Persuasion - Jane Austen's Final Completed Novel

Persuasion, written between 1815 and 1816 and published posthumously in 1818, is Jane Austen's final completed novel. It centers on Anne Elliot, 27, who eight years earlier broke her engagement to Captain Frederick Wentworth after advice from Lady Russell. The novel traces their renewed acquaintance after Wentworth's naval success, examining themes of constancy, social mobility, regret, and second chances. Henry Austen provided a biographical notice for the first edition, shifting public awareness of Jane Austen beyond the earlier anonymity of 'A Lady'. Modern critics highlight the novel's emotional restraint and psychological depth.

Context and publication

Persuasion was the last novel Jane Austen completed. She wrote it between August 1815 and August 1816 while her health declined. Jane Austen died in 1817; her brother Henry arranged for the novel's posthumous publication in 1818 and supplied a short biographical notice introducing the two posthumous works.

Plot and main characters

The heroine, Anne Elliot, opens the novel at age 27. Eight years earlier she broke an engagement to Captain Frederick Wentworth after being persuaded by the family friend Lady Russell that the match lacked secure prospects. At the start of the story Anne appears likely to remain single.

Over the intervening years Wentworth has rebuilt his fortunes through naval service and prize money, returning to English society a prosperous and confident captain. The renewed proximity of Anne and Wentworth drives the novel: they navigate social awkwardness, misreadings, and pride before reaching a reconciliation.

Sir Walter Elliot, Anne's father, embodies aristocratic vanity and fiscal irresponsibility. Austen threads comic characters and social satire through the narrative while focusing on themes of constancy, regret, and second chances.

Themes and reception

Persuasion foregrounds a heroine who is no longer very young, a shift from Austen's earlier young heroines. The novel explores merit and social mobility at a time when naval service after the Napoleonic Wars created new pathways to status. It also examines how counsel, conscience and social pressures shape personal choices.

Critics in the 20th and 21st centuries have increasingly noted the novel's emotional restraint and psychological depth. Some readers and scholars now rank it among Austen's most mature works for its subtle handling of regret and moral growth.

Why it matters

Persuasion remains important to readers for its measured tone and for presenting a protagonist who experiences loneliness, reflection, and the possibility of renewal. As Austen's final completed novel, it also carries biographical interest: Henry Austen's biographical notice was the first time many readers learned details of her life and earlier anonymity as 'A Lady' gave way to a signed authorship.

1. Confirm whether Henry Austen himself assigned the title 'Persuasion' for the first edition or if the title derives from Jane Austen's manuscripts. [[CHECK]]
2. Verify the precise publication date and publisher for the first edition (month and publisher name) of Persuasion/Northanger Abbey posthumous release. [[CHECK]]
3. Confirm the exact wording and source of the Claire Tomalin characterization attributed to Persuasion, if the phrasing from the original article is to be quoted. [[CHECK]]