foremost he
wanted to marry money, and Elizabeth wasn’t rich enough for him.
Anne learns that Mrs. Smith was the person Mr. Elliot had hinted at during
the concert, the one who had told him about her prior to their meeting, as Mrs.
Smith had talked a lot about Anne at that time in order to knock Elizabeth.
To corroborate her story, Mrs. Smith brings out a letter Mr. Elliot had written
to her husband, bashing Sir Walter and Elizabeth.
Anne wonders why Mr. Elliot has changed his tune and is suddenly making
nice with the Elliots now.
Mrs. Smith says that part of the reason is Anne herself – Mr. Elliot really does
want to marry her.
Anne objects that Mr. Elliot had wormed into her family circle even before she
arrived in Bath.
Mrs. Smith brings out reason #2, and her name is Mrs. Clay.
Mr. Elliot wasn’t just trying to kiss up to Anne by sharing her suspicions of
Mrs. Clay, he is genuinely worried that she will marry Sir Walter and have a baby
male Elliot who could cut him out of inheriting the title; now that he’s rolling in
money, he’s switched gears and thinks that being Sir William would make his
cash even sweeter.
Anne is glad that she finally knows what’s what with Mr. Elliot, since she
always suspected there was more to him than he seemed.
All this was just a distraction, though, and Mrs. Smith returns to the main
point of her story, which is how Mr. Elliot ruined her life.
So, once Mr. Elliot got his rich wife, he started living the lifestyle of the rich
and famous, and encouraged Mr. Smith to do the same. Since Mr. Smith didn’t
have Mr. Elliot’s bank account, that didn’t go so well.
Just as the Smiths’ debts caught up with them (if only they had hooked up
with Morrissey and started a band), Mr. Smith died, leaving Mrs. Smith to deal
with the money mess.
Mrs. Smith went to Mr. Elliot, who was supposed to be taking care of her
husband’s affairs, but he refused to do anything.
Particularly peeving Mrs. Smith is the knowledge that wealth is in reach, if
only she had some help: her husband had some property in the West Indies that
could be fixed up to give her a good income, but her illness, poverty, and lack of
friends in high places prevent her from reaping its riches.
After all this, Anne, needless to say, is amazed that her friend had started the
conversation by extolling Mr. Elliot’s husbandly charms.
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Mrs. Smith says that she thought the marriage was a done deal, and had
optimistically hoped that Anne would do better than wife #1.
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Anne feels relieved that she didn’t let Lady Russell persuade her into getting
attached to Mr. Elliot, and gets Mrs. Smith’s permission to pass the dirt on Mr.
Elliot on to Lady Russell.
Persuasion Chapter 22 Summary Page 1
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Anne goes home, thinking over Mrs. Smith’s revelations. She is glad she now
knows Mr. Elliot’s secrets, but is worried about how what she has to tell will affect
her family and friends.
She comes home to find that she has succeeded in avoiding Mr. Elliot’s
morning visit, but that he finagled an invitation to return that evening.
Anne admires Mrs. Clay’s acting ability – she seems like she really wants to
see Mr. Elliot, when in fact his presence thwarts her presumed plan of becoming
Lady Elliot.
Mr. Elliot’s acting that evening, however, pains Anne – not because it’s any
worse than usual but because he’s so good at it, which shows her how much of a
hypocrite he is.
She works on dialing down their friendship, playing it cool when he tries once
more to flatter her.
Anne is pleased to find out that Mr. Elliot is taking a trip out of Bath for a few
days.
The next morning Anne plans to dish to Lady Russell, but Mrs. Clay is also
going out so Anne dilly-dallies to avoid having to walk with her.
Elizabeth and Sir Walter tell Anne that Lady Russell reads boring books,
dresses poorly, and doesn’t wear enough makeup to conceal her age – and that
Anne should convey to her their best regards.
They are interrupted by visitors, who turn out to be Charles and Mary – the
Musgroves have decided to go to where the action is (or at least to where the
narrator is) and have come to Bath.
Anne is genuinely glad to see her old companions, and even Sir Walter and
Elizabeth become nice enough once they find out the Musgroves aren’t planning
to crash on their impeccably-upholstered couches.
Charles tells Anne that part of the purpose of their trip is for Henrietta to shop
for wedding clothes for herself and her sister.
Anne is surprised that the wedding will be happening so soon, and Charles M.
replies that Charles Hayter has lucked into a church job and thus is now earning
enough to support a wife.
Anne is glad that things are working out equally well for both the sisters.
Charles answers that his father does rather wish his future son-in-laws were
richer, and that paying for two weddings and dowries at once is rather a drain on
his finances.
Anne praises the Musgrove parents for nonetheless supporting their children
in choosing their own spouses, without making a fuss that the husbands don’t
have a high enough social rank.
Conversation turns to Louisa, and Charles talks about how she’s changed, and
has become a nervous bookworm.
They also talk of Benwick, who Charles likes and respects.
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Elizabeth doesn’t want to invite the Musgroves for dinner, because the
complexities of a dinner party would reveal how much the Elliots have sunk since
Kellynch, and so she decides to invite them to a simpler evening party instead,
where she can also show off the Dalrymples.
Anne goes with Charles and Mary to see Henrietta; they stop by Lady Russell’s
place, but Anne decides to delay telling her the Mr. Elliot-Mrs. Smith saga until
the following day.
With Henrietta and Mrs. Musgrove, Anne enjoys the family warmth her own
home is sadly lacking.
Old friends keep coming by, including Captains Harville and Wentworth.
Anne hopes that, since she and Wentworth like each other and they’re
reasonably grown up, they’ll be able to sort out all the confusion that currently
surrounds them and have a happy ending.
Still, when Anne makes a remark that shows she has Mr. Elliot’s schedule at
her fingertips, she realizes that it’s not going to be easy to let Wentworth know
that her interests do not lie in that direction.
Her remark is prompted by Mary’s spotting through the window Mr. Elliot
speaking with Mrs. Clay, despite his previous statement that he would be out of
town for a while.
The nameless visitors go off, leaving just the characters whose names we
know.
Charles announces that he’s booked a box at the theater, but Mary reminds
him that they’re already going to the party at Sir Walter’s that same night.
Charles enjoys teasing Mary that he’ll go to the theater anyway and that she’ll
just have to miss it, but eventually it’s settled that they’ll all go on another night.
Anne cunningly takes the discussion as an opportunity to state to anyone who
might be listening that she would much rather go to the theater with the
Musgroves than to a party with the Elliots.
Captain Wentworth picks up on this, and strikes up a conversation with Anne;
their subject turns to memories of the past, but just as it starts to get interesting,
Henrietta interrupts to say they should all go out before they get more nameless
visitors.
Before they can actually leave, Sir Walter and Elizabeth show up, casting a
chill over the party like the White Witch over Narnia.
They have come to issue a formal invitation to the party, and Elizabeth
pointedly includes Wentworth – not because she likes him any more than she did
before, but because a good-looking guy is a party asset.
Anne sees Wentworth thinking over the invitation, and hopes that he will come
to the party.
Anne, exhausted by all this emotional drama, goes home, where party
preparations are in full swing.
In the course of the conversation, Anne outs Mrs. Clay for meeting with the
supposedly-absent Mr. Elliot, and sees a tinge of guilt in the woman’s eye as she
acknowledges running into him.
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Anne decides to put off bashing Mr. Elliot to Lady Russell for another day,
since she’s more concerned with setting things right with Captain Wentworth.
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She plans to spend the day with the Musgroves; when she arrives, Mrs. Croft,
Captain Harville, and Captain Wentworth are all there already.
Rather than the calm day she had expected, she finds herself all worked up
over Wentworth’s presence.
Wentworth sits down to write a letter as Mrs. Musgrove rattles on to Mrs. Croft
about Henrietta’s engagement and upcoming marriage.
Mrs. Musgrove and Mrs. Croft both talk about how awful it is for a young
couple to have to be engaged for a long time, and how much better it is for them
to just get married and figure everything out after the wedding. This may not
seem like the best advice, but both Anne and Wentworth feel the application to
their own past and exchange an involuntary but meaningful glance.
Captain Harville gets Anne’s attention to tell her about his task for the day:
getting a miniature portrait of Captain Benwick reset as a gift for his bride (that’s
what Wentworth’s writing his letter about). Trouble is, the portrait was originally
made for Harville’s sister Fanny, and Harville is rather sad that his sister has
been forgotten so soon, though he doesn’t blame Benwick for going for the live girl
over the dead one.
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Harville says that his sister would not have found a new boyfriend so soon if
Benwick had been the one to die, and Anne says that "any woman who truly
loved" (23.18) would be the same.
Anne goes on to say that women in general do not forget as soon as men do,
partly because they’re stuck at home with nothing to do but think and remember,
while men can distract themselves with worldly adventures.
Harville says that Benwick hasn’t been having adventures at all, he’s been
sitting around reading angst-ridden poetry, and Anne says the difference must be
in man’s nature vs. woman’s.
Harville disagrees, saying that, as men’s bodies are stronger, men’s feelings
must be stronger too.
Anne replies that strength is not the same thing as endurance, and that men’s
stronger bodies don’t allow them to live any longer than women.
Their conversation is interrupted by a noise: Wentworth has dropped his pen,
and Anne wonders if he’s been listening in.
Harville asks if Wentworth is done with his letter, and Wentworth replies that
he needs a few more minutes to finish up.
Harville turns back to Anne to say that there’s no way to settle their
disagreement one way or the other (apparently rock, paper, scissors hasn’t been
invented yet), but that all of literature is on the side of men’s constancy and
women’s fickleness.
Before Anne can reply, Harville answers for her by pointing out that all those
books were written by men. Anne agrees that books can’t prove anything, since
only men have had "the pen […] in their hands" (23.28), and thus literature shows
only the male viewpoint.
Harville asks how then they could settle the question, and Anne says they
can’t, since everyone is biased towards her or his own gender.
Harville wishes he could overcome those biases and make Anne understand
what a man experiences when he leaves his family to go off to sea.
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Anne answers that she’s not dissing men’s ability to be loyal and true, but just
saying that a man can only do that "while the woman you love lives, and lives for
you." She continues: "All the privilege I claim for my own sex (it is not a very
enviable one; you need not covet it), is that of loving longest, when existence or
when hope is gone" (23.32).
Their conversation is interrupted again, this time by Mrs. Croft leaving;
Wentworth soon follows her, and Anne is disappointed that he doesn’t even look
at her on his way out.
Soon, however, Wentworth returns, saying that he’s forgotten his gloves.
In picking them up he also pulls out a letter from under the scratch paper on
the desk and looks at Anne "with eyes of glowing entreaty" (23.40).
Anne picks up the letter, and, hoping Mrs. Musgrove will stay busy enough for
her to read it without distractions, opens it.
The letter, in short (though a summary can’t really do it justice): Wentworth
still loves Anne, and awaits a signal from her as to whether she returns his love; if
not, he’ll go out of her life forever.
Anne is understandably blown away by this, and when Charles, Mary, and
Henrietta arrive ten minutes later, she can no longer keep up the appearance of
calmness, so she decides to go home.
She really just wants some time to herself, and a chance to give Wentworth his
signal (preferably with flashing neon lights and sirens, so it’ll be impossible to
miss), but Charles insists on walking her home.
On the way they do run into Wentworth, and luckily Charles wants to go look
at a gun, so he leaves Anne and Wentworth to amuse themselves.
Even before Anne says anything, Wentworth reads her emotions, and they go
off happily, restrained only by the strict Regency disapproval of PDAs.
They go over the past, enjoying remembering their story now that they know it
will have a happy ending.
Wentworth explains that he always loved Anne, he was just bitterly angry at
her for dumping him, and that he never meant to marry Louisa, but got in over
his head before he realized how seriously everyone was taking his relationship
with her.
Once Louisa conveniently fell for Benwick, Wentworth decided to come to Bath
to see if he still had a chance with Anne, taking comfort in his knowledge that she
had previously turned down Charles Musgrove.
They go over their more recent history, and Wentworth talks about his jealousy
of Mr. Elliot, and his fear that Anne would once more bow to pressure and marry
her family’s chosen suitor.
Anne counters that a) she’s older and wiser now, and b) when she turned
Wentworth down, she thought it was her duty to choose the safer option, and that
marrying Mr. Elliot was neither the dutiful nor the safe thing to do.
Despite taking the scenic route, they finally arrive at the Elliot residence, and
Wentworth leaves Anne there in a golden haze of happiness.
That evening at the party, nothing can dent Anne’s joy, especially since she’s
able to steal a few semi-private moments of conversation with Wentworth.
During one of those conversations, Anne says that, while Lady Russell’s advice
to her younger self was wrong, Anne’s following of that advice was not: it was not
the act of persuasion itself, but what she was being persuaded to do that was the
problem.
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Wentworth says he still isn’t able to forgive Lady Russell, but he’s realizing
that he himself can’t escape blame. He asks Anne if he had come back when he
first made good at sea, would she have taken him back, and she replies, "hell
yes!" (or the Austen equivalent).
Wentworth replies with the Austen equivalent of "d’oh!": if he had gotten over
himself earlier, they could have sorted this whole mess out six years before,
without taking a whole novel to do it.
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The narrator gives us a rather tongue-in-cheek moral: when young people
want to get married, they’re going to manage to do it no matter what.
And as it turns out, neither Sir Walter nor Elizabeth object much, since
Wentworth’s risen in the world even as the Elliots have dropped. Also,
Wentworth’s handsomeness counts as a plus in Sir Walter’s book.
Anne’s mainly worried about Lady Russell and how she will take the giant "I
told you so" of her marriage to Wentworth, but Lady Russell is fortunately more
concerned with seeing Anne happy than hanging on to a sense of her own
righteousness.
Mary’s also happy enough with the marriage, so long as she can still look
down on Anne because her sister doesn’t have a landed estate to look forward to.
Elizabeth, however, is not so much with the being pleased, especially as Mr.
Elliot leaves Bath soon after Anne does.
But he doesn’t go off alone: he takes Mrs. Clay with him to keep her away from
Sir Walter, though the narrator speculates that she might have the last laugh by
getting Mr. Elliot to marry her, and thus becoming Lady Elliot that way.
Sir Walter and Elizabeth are not pleased to find out they were duped by Mrs.
Clay, and miss having someone around to tell them how wonderful they are.
Anne’s only problem now is wishing she had a better social circle to merge
with Captain Wentworth’s; while neither of them want much to do with her
immediate family, Lady Russell and Mrs. Smith step up and become good friends
of them both.
Wentworth even deals with Mrs. Smith’s neglected property in the West Indies,
and Mrs. Smith manages to stay cheerful, despite becoming much richer than
before.
And so Anne and Wentworth live happily ever after, with only the possibility of
future wars (Wentworth is still a naval captain, after all) to worry about.
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Marriage
In a novel with many unmarried and young woman, marriage is naturally an
important theme. The central premise behind the novel is the thwarted
engagement between the heroine and hero, Anne and Captain Wentworth.
Although they are very much in love, the marriage is judged imprudent from a
financial perspective. Much of the narrative builds up a weighty force against
such a judgment, suggesting that somewhat imprudent marriages can still lead to
happiness. This is a conclusion that is stated explicitly at the end by Mrs.
Musgrove and Mrs. Croft. At the same time, the novel also deals with of marriages
(or hopes of marriage) that have no purpose other than the social or financial
benefit of one party. Such is the case of Mr. Elliot and his first wife, for example,
or Mrs. Clay's desire to marry Sir Walter. In a society in which family plays such
an important role, marriage is necessarily a complicated negotiation.
Persuasion
The title of novel derives presumably from the instance of Lady Russell's
persuading Anne not to marry Captain Wentworth. This instance of persuasion in
turn derives from Lady Russell's personal persuasion that a prudent marriage
involves a man with either family or fortune to his name. For her part, Anne has
her own persuasion about her engagement to Captain Wentworth: “She was
persuaded that under every disadvantage of disapprobation at home. . . she
should yet have been a happier woman in maintaining the engagement, than she
had been in the sacrifice of it” (20). Much of the novel addresses questions of
moral judgment in these foremost examples of persuasion. Was Lady Russell
"right" to dissuade Anne from marrying the captain? Although it becomes clear
that Anne's decision was a bad one, the ultimate judgment of right and wrong
remains ambiguous. At the end of the novel, Anne states that, despite her
suffering, she “was perfectly right in being misguided by Lady Russell” (164).
Rank and Consequence
For Sir Walter and Elizabeth, rank and consequence are everything. They live to
be important in society. Although Sir Walter has the title of baronet, the Elliots
suffer from the common problem of a limited income. They thus leave their
primary home of Kellynch Hall and move to Bath, where they might be “important
at comparatively little expense” (10). At Bath, the Elliots are indeed important and
their company is much sought after. Sir Walter and Elizabeth are also eager to
seek the company of those whom they deem more important than themselves.
When the Dowager Viscountess Dalrymple arrives in Bath with her daughter the
Honorable Miss Carteret, for example, they "assiduously pus[h] their good
fortune" with them (100). Of course, rank does not always equal consequence.
Mr. Elliot chooses to marry a wealthy common woman instead of Elizabeth
precisely because of the diminishing Ellito fortune. Finally, the border between
pride of family and obsession with rank is a fine line. Lady Russell possesses
superior understanding but sometimes errs on the side of valuing rank too much;
Anne judges people fairly by their character rather than rank, yet still has her
share of Elliot pride.
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Navy
While the upper class is often satirized in the novel, the naval men are portrayed
in an admirable light. With the exception of Captain Benwick, all of them are
open, warm-hearted, unaffected, sensible, and capable of providing excellent
company. Although the Harvilles are portrayed as lacking a certain polish, they
also demonstrate practical skills that become crucial when Louisa falls at the
Cobb. Historically, Austen writes at a time in which the upper class were
declining gradually, whereas the navy was rising as the Second British Empire
was being built up. Such a shifting social order is reflected by the fact that the
Crofts take possession of Kellnch Hall. Although they are only tenants, the novel
gives no indication as to when the Elliots will be able to leave Bath under
satisfactory financial conditions. Finally, the narrative's "goal" of securing Captain
Wentworth for Anne suggests that a bright future lies with navy, if only on a
symbolic level.
Place and Location
Among Austen's novels, a story that takes place in as many locations as
in Persuasion is rare. The relatively large number of locales is telling of the
distinct social milieus that together make up the world of the novel. At Kellynch,
we find a respectable titled family as well as a changing social order; at
Uppercross, we find the happiness of an unpretentious wealthy family; at Lyme,
we find life amid impressive nature and the fruits and dangers that it offers; and
at Bath, we see all worlds converge. On an even more microcosmic level, streets
and place are also assigned social importance: Camden Placeand Laura Place in
Bath are very respectable, for example, while the Westgate Buildings are not. The
novel also suggests, however, that such fragmentation is superficial and can be
reconciled by a mind with superior sensibilities. Anne, after all, enjoys the serene
gardens of Kellynch as much as she does the bustle of Uppercross. For her,
Camden Place and the Westgate Buildings represent no special difference per se;
what is truly important is the people who live in such places.
Character List
→
Anne Elliot - The novel's protagonist, Anne Elliot is the middle daughter of Sir Walter Elliot,
a landed baronet from a socially important family. Quiet and reserved, yet clever and
practical, Anne sees the foolishness in her father's lavish spending. Because she is neither
the most beautiful nor the most image-conscious of his daughters, Sir Walter often overlooks
Anne, slights her, and dismisses her opinions. Though Anne seeks love, she is conscious of
her duty to her position and the prudence of making a suitable match. Seeking to please
those around her, in her youth, she was persuaded from following her true desires. In
contrast to both of her two sisters and to the other young female characters in the novel,
Anne is level-headed, considerate of others, and humble. She balances duty and passion in a
composed and respectful way.
Captain Frederick Wentworth - The object of Anne's affections, Captain Wentworth is a
gallant Naval officer who, well-educated and well-mannered, has made his own fortunes by
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climbing the Naval ranks. He values constancy, practicality, and firmness of mind in women,
characteristics that will make a good Navy wife. Though Captain Wentworth is almost
universally liked and respected for his gentle nature and kind attentions to others, Sir Walter
disdains him for his 'lower' birth.
Sir Walter Elliot - The father of Anne Elliot, baronet, and owner of Kellynch Hall, Sir Walter
is a caricature of the impractical titled upper classes. Extraordinarily vain, Sir Walter lines
his dressing room with mirrors, and agrees to be seen in public only with attractive or wellborn people. Conscious of keeping up grand appearances, Sir Walter spends lavishly, and
brings his family into debt. A poor judge of character, he is easily fooled by those who would
take advantage of him.
Elizabeth Elliot - The eldest daughter of Sir Walter and the older sister of Anne, Elizabeth
Elliot is her father's favorite. Like her father, she is vain and primarily concerned with
keeping up appearances and associating with important people. At the end of the novel,
Elizabeth is the only one of the Elliot daughters to remain single, there being no one of
adequate birth to suit her taste.
Mr. William Elliot - Anne Elliot's cousin, and heir to Kellynch Hall, Mr. William Elliot is a
smooth talker who everyone agrees is "perfectly what he ought to be." Only six months after
the death of his first wife, and at the end of a marriage that was generally known to be
unhappy, Mr. Elliot is searching for a new bride. Good- looking and well-mannered, Mr. Elliot
talks his way back into the good graces of Sir Walter, yet Anne questions his true motives.
Mary Elliot Musgrove - The youngest Elliot sister, Mary is married to Charles Musgrove and
has two small boys. She is high strung, often hysterical, and always aware of the imagined
slights others have done to her. A rather inattentive mother, Mary focuses on social climbing.
Charles Musgrove - Mary's husband, and heir to the great house at Uppercross, Charles is
a relatively good-natured man who patiently endures his wife's trials. He would have
preferred to marry Anne Elliot.
Louisa
Musgrove -
Charles's younger sister, Louisa is young, accomplished, and
headstrong. She falls easily in love and admires the Navy excessively.
Henrietta Musgrove - Younger sister of Charles and older sister of Louisa, Henrietta is also
young and fun-loving. Though she is not as decisive as Louisa, Henrietta sees the charms
both of her cousin Charles Hayter and of the dashing Captain Wentworth.
Mr. & Mrs. Musgrove - The parents of Charles, Henrietta, and Louisa, the Musgroves have
provided a balanced, happy home for their children at Uppercross. They are a landed family,
second in rank in the parish only to the Elliots. They are practical, and want only happiness
for their children.
Charles Hayter - Cousin to the Musgroves (his mother is the sister of Mrs. Musgrove), the
Hayter family is nevertheless enmeshed in a much lower social circle because of their
'inferior, retired, and unpolished way of living.' Charles Hayter, the eldest son, however,
chose to be a scholar and a gentleman, and consequently has much more refined manners.
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He will one day inherit his family's land, and he hopes to court his cousin Henrietta and
make her his wife.
Captain Benwick - Once engaged to the Captain Harville's now-deceased sister, Fanny,
Captain Benwick is a depressed naval officer who mourns the death of his lost love. He is a
shy man and an ardent reader of poetry. When Anne meets him, he is on leave from his ship
and he is living with Captain and Mrs. Harville. He seeks a young woman to help him get over
Fanny, and his attentions turn, surprisingly, to Louisa Musgrove.
Lady Russell - The former best friend of Anne's deceased mother, Lady Russell is a woman
of considerable birth and wealth who serves as advisor to the Elliot family. A practical
woman, she is conscious of class interactions and finances. Anne is her favorite of the Elliot
daughters and, though she means well, she sometimes gives Anne bad advice.
Admiral and Mrs. Croft - The amiable couple that rents Kellynch Hall when Sir Walter can
no longer afford to stay there. The Admiral is a decorated Naval officer and his devoted wife
travels with him when he is at sea. The Crofts are one of the few examples of an older happily
married couple in any of Austen's novels.
Mrs. Clay - The daughter of Mr. Shepard (family advisor to Sir Walter), Mrs. Clay soon
becomes the friend of Elizabeth Elliot. Though she is of much lower birth, freckled, and not
so very attractive, Mrs. Clay is a well-mannered widow. Anne, however, sees danger in the
way she endears herself to Sir Walter, and suspects she may seek to marry in a class far
above her own.
Mrs. Smith - The girlhood friend of Anne Elliot who is currently living in Bath, Mrs. Smith
has fallen on hard times. After her husband went into debt and left her a widow, Mrs. Smith
was left with nothing. Now crippled by an illness, Mrs. Smith rekindles her former friendship
with Anne and provides her with information that helps Anne learn more of Mr. Elliot. Mrs.
Smith functions in the story to highlight Anne's high value on friendship and disregard for
maintaining appearances at all cost.
Lady Dalrymple and Miss Carteret - The Irish cousins of the Elliots, Lady Dalrymple and
her ugly daughter, Miss Carteret, come to Bath. Though they are uninteresting and unclever,
Sir Walter seeks their renewed acquaintance because of their high social position.
Captain Harville and Mrs. Harville - Friends of Captain Wentworth, this couple resides in
Lyme and kindly cares for Louisa after her fall.
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