"to "Miss A. E.--," was evidently the one which he had been folding so hastily. While supposed to be writing only to Captain Benwick, he had been also addressing her! On the contents of that letter depended all which this world could do for her. Anything was possible, anything might be defied rather than suspense. Mrs Musgrove had little arrangements of her own at her own table; to their protection she must trust, and sinking into the chair which he had occupied, succeeding to the very spot where he had leaned and written, her eyes devoured the following words:
"I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone, I think and plan. Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I had not waited even these ten days, could I have read your feelings, as I think you must have penetrated mine. I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me. You sink your voice, but I can distinguish the tones of that voice when they would be lost on others. Too good, too excellent creature! You do us justice, indeed. You do believe that there is true attachment and constancy among men. Believe it to be most fervent, most undeviating, in F. W." -Persuasion by Jane Austen
I felt that Persuasion, by Jane Austen is a very good example of storytelling. The way in which she is able to include all of the different intricacies of the plot into a fairly compact novel and manage to keep the story compelling is why I think this book is an excellent example of good storytelling. The passage shown above is, in my opinion, the best storytelling of the entire novel. Although it is from the letter Frederick Wentworth wrote to Anne, this part of Persuasion, is the type of storytelling that entices me and makes me want to just keep reading. In this passage, Austen used a good mixture of emotion and reality and was able to create a scenario that is desirable to many, including myself. I think that for Austen to be able to delve into the number of different relationships throughout the novel and then lead them all to this moment is what makes her a good storyteller. The weblike structure of the plot, including the relationships between Anne and her sisters, her father, Lady Russel, the Musgroves, Charles Hayter, and the rest of the characters, all culminate in the one letter that settles all the chaos, and makes the relationship between Anne and Frederick Wentworth appear to be the most important. I think that Persuasion is a great example of good storytelling because of the character relationships that provide enough excitement while still maintaining a sense of reality that I think is vital to all good stories.
Amazing, isn't it, that they both have strong feelings for each other, but there is so much that the circumstances of their acquaintance and their history prevent them from saying to each other. And because the novel sticks to Anne's point of view, we're not even sure as readers until Wentworth writes this letter what his exact feelings are. Jane Austen manages to give an event out of normal life a great deal of excitement and suspense. Thanks for a good first entry.
ReplyDelete