Oh, How Classy.

Mrs. Cheveley’s speech on page 161 of the play, line 491-505, is quite telling of the social standards expressed throughout the play. It is here, that the audience becomes aware of the real problems that the scandal will entail. Sir Robert cannot destroy his reputation as an honest politician; not even through being honest and admitting the mistakes that he made in the past. It is the idea of perfection, that a person can be without fault that dominates much of the plot so this passage is particularly important in establishing perfection as a theme. The phrase, “remember to what a point your Puritanism in England has brought you” should be said in smug and devilish voice. She is pointing out that the very idea of goodness, which he strives so hard to fulfill, is what will ruin his life. When she begins to reflect on the “old days” and how wonderfully corrupt society used to be, she should speak dramatically, using extravagant hand motions to emphasize the comedic exaggeration of her speech. When she begins to rant that it was “considered vulgar and middle-class… to be a bit better than one’s neighbor,” her tone should be bitter and obnoxious. She snarls at the words, “middle-class,” scrunching up her face into a most unappealing expression.  She seems to be disgusted to speak of lower-class people. Her tone is very harsh and reaches a point of screeching when she begins to discuss the “modern mania of morality.” This line reveals her true opinions moral-standards, that they are somewhat of a fad to the upper-class. Her speech is quite ignorant and she should be blatant in her misunderstanding of morality and virtue, foreshadowing the opinions voiced on Sir Robert’s past decisions by other characters, later on. The fact that the only recognized effects of the scandal would be a tainted reputation, elude to the shallow interpretations of morality that exist throughout the play, in many of the characters.

this... is... the... beginning...

The
Beginning
Is 
Always
A
Struggle.

There is a human need to adhere to one’s own standards of goodness. While moral standards may differ amongst individuals, and each person forms his or her own idea of which qualities and values should be upheld. More than anything, people desire to believe that they are inherently good; that if not others, they at least fulfill their own standards of character. In simpler terms, a person wants to be able to consider them self as a “good person,” whatever their definition of the term may be. In Jane Austen’s, Persuasion, the main character, Anne Elliot adheres to her own high standards of regarding both her social and mental condition. She defines a “good person” as someone with merit but also puts great emphasis on the importance of thoughtfulness an learnedness.  Her social standards are those of a strict and reserved woman who sees very little in displaying emotions or affections directly. She often puts forth effort to make her own life and desires fit within the strict boundaries of a life with scarce display of emotions of indulgence in desire. Yorick, of A Sentimental Journey, however, treasures his ability to feel and think based his emotions greatly. Most of his actions can be attributed to him adhering to the standards of sentimental expressions or defending his actions with the existence of such sentiment. However different they may be, both characters show the human nature, which is to adhere to one’s own moral standards. 

Who's that man in the mirror

The novels, Persuasion and A Sentimental Journey, both display the theme, doubleness of intention. The main character of A Sentimental Journey, is a picaresque novel narrated in the first-person by the character, Yorick. Yorick is a rash philosopher from England traveling through France. The plot is driven by his actions, as he seems to do whatever he pleases. In this way the novels’ plot progressions differ completely. Persuasion’s plot is centered on the occurrences in Anne’s life. Anne’s personality is very passive in contrast to Yorick’s bold and opinionated demeanor. The narration style of A Sentimental Journey coincides with Yorick’s self-driven lifestyle as he, himself guides the reader through his own travels and thoughts; while, Anne exists as a passive character with no part in the redemption of her own story.

            Anne and Yorick share the desire to uphold their selves to a certain standard of goodness and morals. Yorick prizes his ability to love and to feel; he thinks as a philosopher who appreciates and sympathizes with the world from the bottom of his soul. Anne holds herself to strict standards of both social and mental aspects. Her standards disallow behaviors that may allude to the romantic behaviors or intentions of human nature. She often acts in ways that display doubleness: she prides herself in holding herself up to a higher standard of morality, that she does not act in a selfish or indiscrete way, but her actions tell otherwise. The reader gains understanding that in order to fulfill her own desires, and give herself any sort of happiness, she must ignore such standards. Even in times of self-indulgence, however, she maintains the mask of social superiority; such as in the passage where she sees Wentworth outside and desires to go see him, “she now felt a great inclination to go to the outer door; she wanted to see if it rained. Why was she to expect herself of another motive?” (Austen p.165). The free indirect discourse style is used here as a pretty blatant exposition of Anne’s ludicrous denial of her own intent. She, of course wants only to see him, but even in her own mind, cannot accept that. Yorick, displays the same doubleness of intent in his own actions towards members of the opposite sex. He, however, does not hold himself to the same high standards regarding women. He however, hides his sexual impulses behind a mask of love and only good regards towards women. Yorick views his ability to feel compassion for women as a personal strength and also, proof that he is not a machine without a soul. His ability to be “in love with one princess or another almost all his life,” (Sterne p. 28) is something that he values very much. He calls what he feels for the many pretty women he comes into contact with, “love” but it is something that can really only be classified as a simplistic lust.  

            Ann’s love tale is narrated in an indirect way and never fully acknowledges her intentions towards Wentworth, just as Yorick never really realizes the truth of his own intentions. The different styles are in different ways, addressing the human inclination to elude one’s self.

One Man's WInce is Another Man's Contentment

Cheryl Weissman argues that throughout Persuasion, the reader is provided with limited view of the characters as Austen exercises a generous amount of refrain in her writing. This limited point of view coincides with the sense of ambivalence, which Austen expresses towards each of the characters. Weissman stresses that this ambivalence creates an uncertainty within the reader and creates a conclusion, which is unbelievable and dissatisfying. In reflection of Anne's ending with Captain Wentworth she states, "even Anne's dizzyingly narrow escape from a wasted life is not as properly satisfying as we expect fictional escapes to be." In regards to this statement, she does not offer evidence to support the claim; only that "we wince with ambivalent desires and beliefs." Austen writes that Anne and Wentworth return to their past in a wave of glee and that this time their feelings may even be greater than those of the past. Austen's conclusion promises nothing for what their future may hold. The novel does have a happy ending: after many years of separation, their love does prevail and they are finally reunited despite the great amount of time that had passed. Weissman complains that the novel does not provide a "happy ending" as Austen's other novels do, but it does. The language that Austen uses hints at the uncertainty of the actual quality of the relationship after all this time. Austen uses "perhaps" to signify that they may not be as happy as they had once been. Anne and Captain Wentworth were both weathered by many years of pain and though they may not be as naive and blindly happy as they had been as young lovers, their love persisted and grew greater through the realization that there was no one else that could make them feel as they had. In the part "more tender, more tried, more fixed in a knowledge of each other's character" the reader recognizes that the characters have matured and grown, allowing them to understand the greatness of their feelings for each other while also coming to terms with each other's faults. Austen's language, here, creates a satisfaction within the reader that is much deeper than a simple "happily ever after" ending. The reader understands the deep level on which Anne and Wentworth are able to connect now that they have grown from the trials of the past. Weissman's dissatisfaction with this ending is really a distaste for anything less than perfection. It is a more realistic ending which suits the ambivalent characters. The uncertainty and multifaceted nature of each of the characters requires such an ending.

Shadow People

Near the end of Chapter 12, the writing progresses in a way that begins with the outright recognition of Anne thinking, “whether it ever occurred to him now.” She is wondering if Captain Wentworth recognized, “that, like all other qualities of the mind, [firmness of character] should have its proportions and limits.” Anne is rationalizing that a persuadable mind can have positive qualities, at times, and believes this to be a truth. Anne recognizes her own opinion as one of complete correctness and wonders only if he realizes this truth (and resolutely, the positive qualities which a character such as her own might have.) The certainty with which Anne’s opinions are stated puts the narrator in a position with insight to her mind alone.

         The following paragraph exits the omniscient insight to Anne’s thoughts and displays free indirect discourse. The narrator is removed in stating, “their actual speed, heightened by some dread of the conclusion, made the road appear but half as long.” The journey appears shortened only to Anne, overwhelmed her own anxious reflections. Although the statement only applies to Anne, the narrator indirectly states the observation and gives the reader a distance from her. The effect is that of a slipping mind, Anne is losing strength as a character and this displayed by the narrator’s use of free indirect discourse. “Some dread of the conclusion,” is inferred by the reader to be in relation to Anne’s dread of the conclusion that Captain Wentworth has come to of the importance of a resolute mind. This signifies a shift in Anne’s conviction that it “could scarcely escape him to feel,” to a fear that Wentworth may not share her opinions.

         The use of free indirect discourse in that paragraph could also be to create a vagueness that allows the reader to apply the “dread” to any of the characters present within the carriage. Wentworth and Henrietta would both be in a dreadful state of mind, overcome with the fear for Louisa’s condition. While Anne, who is concerned only with her own wellbeing, does not share the same fear, the feeling of dread is vaguely applicable to any of the three characters.

         In the same paragraph, in another instance of free indirect discourse, it seems the narrator is channeling Anne’s feelings specifically. Austen writes, “Henrietta leaning back in the corner with a shawl over her face, giving the hope of her having cried herself to sleep,” which are feelings that the reader can infer come from Anne’s point of view. The action of “giving the hope,” specifically, gives the statement identity. The narrator would not personally hope for such a thing, it would be the feelings of a character in reflection to Henrietta’s previous behavior. Anne, being someone with distaste for dramatic displays of emotion, would be relieved with Henrietta’s slumbering.

         Finally, with Wentworth’s parting from the carriage, Anne experiences pleasure when Wentworth tells her his plan that she should stay in the carriage while he goes and tells Mr. and Mrs. Musgrove of the incident ad then asks if she thinks it’s a good plan. Anne takes the simple request “as a proof of friendship, and of deference for her judgment, a great pleasure.” This occurrence is narrated with a focus on Anne but without the outright recognition of such. Wentworth seems to be simply requesting of Anne that she stay while he goes, but in a polite manner. He asks as a formality, knowing quite well that it is a good plan and that Anne will agree, as she does to almost every task asked of her. Anne is overcome with the fantasy that Wentworth’s words mean much more than they really do and the narrator leads the reader into her perspective, giving limited insight to Wentworth’s actual feelings. Austen does causing the reader to be just as confused as Anne, feeding the illusion that Wentworth is feeling any differently towards Anne. If read closely, you will notice that he addresses her with a “low, cautious voice,” signifying that he is still quite uncomfortable and angry with Anne. He parts with few words and displays no actual “deference for her judgment.” The use of free indirect discourse creates a false hope within the reader, which also exists in Anne’s heart.

Scanty Plot, Revisited

In the poem, “Nuns fret not at their Convent’s narrow room,” Wordsworth utilizes metonymy and illustrates several characters but focuses only on their locations and conditions; in doing so, he removes the individual identities of the characters and instead illuminates their commonalities.  In my original blog post, I supported this idea by recognizing that the characters themselves would be insignificant without Wordsworth’s statement of their constraints. He goes through each character and informs the listener of their unique “prison.” The location of each character is very important and Wordsworth uses only location to define the characters, which I would consider metonymy. Instead of describing the characters, he describes their solitude or repetitious lifestyle through location.

In the second paragraph of my blog, I describe that he uses metonymy again but in a different way. He describes the beautiful location, Furness Fells, but fills this location with the same condition of life. As the poem progresses, so does the complexity of context. I pointed out how Wordsworth begins to apply the same principles of contentment with repetition to his own identity. At this point, he again uses metonymy and describes himself on the “Sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.” It is an abstract location, which provides significance to his identity. He shows some defensiveness of his own life’s task being a writer, but describes his surroundings in such a way to convince the reader otherwise. Metonymy is used very productively in Wordsworth’s description of himself. He precedes his own description with that of the free soaring bees of Furness Fells in an effort to protect his own identity.

Scanty Plot

            In the poem, “Nuns fret not at their Convent’s narrow room,” metonymy is an important motif used throughout the sonnet. Wordsworth uses the location of each of his characters: the nun, hermits, students, maids, weaver, bees, and even himself to signify their importance to his point.  The characters described have no importance without the recognition of their constraints. Metonymy is an indirect way of illustrating a character through the description of their surroundings. Each character has a prison in which they limit themselves.  He describes the rooms of the nun’s convent as “narrow” giving the reader an idea of entrapment and solitude. The workers that Wordsworth uses are “sitting” at their places of labor, which to the reader may seem monotonous and boring. The first few characters described by Wordsworth all seem to be boring and motionless through his use of metonymy; the cells and narrow room of the convent, especially.

Wordsworth’s tone changes at line 5. He brings in the characters, “bees,” which have a very different location. Bees “soar for bloom” and convey such positive and free images for the reader. The metonymy used is a location treasured by Wordsworth, “Furness Fells.” But even then, Wordsworth reminds the reader that the bees are limited to their one location, doing one task. Even the soaring creatures that we see as free are now recognized as another form of confined worker. He uses their location as metonymy to signify that the bee characters are too trapped in their own prison. This particular usage of location is where Wordsworth begins to understand how a person confined to a “prison” can be completely content (as all of his characters are.) He moves from a place of confusion to a place of understanding contentment with entrapment. The metonymy guides the reader through his journey towards recognition of the true comfort that a “prison” provides for its inhabitant. With understanding, Wordsworth applies the same principle to himself. He uses metonymy to describe his own prison: “the Sonnet’s scanty plot of ground.” While a sonnet is not usually something concrete, Wordsworth crafts an image to signify the relevance of his own poetic work.