Persuasion
The girls argue over whether Persuasion's slightly darker tone and shift to emotional depth from sparkling dialogue is a good or bad thing. As expected, they do not agree and go back on what they say a few times, confusing themselves and everyone else in the process. Though they do decide that this is the most romantic of Jane Austen's novels they've read so far and that Sir Walter, to use Chloe's phrase, is a bad bitch.
Other topics include, but are not limited to:
- The lack of blessed palms in the greater Kildare area following Palm Sunday during quarantine
- Katie's burgeoning addiction to Animal Crossing
- Whether Animal Crossing is better than Tomb Raider, and
- The correct pronunciation of the word "seaside"
Just because the girls are locked down it doesn't mean the fun has to stop!
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More on Persuasion:
Persuasion is the last novel completed by Jane Austen. It was published on December 20, 1817, along with Northanger Abbey, six months after her death, although the title page is dated 1818.
The story concerns Anne Elliot, a young Englishwoman of 27 years, whose family moves to lower their expenses and reduce their debt by renting their home to an Admiral and his wife. The wife's brother, Captain Frederick Wentworth, was engaged to Anne in 1806, but the engagement was broken when Anne was persuaded by her friends and family to end their relationship. Anne and Captain Wentworth, both single and unattached, meet again after a seven-year separation, setting the scene for many humorous encounters as well as a second, well-considered chance at love and marriage for Anne in her second bloom.
The novel was well-received in the early 19th century, but its greater fame came later in the century and continued into the 20th and 21st centuries. Much scholarly debate on Austen's work has since been published. Anne Elliot is noteworthy among Austen's heroines for her relative maturity. As Persuasion was Austen's last completed work, it is accepted as her most maturely written novel, showing a refinement of literary conception indicative of a woman approaching 40 years of age. Her use of free indirect speech in narrative was in full evidence by 1816.
Persuasion has been the subject of several adaptations, including four made-for-television adaptations, theatre productions, radio broadcasts, and other literary works.
For more on Jane Austen, visit