Persuasion, Chapters 13-24

Whew, it's high time I finish up Persuasion, isn't it? I've been really busy these past couple weeks, taking the second road trip of the summer as Todd and I moved my things (including hundreds of books) to Chicago. Now we're getting settled in an apartment that has an office/library — it's kind of an amazing room.

What's also amazing is that the Jane Austen Challenge is over! It took six months, but I haven't read this many books by a single author since I took a Henry James class in college. Reading all of Austen's books so close to each other helps illuminate themes and aspects of her writing style, so I'm really glad I did this. And thanks to everyone who played along! If you finished all six, please send me an e-mail with your mailing address.

I'll be revisiting themes that recur throughout Austen's oeuvre in the coming weeks, and after that I'm going to be starting a new reading project — Chicago writers. I hope it'll be a way to get to know something about the city I just moved to, plus a chance to discover new authors. I'll issue a more formal call for ideas later, but I'd love to hear any ideas for books by Chicago writers past or present, or those that are set in Chicago.

And now onto final thoughts on Persuasion:

Louisa is still at Lyme recovering from her accident, the Musgroves go there to be with her, and Anne decides to go visit Lady Russell. Anne is distracted while she’s with her friend because of the situation with Louisa, but Lady Russell tells her how she looks physically better. Anne tells her that Captain Wentworth is smitten with Louisa.

The ladies go visit Mrs. Croft, and it hurts Anne that someone else lives in her old house. Admiral Croft tells her to look around, which Anne declines, but he tells her that he made some improvements to the house, including removing mirrors from Sir Walter’s room. The Crofts tell Anne that Captain Wentworth praised her to his sister and brother-in-law for his help with the Musgroves. They also tell her that they’re planning to go to Bath for a few weeks.

Charles and Mary come back from Lyme and report that Louisa is improved, thought still week. Anne asks about Captain Benwick, and Charles implies that he has feelings for Anne. Anne hears from her sister Elizabeth that their cousin, Mr. Elliot, is in Bath and he has come to visit Sir Walter. Anne and Lady Russell set off for Bath. Anne is depressed to be there, but her family welcomes her by showing off their new things. Mr. Elliot has been visiting them often, and they have forgiven him for marrying his first wife who was rich but ill-bred. She died six months previously, and contrary to appearances, Mr. Elliot is in mourning. Anne surmises that he wants to marry Elizabeth, but when he visits, he recognizes Anne from their meeting in Lyme. They hit it off.

Mrs. Clay proposes that she leave Bath, now that Anne is there, but Elizabeth and Sir Walter decline her offer, which makes Anne worry that her father is interested in Mrs. Clay. Elizabeth isn’t worried, but Lady Russell is.

Lady Russell likes Mr. Elliot, and isn’t suspicious about why he’s made amends with his relatives. Anne, realizing that she and Lady Russell often see things differently, still believes that Mr. Elliot wants to marry Elizabeth.

Word arrives that Lady Dalrymple and Miss Carteret, cousins of the Elliots, are in town. Their relationship has lapsed, but since Lady Dalrymple is noble, Sir Walter decides they should rekindle it and improve their social standing in Bath. Anne can’t believe it, but Mr. Elliot tells her that it’s a good idea. He also shares her concerns about Mrs. Clay.

Anne learns that Mrs. Smith, an old school friend of hers, is in Bath as well. Mrs. Smith had married a wealthy man, who burned through his money. He died two years previously, leaving his widow in serious debt. Shortly thereafter, she got a fever and was crippled. Anne goes to visit her, finding her friend’s situation terrible but her spirit unchanged.

Anne turns town a visit to the Dalrymples’ in favor of visiting Mrs. Smith, which bothers her father. At the party, Mr. Elliot tells Lady Russell how highly he thinks of Anne, which makes Lady Russell think that he plans to marry Anne, not Elizabeth. Lady Russell approves, since it would make Anne Lady Elliot of Kellynch Hall, which was her mother’s place.

Next the Elliots learn that the Crofts are in Bath and that Louisa is engaged to Captain Benwick. The odd couple fell in love while Louisa was recovering in Lyme, which surprises everyone. Anne is thrilled though, since it means that Captain Wentworth won’t be marrying Louisa like she imagined.

In Bath, Anne runs into Admiral Croft, who tells her that he and his wife also expected the Captain to marry Louisa. He adds that his brother-in-law doesn’t seem upset about the news. Anne bumps into Captain Wentworth the next day when she is walking with Mr. Elliot. His friends assume that there’s something going on between Anne and Mr. Elliot.

The Elliots attend a concert and Captain Wentworth is there. He tells Anne that he doesn't think Louisa is smart enough for Captain Benwick, and that he’s amazed his friend was able to get over his first love so quickly. Anne sits with Mr. Elliot, and he’s very complimentary of her. During intermission, Anne goes to find Captain Wentworth, but Mr. Elliot interrupts their conversation. Anne, always polite, goes with him, but realizes that Captain Wentworth is jealous is Mr. Elliot.

Anne goes to visit Mrs. Smith the next morning. Her friend thinks Anne is in love with Mr. Elliot, and Anne tells her that it isn’t true. Mrs. Smith then tells Anne that Mr. Elliot is “without a heart of conscience” — he was a friend to her late husband, and the Smiths would help him out financially. He refused to marry Elizabeth in order to marry a wealthy woman, and he often spoke slightingly of his Kellynch baronetcy. He also encouraged Mr. Smith to run up a huge debt. He was the executor of Mr. Smith’s will, but refused to help out. The reason he’s upset about the possibility of Sir Walter remarrying is if he and Mrs. Clay were to have a son, he would no longer be heir to Kellynch. He came to Bath to break them up, but soon decides he wants to marry Anne. This obviously upsets Anne, but she’s glad she found out before it was too late. When she sees Mr. Elliot that evening, he tries to talk to her, but she brushes him away. He says that he’s planning to leave Bath for a couple of days.

Charles and Mary come to Bath with the other Musgroves, since Henrietta needs a wedding dress for her marriage to Charles Hayter. While Anne is visiting them, she sees Mr. Elliot and Mrs. Clay speaking on the street. Mary wants to go to her father’s party the next night to meet the Dalrymples and Mr. Elliot. Anne stresses how little interest she has in Mr. Elliot, which Captain Wentworth picks up on.
Anne goes to visit the Musgroves, Captains Harville and Wentworth, and Mrs. Croft the next morning, and Anne and Captain Harville get into a discussion about love. Anne says that women are more faithful and that women continue to love even when hope is gone. Captain Harville counters that men never forget women, even when women have moved on. Captain Wentworth passes Anne a note, then heads outside to mail a letter. In the note, Captain Wentworth declares his love for her, which makes Anne leave at once. One the walk home she runs into Captain Wentworth and she tells him how she’s loved him all along. They’re both elated.

No one objects to their engagement, although Mr. Elliot leaves Bath. Mrs. Clay leaves as well, and there’s a rumor that they’re together — he had been flirting with her in the hopes that she would not marry Sir Walter. Captain Wentworth helps Mrs. Smith get some of her husband’s money back, and only Elizabeth remains unmarried. Anne and Captain Wentworth live happily in their marriage.

Moreso than in her other novels, Austen punishes characters who strive for social improvement and mobility. Mrs. Clay and Mr. Elliot are driven out of town for their attempts to social climb through marriage. It's one thing to pursue acquaintances from a higher social standing, like Sir Walter does with his cousins, but it's another entirely to use marriage as a means of doing so.

And that’s the end of Austen’s most mature love story and final novel. I think it’s a fitting end to this project, since we’ve seen Austen become a more assured writer who presents more assured characters. Though Pride and Prejudice is my favorite of Austen’s books, Persuasion is great for an older reader (Anne is the closest heroine to me in age) who isn’t clueless about the way love works. But there's something in every Austen novel that's worth getting at, which is why this has been such a rewarding project.

What's your favorite Austen work, and why?

Persuasion Update

Since I've gone ahead and just finished Persuasion like I did with Northanger Abbey (this is what happens with shorter books!) I'm going to save my thoughts for a final post on the novel at the end of the month. I'm also brainstorming ideas for a couple of posts for September that will address themes and topics in all six of Austen's books. If you can think of something you think would be fun to discuss here, please let me know or leave a comment! Good luck finishing up your Austen reading!

Review: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

In Aimee Bender's The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, food emits the feelings of the person who made it to 9-year-old Rose Edelstein. Distraught when she realizes that her mother is unhappy by tasting the emotion in a lemon birthday cake with chocolate frosting, Rose's happy-go-lucky nature begins to dissolve as she starts to question what's going on around her. Food, for Rose, lays bare the dark secrets of everyone she knows years before she should know them.

It's a strange family. Besides Rose, there's her oddball mother, who tries to follow various passions, her loving but distant father, and her unusual brother, Joseph. Joseph is older by a few years, and to Rose he's a genius who somehow can't get into the handful of colleges he applies to. Secretive and always irritated, he spurs the novel's tension with his disappearance shortly after he moves out.

Bender tracks Rose through those years when food tells her particularly startling things -- her mother's affair, her brother's strange disappearance -- ultimately until she's in her early twenties and trying to find a way to use her "gift" for good. It's been a barrier between Rose and a normal life, as she forgoes college and other things in order to save herself trouble, but she ultimately learns to accept both her taste buds and her brother's situation. His "gift" is one that divides the family and can't be hidden, as Rose's can. If the symbolism seems heavy handed, it can be at times, though Bender balances it with the mystery that each "gift" produces.

Food is a terrific character in its own right. Its personification is sometimes twee and at other times seems to mock food criticism and obnoxious food blogs, but its main role is the conduit for change and self-discovery as Rose grows up. There's nothing gimmicky about this, just a novel way of getting to the heart of family issues. As strange as Rose's abilities are, Joseph's are even stranger, but the family is unwilling or unable to talk about them. The one person who will listen, Joseph's friend George, is Rose's crush and the only character who provides some balance to the family's troubles. As a food writer reading this book, I wanted Rose to embrace her strange ability and launch a new type of food writing, one that explores the passion in restaurant's kitchens and whether they use locally sourced ingredients like they promise.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is engaging and Bender creates a world that's easy for readers to inhabit. I've always been drawn to magical realism, and this book is no exception.

Cover Candy: F. Scott Fitzgerald Editions

You've probably noticed that Attic Salt has become pretty much just a Jane Austen/Coralie Bickford-Smith appreciation blog. Well, the Austen project may be winding down, but at least we've always got great Coralie content to post. Herewith, some gorgeous new covers she designed for F. Scott Fitzgerald's books. I would like them all.

Persuasion, Chapters 7-12

This section begins with Captain Wentworth’s arrival in the neighborhood. Anne and Mary are invited to meet him at Uppercross, but Mary’s son falls and dislocates his collarbone, prompting them to cancel their visit. Henrietta and Louisa, Mary’s sisters-in-law, are smitten with the Captain, who will be dining with them the next day. Mary and Charles attend too, with Anne staying home to care for her nephew and conveniently avoiding Captain Wentworth.

He comes to call on Mary the next morning and he and Anne meet briefly. Mary tells Anne that the Captain found his old love “so altered he should not have known her again” -- yikes. Anne’s hurt by it, understandably, but we learn that he hasn’t forgiven Anne, although he’s now ready to move on and get married.

Even though Anne and the Captain are frequently thrown together in social situations now, they avoid each other, speaking only when necessary. Anne still finds him charming -- she thinks they’re well suited for each other, and he’s kind to Mrs. Musgrove. Anne thinks the Crofts have a perfect relationship, as she travels with him on his ship, something the Captain says he wouldn't let his future wife do. Everyone is smitten with him.

Next we meet Charles Hayter, a cousin of the Musgroves (Mrs. Hayter and Mrs. Musgrove are sisters) and Henrietta’s suitor. The Hayters are an inferior, uneducated family, in contrast to the Musgroves, who are educated, but they get along well and encourage Henrietta and Charles. While everyone is wondering whether the Captain will choose Louisa or Henrietta Musgrove, Charles feels left out and upset. Anne doesn’t believe that he loves either of them, but is just reveling in their attentions.

The party heads out for a walk the next morning -- the Musgrove sisters make it clear they don’t want Mary along, but she goes, along with Anne, Charles Musgrove, and Captain Wentworth. Louisa flirts with the Captain and Charles and Henrietta visit the Hayters. She tells him that Charles wanted to marry Anne, but that she refused him and he married Mary, which interests the Captain. Charles Hayter now joins the party with the others, so it’s clear that Henrietta has decided he’s the one for her, leaving Louisa for the Captain. On the way home, the Crofts pass by in a carriage, and the Captain tells them to drive Anne home, since he guessed she might be tired. Anne sees that the Crofts drive the carriage together, and notes that it is representative of how their relationship works.

Anne heads to visit Lady Russell while the Captain goes to visit his friends, the Harvilles in Lyme. That makes everyone want to visit Lyme, so they set out for there. In Lyme, we meet the Harvilles -- he’s a captain too -- and Captain Benwick, whose fiancée, Captain Harville’s sister, died the previous year. Benwick is depressed and interested in poetry, which means Anne has a lot to discuss with him and makes reading suggestions, including reading more prose.

The next day, the group heads out for a walk, and they run into a man who stares at Anne He’s very attractive and happens to be Mr. Elliot, Anne’s cousin and heir to Kellynch. On a second walk, disaster strikes -- Louisa jumps down from a wall, hits her head, and is rendered unconscious. She’s brought to the Harville’s home, where a doctor sees her and says that while her injury is severe, she’ll be okay. Anne and the Captain head back home, while the others remain to help. That’s where we leave our friends.

There are some parallels between Persuasion and Mansfield Park -- vapid girls encroaching on the heroine's man, our heroine set adrift from her family and taken in by those who can care better for her/understand her, and a heroine who isn't in the spunky Elizabeth/Emma/Catherine school. What Austen does best between her third novel and her sixth is creating a more balanced heroine:

Where Fanny was timid and meek, Anne's quiet only because she knows when to get involved and speak her mind and when to let things slide. She recognizes the inanity that surrounds her, and unlike Fanny, whose youth made her unable to navigate the social world successfully, Anne knows what she has to do to be successful socially without comprising the best parts of her.

Persuasion, Chapters 1-6

Jane Austen's final novel, Persuasion, is the only one of her books that I couldn't have told you a darn thing about going into it. I may not have known anything about Mansfield Park or Northanger Abbey, but I at least knew Fanny Price's name, and that Northanger was a take on the contemporary Gothic genre. But Persuasion? Zip. Then I posted the schedule of readings for this month and got this:

So while I know nothing about this novel, it happens to be two people's favorite Austen book. My curiosity was piqued.

The novel begins with Sir Walter Elliot of Kellynch Hall making a record of his family. His wife died 14 years ago, and of his grown daughters, Elizabeth, Anne, and Mary, only Mary is married, to Charles Musgrove. Elliot’s fortune will be passed to his nephew, William Elliot. Sir Walter has become self-absorbed in the years since his wife’s death, so Lady Russell, a friend of Lady Elliot, has stepped in to offer the Elliot girls some guidance. She takes a special liking to Anne. Elizabeth Elliot is beautiful but vapid and her father’s favorite, Anne is a lovely person but her family doesn’t pay much attention to her, and Mary is self-important, thanks to being the youngest sister and the only one who is married.

A few years back, everyone had hoped that William would marry Elizabeth, but he chose to marry another woman. Compounding the family problems is that Sir Walter is low on funds, having lived beyond his means for years. He calls in Lady Russell and Mr. Shepard, a lawyer, to come fix his situation.

They tell him that he has to “retrench” -- save money and get out of debt -- in order to save his reputation. He refuses to cut back on expenses, instead opting to leave Kellynch Hall and rent it out. They decide to go to Bath, despite Anne’s dislike for the city. Lady Russell supports this plan, since  it’ll save money, but also because it’ll break up Elizabeth’s friendship with Mrs. Clay, Mr. Shepard’s widowed daughter and bad egg.

Mr. Shepard says that the Navy will be returning home, since England is at peace, and suggests that a sailor would make a great tenant for Kellynch. The family discusses the Navy, and after Anne says that everyone should be indebted to their service, but Sir Walter says the Navy brings “persons of obscure birth into undue distinction" and weathers their appearance beyond their years.

Admiral Croft is interested in renting Kellynch, and they learn that his wife’s brother, Mr. Wentworth, is a curate nearby. This sets Anne aflutter when she realizes that her old love may soon be standing where she is. Her old love is Captain Frederick Wentworth, Mrs. Croft’s other brother. Years ago, they fell in love and wished to marry, but Anne’s family and Lady Russell told her it was a bad idea, since he didn’t have a fortune or high birth. Anne, believing that her elders had her best interests at heart, ended the relationship. He left the country and Anne has regretted it for seven years. She hasn’t fallen for anyone else in this time, though Charles Musgrove, who later married Mary, proposed to her.

The Crofts and Elliots hit it off, and the Crofts decide to take the place. Sir Walter and Elizabeth take Mrs. Clay with them to Bath, which angers Anne and Lady Russell. They worry that she’ll form an improper attachment to Sir Walter.

Mary writes to say that she’s unwell, and asks Anne to come stay with her at Uppercross Cottage. Anne’s glad to avoid Bath for a while, and heads to her hypochondriac sister. Mary’s in-laws live nearby and while they aren’t educated or elegant, they’re friendly -- Anne finds them a welcome change from her family.

Anne and Mary go to visit the Crofts, and they find them to be lovely people. Anne learns that Captain Wentworth will soon be visiting them. This upsets Mrs. Musgrove, who is reminded of her troubled son Dick, who served under Captain Wentworth until his death.

Once again, unsuitable parents are the cause of much turmoil for their daughters. Sir Walter’s inability to manage his money has broken up his family, for the time being, and diminished his and his daughter’s reputation. He’s the complete opposite of Anne, his practical daughter, and has passed his undesirable qualities onto his other daughters.

As a heroine, Anne is a little different from the others we’ve seen. For starters, she’s older (27), and she’s loved and lost, unlike the other heroines, who realize/meet the man they love during the course of the novel. The passage in which she’s mulling over her failed relationship is devastating and so true, that you have to believe that Austen has also loved and lost:

She was persuaded to believe the engagement a wrong thing -- indiscreet, improper, hardly capable of success, and not deserving it… More than seven years were gone since this little history of sorrowful interest had reached its close; and time had softened down much, perhaps nearly all of peculiar attachment to him, but she had been too dependant on time alone: no aid had been given in change of place, (except in one visit to Bath soon after the rupture), or in any novelty or enlargement of society. No one had ever come within the Kellynch circle, who could bear a comparison with Frederick Wentworth, as he stood in her memory.

It’s easy to imagine a contemporary Anne Elliot sitting at her computer, following Frederick’s actions on Facebook and stewing over her giant mistake. Austen has given us something timeless and great.

Northanger Abbey, Chapters 21-31

This section begins shortly after Catherine’s arrival at Northanger Abbey. Eleanor takes her to her room in the thoroughly modern edifice, which disappoints Catherine -- at first. There’s a storm that night and she discovers some old papers in a chest of drawers. Before she can read them, the candle goes out and she hears footsteps. She immediately goes to bed, but discovers the next morning that they’re merely a washing list -- so far Northanger does not meet her expectations.

The General and Eleanor show her around Northanger, and Catherine begins to sense that the General is hiding something --- he won’t go down a path that was his late wife’s favorite, he tells Eleanor not to show Catherine more of the house until he can be there. Catherine jumps to the conclusion that his killed his wife and starts to question Eleanor about how she died. Suddenly, it turns out, and of an illness -- it's somehow a confirmation of Catherine’s suspicions. She develops an alternate hypothesis as well: that Mrs. Tilney is alive and hidden in the cellar. When she finally sneaks away from the others to see Mrs. Tilney’s room, there’s nothing of note.

Henry catches her at it, and he tells her what she suspects. He tells her he was present for his mother’s death and he scolds her for thinking that. Catherine is beside herself thinking that she blew it with Henry, but he acts no differently toward her. She does, however, chastise herself for getting too caught up in her books.

James writes to tell Catherine that he and Isabella broke off their engagement and says she’s now engaged to Frederick Tilney. Henry tells her that he doesn’t think it’ll really happen and that Isabella is probably doing it for money. He and Eleanor don’t think the General will let the engagement go through since she doesn’t have much money, which makes Catherine upset as she doesn't have a lot of money either.

The gang goes to visit Henry’s house at Woodston, and the General hints about Catherine marrying Henry -- she loves the house, but isn’t sure of Henry’s feelings. Isabella writes to say that Frederick left her and asks for help in getting James back. Catherine’s outraged, but Henry tells her she should be happy her brother's engagement didn’t go through.

When Catherine has been visiting for a month, she asks Eleanor if she should get ready to leave, but Eleanor tells her she can stay indefinitely. Suddenly, the General tells Eleanor that they have to go make good on a previous engagement and that Catherine has to leave immediately. There’s no explanation, and Catherine is forced to undergo a strenuous journey home.

She can’t imagine what possibly caused the General to do a 180 in his feelings for her, and her family is upset to see how she returned. Catherine has a tough time readjusting to life with her family, but after a few days Henry comes. He tells her that the General believed that the Morlands were wealthy, but learned lately from John Thorpe that they were not. Henry apologizes and proposes to Catherine. But the general won’t consent to the marriage so the Morlands won’t either. Luckily, Eleanor quickly gets engaged to a nobleman, which makes the General happy -- everyone consents and Henry and Catherine marry.

That’s the end of Northanger Abbey. Austen’s gently mocking riff on the Gothic novel doesn’t have the same depth as Pride and Prejudice, but it is an entertaining read. Catherine is a younger heroine than in some of the other novels, and  she spends a lot of time dealing with peer pressure and trying to figure out what makes a good friend -- things the other Austen heroines have already figured out for themselves.

A good chunk of the dramatic tension in this novel takes place in Catherine’s head, which is, in a way, what causes the dramatic tension of all of Austen's novels. Marianne imagines that Willoughby is more in love with her than he is, Elizabeth and Darcy each imagine things about the other that isn't true, Emma imagines that Mr. Elton loves Harriet, and so on. It's a more obvious example of Austen's point about how people imagine things and project desires onto situations rather than discussing them. There's so much gossip in all her books, but so little serious talks that need to be had -- Catherine's situation is the same.

Attic Salt's Jane Austen Challenge draws to a close with Persuasion, Austen's final novel. It's another short one, which means it'll give you some extra reading time to catch up on any books you may not have completed. Here's the schedule:

August 7: Chapters 1-6

August 14: Chapters 7-12

August 21: Chapters 13-18

August 31: Chapters 19-24

Northanger Abbey, Chapters 15-20

Confession: I've already finished this book. That makes it hard to remember specific things from each section I wanted to remember, so after today, I'll write just one final post on the last day of July. Here's a recap:

Catherine learns that Isabella and James are engaged, and the Morlands consent to the marriage. John Thorpe tries to hint to Catherine that maybe they can be engaged too, but she blows him off and he takes it as a good sign. At the beginning of volume two, Catherine dines with the Tilney family, and is pleased by how nice General Tilney is to her. The other Tilney son, Captain Frederick, comes to Bath as well.

After James tells Isabella that they will have a long engagement while he waits to inherit a living, she’s pretty upset, which makes Catherine angry. Things get better for Catherine though, since the Tilneys invite her along to their abbey for a visit. Not only is she excited to spend time with Henry, she’s thrilled about the idea of staying in an abbey like the ones found in her novels.

Catherine tells Isabella that she isn’t interested in her brother, after he writes to say that he wants to propose. Isabella’s flirtation with Frederick also bothers Catherine, but Catherine chalks it up to Isabella being polite. She starts to get worried for James, and talks to Henry, who tells her to leave the situation alone.

The ride to Northanger Abbey is pleasant -- Henry and Catherine ride together, and he tells her stories about the mysteries she’ll encounter there, complete with a hidden passage and violent storms. They arrive in time for dinner.

Catherine consistently misreads social situations -- she misreads the situation between Isabella and Frederick, even though Isabella seems to make it clear, telling Catherine that there’s more than one way for the two of them to be sisters. She also misreads her relationship with John Thorpe, not understanding that he wants to marry her. And, as we’ll soon see, she misreads the situation at the Abbey, where she allows her imagination to run rampant.

The lessons she’s applying to her life in Bath and at the Abbey come straight from the pages of novels and from the Allens, who can’t offer much guidance. Like the other Austen heroines we’ve seen, Catherine is missing a strong, positive influence in her life who is able to teach her the ways of the world. Each heroine, whether by death or poverty, is deprived of at least one parent who could alert her to the fact that she’s choosing friends unwisely or misreading social cues. But then, how would anyone ever figure out anything for herself?

Northanger Abbey, Chapters 9-14

For the first time in this project, I’ve read ahead of schedule — I’m a few chapters beyond 14, so I’ll try to refrain talking about anything after that. Here’s a quick recap.

The social world of Bath is still a marvel for Catherine, who decides to befriend Eleanor Tilney. Before she can pay her a visit, Isabella, James Morland and John Thorpe arrive to take Catherine for a ride. Catherine gets stuck riding with John, who is manipulative and exaggerates. Despite James and Isabella’s fondness for John, Catherine looks on him with disdain. She learns that her guardian, Mrs. Allen, ran into the Tilneys while she was out, and Catherine kicks herself for missing them.
Catherine remains oblivious to the new romance between Isabella and James, because she’s caught up in her interest in the Tilneys. She meets Eleanor at the Pump-Room, they hit it off, and she awkwardly asks Eleanor about Henry. Eleanor figures out that Catherine likes Henry, but Catherine doesn’t realize that she shared this information.

At a ball, Catherine dodges John and dances with Henry. He tells her that dancing is like a brief marriage, and each side has responsibilities. The Tilneys set up a walk with Catherine for the next day. The Thorpes arrive to take Catherine to Bristol, and John lies and tells her that he saw Henry driving in the opposite direction. Since it's raining, Catherine believes him and goes along. When they set off, she sees the Tilneys walking toward her house, but John refuses to turn around.

Catherine goes to apologize to the Tilneys the next morning, but they won’t see her. She then confronts Henry at the theater and explains everything. She learns that General Tilney, their father, thinks that she’s the finest girl in town.

The Thorpes plan yet another ride, and when they try to get Catherine, she turns them down. She goes to the Tilneys’ house, and meets the General, who invites Catherine to dinner. At the Allens, Mr. Allen tells Catherine not to see John Thorpe anymore. The Tilneys take Catherine on a walk the next day, and Catherine and Henry discuss books again, as well as drawing. When she goes back home, Catherine learns that one of the Thorpe sisters took her place on that day’s drive.

In these chapters, Catherine is beginning to stand up for herself and make her own decisions, instead of having Isabella help navigate for her. She recognizes that some social acquaintances can be hurtful, and that others are much better matches in terms of friendship. It’s actually kind of interesting how the intelligent, funny, down-to-earth Tilneys seek the companionship of Catherine, a girl who is only beginning to develop social graces and desires that her life resemble a Gothic novel.

Henry Tilney is shaping up to be a great Austen hero — he’s funny, charming, smart, and has no problem teasing Catherine. He seems more well-rounded than recent heroes we’ve encountered — Mr. Knightley, Edmund Bertram — and doesn’t seem to have any flaws to overcome.

For next week, read Chapters 15-20.

Who do you write like?

I write like
Margaret Atwood

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Here's a fun Internet thing circulating around -- this web site will analyze your writing style and compare to an famous author's. My last post on this site deemed my prose Margaret Atwood-like, while a post on Emma earned a comparison to, yes, Jane Austen. And my short stories? Chuck Palahniuk.

Who do you write like?