Sunday, March 18, 2012
Time in Persuasion
I think a theme that we haven't talked much about, but that is subtly present throughout the novel is the influence of time and timing. As people have mentioned in their earlier blog posts, there exists this kind of social order preventing people from speaking freely and candidly about their feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Because of this, a lot of things are left up to chance. For example, if Wentworth and Anne were able to sit down and speak openly about their relationship the first time they were together, odds are they wouldn't have had to separate for six years. Similarly, the convenience and timing of their respective visits to Bath, Lyme, the Musgroves etc. helped facilitate the rekindling of their romance. Without happenstance and timing on their side, it is very likely they would have gone their entire lives without seeing each other. The number of instance in the novel that are the products of timing are innumerable. Another example would be the timing of Louisa's injury. Had she continued to be a presence in Wentworth's life, it is doubtful that Anne would have gotten the chance to grow close to him again. The whole idea surrounding the passage of time and the importance of chance happenings really ties in to bigger concepts like the idea of fate.
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I think another reason that timing plays such a significant role in the novel is due to the lack of agency and independence that the Victorian social structure entails. Anne is slave to the social schedule of her family and proper etiquette requires her to respond to certain invitations and events even if she would like to be otherwise occupied. As an unmarried woman living in the household of a single father, Anne has even less of a say and it seems like she is always getting carted around by her social climbing family members. Nevertheless, even though the structure of social interactions is rigid, Anne is sometimes able to use her understanding of the rules of civility and her superior social graces to "work the system" and avoid certain encounters.
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