Welcome to Day 12 of the Persuasion and Prayers Read-Along! You can follow along on this three-week discussion of Persuasion and The Prayers of Jane Austen by checking out the read-along tag or by clicking the button in the sidebar.
Today we're going to discuss chapters 19 and 20 of Persuasion. If you came prepared, go ahead and share your thoughts below! Otherwise, feel free to check in later today after you've had a chance to read today's chapters. Can't wait to hear your thoughts!
P.S. If you're a blogger, please feel free to put together your own post using the button above and linking back to the Persuasion and Prayers Read-Along tag, if you'd prefer to participate in the discussion that way. :)
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Don't Forget!
You're invited to join us for a special viewing of Persuasion (1995 version) tonight! Here are the details:
Who: You, me, and whoever wants to join in!
What: A watch-along of Persuasion (1995), with commentary to be live-tweeted during the viewing
When: Tonight at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST
Where: Twitter (#InspiredByAusten; I tweet with the handle @SeasonsHumility)
Why: Because you know you want to watch the movie now! ;)
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Persuasion Chapters 19 and 20
Discussion Format: One quote to ponder, one observation, and one question for each day's reading.
Quote to Ponder
"A man does not recover from such a devotion of the heart to such a woman. He ought not—he does not." - Captain Wentworth
Honorable Mention:
"She is pretty I think; Anne Elliot; very pretty, when one comes to look at her. It is not the fashion to say so, but I confess I admire her more than her sister."
"Oh! so do I."
"And so do I. No comparison. But the men are all wild after Miss Elliot. Anne is too delicate for them."
Observation
Captain Wentworth, your heart is betraying you again. But oh, how we love it! Right, fellow readers? ;)
I'll just sum up this section briefly...
Anne: Renewed hope
Wentworth: Revealed feelings
Wentworth's circle: Really perceptive
Anne's circle: Really frustrating
Mr. Elliot: Really bad timing
Question
Let's discuss Captain Wentworth's famous line (the "Quote to Ponder" above). Do you believe it's possible for someone to "recover" from deep feelings of true love? Or does that sense of "devotion" stay with the person forever, regardless of where else life might take them and whether or not the love is ever reciprocated?
Giveaway!
Don't forget to log your giveaway entries this week using the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win a hardcover copy of The Prayers of Jane Austen!
(Giveaway open to US residents only. Prize donated by the book's editor, Terry Glaspey. Thanks, Terry!)
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Which quote to ponder, observation, and question/response would you like to share?
Join us tomorrow to discuss chapters 21 and 22!
Join us tomorrow to discuss chapters 21 and 22!
6 comments:
Quote to Ponder: "Anne saw nothing, thought nothing of the brilliancy of the room. Her happiness was from within. Her eyes were bright, and her cheeks glowed."
Ahhhh, finally some life in the main character! I love seeing this hope springing up in her.
Honorable Mention: "the whole party was collected, and all that remained was to marshal themselves, and proceed into the Concert Room; and be of all the consequence in their power, draw as many eyes, excite as many whispers, and disturb as many people as they could."
Once again I love Jane Austen's wit and sarcasm. And I'm sure we all know people that like to make that "grand entrance" into a room!
Loved the way you summed up the chapters Amber! Perfect!!
Question:
Let's discuss Captain Wentworth's famous line (the "Quote to Ponder" above). Do you believe it's possible for someone to "recover" from deep feelings of true love? Or does that sense of "devotion" stay with the person forever, regardless of where else life might take them and whether or not the love is ever reciprocated?
I think it depends on the person whether they can "recover" from deep feelings easily or not. Also it would depend on the circumstance of the break maybe. If betrayal(affections moved to another person) I think it would be easier(for me at least) to let that love go with no devotion left. I honestly think every personality is different. Some may give up that love and recover quicker because there wasn't quite the same attachment on their part, but some have deeper feelings and cannot give up something that their heart has set it's course on no matter how long the separation. So I'm going with "it depends on the person" :)
Thanks for the early birthday wishes Amber. My husband planned a small party with family and friends. While I am not adverse to getting together with family and friends, I definitely don't like being the center of attention(Anne and I have something in common!). Plus it is at our house...I have to clean! Bleh!
Julie,
It's definitely exciting to see Anne embracing hope and life. :) Lovely quote!
That other quote is hilarious! And so true about people who crave drama...
Glad you approve of my little summary. ;)
And that's a great observation, that so much depends on someone's personality when it comes to recovering from heartbreak. I agree that it would probably be easier if the object of your affections were obviously in love with someone else, because then you wouldn't hold onto false hope. *sigh* Unrequited love is a painful thing!
Anyway, a small party with loved ones sounds like a nice way to celebrate a birthday! But bummer to having to clean the house. :P I hope it's still a happy occasion for you and even better than you think it will be!
~Amber
Oh, I'm so happy we are seeing hope played out in these chapters! Finally.
That is such a fabulous quote from Captain Wentworth. I love how he is speaking of Benwick but really is referring to his devotion to Anne :)
Here is another of my favorite quotes from these chapters. {Elizabeth has just proudly entered the concert} "...Anne,--but it would be an insult to the nature of Anne's felicity to draw any comparison between it and her sister's' the origin of one all selfish vanity, of the other all generous attachment."
I'm with Julie when it comes to answering your question, Amber. I think it would have to depend on the situation. I think a couple deeply in love/devoted would not be able to recover or move on easily (that's not how God intends :).
My observation:
I'm quite impressed by Jane Austen's abilities to capture the sibling dynamic in so many different ways. Here in Persuasion, we see stark contrasts between Anne and her sisters. I am so glad they are not alike! Yet, in stories like P&P or Sense & Sensibility, the closeness and friendship between sisters is focused on. Can I just say I love the variety of characters we get to "meet"?
Courtney,
Huzzah for hope! :)
There's so much subtext and meaning in that quote, isn't there? Love it!
As for the quote you shared, I love that it shows the varying layers and levels of happiness and joy - that there is a big difference between pure-hearted joy and selfish pleasure and vanity. Thank you for sharing!
And thank you for offering your thoughts on today's discussion topic! That's a great point, about the design and nature of love, how it's meant to last.
Your observation is so true! Austen's family dynamics really are quite diverse from plot to plot... Granted, I've only actually read this one and Northanger Abbey, but I've watched some adaptations. ;) Like you noted, we've got the varying sister relationships in P&P, S&S, and Persuasion. And then Emma's sister is married, leaving Emma alone with her father, and many of Catherine's siblings (Northanger Abbey) are younger, I believe, making her more of a caretaker than a confidante. Hmmm, there's so much we could discuss about the different sibling relationships, alone, and how they affect the stories! That might be deserving of its own post. The gauntlet has been thrown, Courtney. ;)
~Amber
Hmm, maybe even a series of posts about family dynamics in Austen stories??? That's a fabulous idea! You should do it.
Courtney,
I like it!! And um, you should totally do it, too. ;) It was your fab observation first. :) We should have a series of Austen discussions on various themes or something!
~Amber
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