Essay Two Intro

“Vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter Elliot’s character; vanity of person and of situation…Few women could think more of their personal appearance than he did; nor could the valet of any new made lord be more delighted with the place he held in society. He considered the blessing of beauty as inferior only to the blessing of a baronetcy; and the Sir Walter Elliot, who united these gifts, was the constant object of his warmest respect and devotion” (Austen 6).

Two books, Jane Austen’s Persuasion and Laurence Sterne’s A Sentimental Journey, present the eighteenth-century’s idea of gender roles to its readers. Granted it would be strange to see in any book a set of guidelines for proper behavior for each sex – unless it was a book on proper behavioral conduct for that time period – neither novel explicitly states how a man or a woman should act. Instead they build off of an assumption that the readers already know what eighteenth-century gender roles are. In addition, Austen and Sterne include specific examples of when characters do not act entirely within their respective roles, as in the one above. The readers notice their misbehavior because that character’s actions are not congruent with what is expected of him or her and because the narrator/writer presents it in a negative or sarcastic or parodic manner. Readers cringe when the narrator is disapproving towards a character for acting out of line and are relieved of that feeling when the narrator supports what a character does, even if it was deemed inappropriate for that a person of that gender. The criticism or sarcastic and mocking tone can be seen as a form of punishment whereas the lack of criticisms and of negative tones is a form of negative reinforcement. Thus, the readers learn to change and redefine their set knowledge and assumptions of eighteenth-century gender roles through Austen’s and Sterne’s criticisms, or lack of criticisms, on specific actions. The authors show that the line between how a man or woman should act is not clear because they present ways in which characters act according to the opposite gender’s role.

Conflicting Motives

Here we compare Anne Elliot and Yorick when they have internal conflict; each has conflicting motives for wanting to do something. This struggle is represented in different perspectives through the use of free indirect discourse and first-person narration.

Free indirect discourse (FID) is more of a narration of the character’s thoughts. On page 165 of Persuasion, Anne is denying to herself her real purpose for going to the store’s door. Her thoughts in this case sound like a mathematical proof. After catching a glimpse of Captain Wentworth, Anne “now felt a great inclination” to “see if it rained” outside. She asks “Why was she to suspect herself of another motive?” Immediately, the text states that “Captain Wentworth must be out of sight”. Anne is rationalizing her reason to go to the door: she tries to convince herself that he can’t be the reason for her to move to the door because he wouldn’t be visible anymore – it must be that she wants to see the rain. She then further argues her case against seeing Wentworth as her motive by thinking to herself, “she would go…She would see if it rained”. This almost sounds like what a child would tell his parents when he wants to do something against their wishes. Anne is very adamant about not believing she wants to see Wentworth and refuses to acknowledge that desire. At the same time, since Austen uses FID here, this could definitely be the narrator telling us Anne’s internal thoughts, as she may not be completely aware of this internal persuasion process.

First-person narration, however, presents the person’s thoughts as he is experiencing it. On page 19 of Sterne’s A Sentimental Journey, Yorick interacts with his thoughts as if each aspect of his personality was a separate person. Yorick’s thoughts flood his mind all at once as he realizes his different motivations for wanting to invite Madame de L*** to share a carriage. On one hand he wants to be a gentleman, but on the other hand he lusts for her. Thus Avarice, Caution, Cowardice, Discretion, Hypocrisy, Meanness, and Pride all add in their own voice and opinions on the idea. They all address Yorick as “you”; this is how Yorick experiences his own thoughts – he must interact with each one as an entity, making the interaction a very engaging and personal one.

Anne’s thoughts, compared to Yorick’s, are much more removed and distanced. The tone between “You know not who she is, said Caution – or what scrapes the affair may draw you into, whisper’d Cowardice –” and “one half of her should not be always so much wiser than the other half, or always suspecting the other of being worse than it was” is very different. In one, the different thoughts are all expressed by an internal part of Yorick’s character, and each is personified – they have proper names and can whisper or cry aloud. In the other, the tone is very aloof and critical – not much else is said, and nothing is said with much expression.

Ambivalence or Certainty?

            A major theme in this passage from Jane Austen’s Persuasion is the comparison between past and present. Cheryl Weissman purports that when this passage is read, readers experience a “painful residue of doubt” concerning the novel’s ending and have “ambivalent desires” for how this will all play out (Weissman 90). Some of her ideas are vague, whether or not by design, to emphasize her point of mixed feelings. This passage does indeed present and address those doubts, but persuades readers that the situations and characters have changed and thus things will resolve favorably in the end.

One way the passage accomplishes the above is by contrasting old and new experiences; everything is better now compared to how it was in the past. When Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth “exchanged again those feelings and those promises” from eight years ago, it does not come with the “many, many years of division and estrangement” that had followed them the first time around (225). As they “returned again into the past” by “[indulging] in those retrospections and acknowledgements”, thus reinforcing their love for each other, this couple feels “more exquisitely happy” than they did the first time they fell in love. Why would they have more intense feelings the second time around? After a long period apart from each other – and taking into account how both characters have undergone much heartache, frustration, and even resentment – their love is now “more tender, more tried, more fixed in a knowledge” of the other person’s feelings and personality. These eight years apart have shaped Wentworth and Anne in regards to how one felt for the other, how they felt about themselves, and have given them greater perspective on the differences in their emotions and interactions between the present and their past. While there is some uncertainty “perhaps, in their re-union” due to what happened last time they were together, this new insight –that their love is now stronger and more intense than at any previous time – in turn helps the couple feel like they are “more equal to act, more justified in acting” to ensure the success of their relationship. Each has gone through a unique but necessary refining process via cancellation of their engagement and emotional hardship in order for him/her to mentally be where they are now. A reignited love in conjunction with strengthened minds and hearts indicate that this not-so-young couple is much better equipped to pursue marriage than their eight-year-younger selves would ever be. And in the end, much to the relief of the readers, Anne and Frederick are successful.

What's FID got to do with it?

Passage from Persuasion: 

           Frederick Wentworth had used such words, or something like them, but without an idea that they would be carried round to her. He had thought her wretchedly altered, and, in the first moment of appeal, had spoken as he felt. He had not forgiven Anne Elliot. She had used him ill; deserted and disappointed him; and worse, she had shewn a feebleness of character in doing so, which his own decided, confident temper could not endure. She had given him up to oblige others. It had been the effect of over-persuasion. It had been weakness and timidity. –Chapter 7, page 57 (near the end)

            In this instance of free indirect discourse, Jane Austen expresses the internal turmoil of either Anne Elliot or Captain Frederick Wentworth. It may also express both sides’ feelings simultaneously. How exactly does Austen achieve these ambiguous focal points through her writing?

            Let’s go with the case for Anne Elliot’s focal point. If we see this passage as her line of thought, she has a very extreme opinion on what Wentworth’s thoughts of her are. Since all of her past feelings for him have suddenly resurfaced, she is not sure how to deal with them. So upon hearing that she apparently was “‘so altered that he should not have known her again’”(57), her thoughts immediately jump to the worst possible conclusion of Wentworth’s opinions about Anne. Firstly, Anne suspects that he only said those things about her because he assumed those words would be held in confidence (as if Wentworth were confiding in Mary). Going under the assumption that the conversation was a secret, Anne believes that “he had thought her wretchedly altered” and had “spoken as he felt” when given the first opportunity to do so. When comparing “wretchedly altered” to the secondary account given by Mary, her sister never mentioned the word “wretchedly” but only said “‘You were so altered he should not have known you again’”(57). That sentence does not necessarily mean Wentworth thought she looked wretched and so disfigured that she was horrendously unrecognizable. It just meant that he did not realize it was her because she does not look like her 19 year old self.

            In addition to thinking that Wentworth thought her ugly, she also thinks that he “had not forgiven” her because of the way she treated him in the past by “[deserting] and [disappointing] him”. She undeniably had strong feelings for him, and he for her, but since she was so influenced by people who she was close with, Anne backed away from their engagement, thereby letting Wentworth down. By being on the fence so much about their relationship – by “[giving] him up to oblige others” – she had exposed how feeble, weak and timid she was. She compares her personality to Wentworth’s “decided, confident temper” and concludes they are not compatible, or that her personality was something he “could not endure”. She believes her personal faults let her be over-persuaded by others and by her own self while also over-persuading Wentworth to cut off the relationship. Essentially, she imagines that Wentworth holds a grudge against her because of how their romantic history ended.

            Now let us see how this passage can be read from Wentworth’s lenses. If we take this passage at face value, his feelings towards Anne are incredibly harsh. The usage of “wretchedly altered”, “not forgiven”, “deserted and disappointed”, “shewn a feebleness of character”, and “to oblige others” among other things all accuse Anne for her faults. This overly-critical tone suggests Wentworth is still not over Anne or that this facet of his personality is not revealed much to other characters in this book, if at all as seen by his warm reception into Uppercross. Later he reveals to his sister the quality he is searching for in the woman he will marry: “‘A strong mind, with sweetness of manner’”(58). This certainly supports the fact that Wentworth’s and Anne’s personalities did not match well and was reason enough for them to break up.

            If we had to choose one, I personally am more convinced that this is written from Anne’s focal point; everything is blown out of proportion as her mind spins from Wentworth overload. I also think Wentworth would not go to such extents in describing another person. Of course, the most complete view is if we say it is written ambiguously in order to show that there are always multiple experiences to every situation and the readers should take that into account in order to obtain a complete understanding. This passage also alludes to gender roles in the 18^th century. Anne behaves in a conflicting manner due to the expected standards for women: prudent, always virtuous, but eventually married. Therefore, due to the opposing opinions of her family and friend, she rejects Wentworth despite her positive feelings towards him. Wentworth on the other hands seems to want a “manlier” woman; he wants a woman who is decisive and has a “strong mind” – qualities expected from an 18^th century man.