Doc Yoder's Notes
Persuasion by Jane Austen (published posthumously Dec. 1817; title-page says 1818)

Page numbers indicated in the notes are keyed to the Oxford World Classics Edition, edited by John Davie (1971, paperback reprint 1987); this edition is out of print at this writing (Sept. 22, 2006), although a new printing is due soon.

Volume I

Chap. 1.1-3: intro the Elliots, and the plans to let Kellynch

Chap. 1.4: intro Anne, w/ her history concerning Wentworth

Chap. 1.5: Anne goes to stay w/ Mary at Uppercross; suspicions about Mrs. Clay (37); on old and new style English (42)

Chap. 1.6: Anne gets sucked into the vortex of gossip and prejudice at Uppercross -- everyone at odds w/ Mary (45-47); the Crofts move into Kellynch (49); meeting Mrs. Croft (50), and discovering the connection between the Musgroves and Wentworth through poor Richard Musgrove

Note the pattern of how Wentworth is introduced by confusion with his brother (28-29, 50).

Chap. 1.7: Anne meets Wentworth for the first time since their breakup (60); it is reported that Wentworth said that Anne was "so altered he should not have known [her] again" (61); the narrator on Wentworth's motivations and feelings about Anne -- anyone but her (61-62)

Chap. 1.8: Party at Uppercross; everyone is there (except, of course, Sir Walter, Elizabeth, and Mr. E.); talk of ships and lots of irony about Richard Musgrove, fat jokes (67-68), women on ships (69-70); Wentworth's "cold politeness" (71-72)

Chap. 1.9: Charles Hayter's competition w/ Wentworth for Henrietta's affection; Anne and Wentworth alone w/ sick little Charles, Wentworth rescues Anne from troublesome little Walter, while Charles Hayter looks on

Chap. 1.10: a long walk (featuring Henrietta, Louisa, Wentworth, Anne, Mary, Charles), during which Anne is supplanted by Louisa in the discourse -- (almost) everything Louisa says to Wentworth reflects on Anne's history w/ him; Anne compares herself to Autumn with its lost promise (83); Louisa tells Wentworth that Anne had been persuaded by Lady Russell not to marry Charles Musgrove (87); Wentworth on the evil of being too easily persuaded (85-86); Henrietta and Charles Hayter apparently work out their differences

Chap. 1.11: the trip to Lyme; intro the Harvilles and Benwick; Benwick reads; Anne may have eyes for Benwick (95); Anne is smitten w/ the Harvilles and laments that "These could have been all my friends" (96); Anne is becoming "hardened" to Wentworth's presence (97); talking poetry and books w/ Benwick (99)

Chap. 1.12: Lyme, the next day: Henrietta talks of her plans w/ Hayter by talking about Dr. Shirley; Anne gets noticed on the street (by Mr. Elliot) (101-2); Louisa's fall (106) and Anne's cool-headedness (107); Anne rides to Uppercross w/ Wentworth and Henrietta; Wentworth asks her advice (114)

Volume II (Chapter numbers in parenthesis indicate continuous chapter numbering)

Anne's movement in Vol. I is from an arena of uselessness (Kellynch) and isolation to an arena of usefulness and integrated community. Volume II marks her return to the relative isolation of the Elliot house, but now the uselessness is aggravated by its being in Bath, home of the idle.

Chap. 2.1 (13): Anne's return to Kellynch Lodge to stay w/ Lady Russell; Anne assumes that Wentworth and Louisa will marry (117); Wentworth has spoken highly of Anne (120)

Chap. 2.2 (14): Charles and Mary bring gossip from Lyme to Kellynch Hall; Benwick seems to have a crush on Anne (124); Wentworth has plans for quitting Lyme for a while (126); a noisy Christmas at the Musgroves w/ the little Harvilles as well, before going off to Bath; Louisa improves

Chap. 2.3 (15): home at Camden Place in Bath; Mr. Elliot up close for the first time; the story of Elliot's first marriage and Anne's suspicions (132); Mr. Elliot's late-night visit (135; cf. 195) -- he sounds like Wickham

Chap. 2.4 (16): Lady Russell enumerates Mr. Elliot's qualities to Anne; meeting Lady Dalrymple and Miss Carteret; Mr. Elliot's pragmatic distinction between "good" and "best" company (142)

Chap. 2.5 (17): Anne reconnects w/ Mrs. Smith; Sir Walter trashes Mrs. Smith, and it reflects on Mrs. Clay (149-50); Sir Walter's tirade contrasts/ complements Lady Russell's attempted persuasion of Anne concerning Mr. Elliot (151; cf. 139, 199); Lady Russell is trying to turn her surrogate daughter into the lost friend, the daughter's own dead mother; Anne's intuitive objections to Mr. Elliot are that he is too good a rhetorician -- he never says a thing that sounds unplanned (he has no facility w/ the sublime)-- Mr. Elliot has no ethos

Chap. 2.6 (18): the Crofts come to Bath; news about Benwick and Louisa; Anne's "joy" at Wentworth's being "unshackled" (159); in the Crofts Anne sees the bliss of marriage to a naval officer (159); the Crofts plan to bring Wentworth to Bath

Chap. 2.7 (19): Wentworth at Bath: seeing Anne for the first time (166); seeing Anne w/ Mr. Elliot (167); Lady Russell sees Wentworth, sizes him up, but says nothing (169-70)

Chap. 2.8 (20): concert night: Wentworth's admission to Anne that a man should not -- does not -- get over a good woman (173); Anne knows that Wentworth must love her (175); Anne's talk w/ Wentworth contrasts w/ her talk w/ Mr. Elliot, who all but proposes (178); Anne sees that Wentworth is jealous of Mr. Elliot (180)

Chap. 2.9 (21): Mrs. Smith reveals Mr. Elliot's sordid history; Mr. Elliot has all the liabilities and advantages of a sophist (196); Anne will not be "persuaded" by Lady Russell (199; cf. 151)

Chap. 2.10 (22): plans for Louisa and Henrietta's weddings; Wentworth gets invited to a party at Camden Place (delay, delay)

Chap. 2.11 (23): Anne meets the Musgroves, etc. at the White Hart -- the talk between Cpt. Harville and Anne about the faithfulness of men vs women, overheard by Wentworth (219-222); Wentworth's letter to Anne (223-4); Anne and Wentworth alone at last! (226-231), including the accusation and defense of "persuasion"

Chap. 2.12 (24): the end; bad morality vs truth; good manners misled Lady Russell; the domestic virtues of the navy


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