“Her Own More Elegant and Cultivated Mind”: Anne Elliot and Music

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

This essay considers the role that music plays in Jane Austen’s depiction of Anne Elliot in Persuasion. Anne is a unique character set apart from her society not only by her family’s contempt for her and the failure of other characters to appreciate her qualities, but also by her own refusal to compromise her sense of self. She is presented as a musician of a particular type: she plays the piano expertly but does not sing; she provides music for others to dance to; and she is an appreciative listener. Each of these qualities tells us something about her isolation from and invisibility to most other characters, as well as her fractured connection with Captain Frederick Wentworth, which slowly mends as the novel progresses.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationApproaches to Teaching Austen's Persuasion
EditorsMarcia McClintock Folsom, John Wiltshire
Place of PublicationNew York, USA
PublisherModern Language Association of America
Pages80-85
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9781603294799, 9781603294805
ISBN (Print)9781603294775, 9781603294782
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Publication series

NameApproaches to Teaching World Literature
PublisherModern Language Association of America
Volume166
ISSN (Print)1059-1133

Keywords

  • Jane Austen
  • Persuasion
  • music and literature
  • Literary characters

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Dive into the research topics of '“Her Own More Elegant and Cultivated Mind”: Anne Elliot and Music'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
  • Jane Austen's Music

    Dooley, G. (Curator), 2023

    Research output: Non-textual formFilm, Digital Media or Visual Output

  • Jane's Musical Tastes

    Dooley, G., Jan 2022, Jane Austen's Regency World, 115, p. 36-39 4 p.

    Research output: Contribution to specialist publicationArticle

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