Using point of view to create drama: Persuasion chapter 24
Learn how Austen uses point of view to create drama and suspense in a scene without much external action.
Foreseeing many evils: Persuasion chapter 22
In which we see why Anne is the most Virgo of all of Austen's characters.
Clearing the air: Persuasion chapter 21
Austen lets Mrs. Smith say the quiet parts out loud.
Talking head avoidance device: Persuasion chapter 20
Austen shows us what a difference the perfect setting can make.
Turning point: Persuasion chapter 19
The river of the plot is about to carry us to the end.
A road-worthy marriage: Persuasion chapter 18
Austen's novels ostensibly end with a happy marriage, but does she ever depict one?
Poor, dangerous widows: Persuasion chapter 17
A new character comes on the scene to set up our final plot twist.
Simmering suspense: Persuasion chapter 16
Austen turns up the suspense on two long-simmering subplots.
POV ventriloquism: Persuasion chapter 14
A close reading of how Austen uses the slipperiness of omniscient narration to her advantage.
Snapping the thread: Persuasion chapter 13
Austen stitches the broken thread of her plot back into the narrative.
Plot twist time: Persuasion chapter 12
Austen twists the plot and shows her characters their true selves.
Excavating race in Austen: Persuasion chapter 11
Just because race is occluded in Persuasion, that doesn't mean it isn't present.
Do Austen’s characters know they are white?: Persuasion chapter 10
How do we bring the lens of race to a story that seems to resist it?
The story in the story: Persuasion chapter 9
Austen deploys a miniature version of her main story question to show it in a different light.
The primary story question: Persuasion chapter 8
The story question is clear: Can two right-thinking people in a sea of fools navigate past their previous heartbreak to come together once more?
The power of information: Persuasion chapter 7
Learn how Austen uses point of view to create drama and suspense in a scene without much external action.
The plot thickens: Persuasion chapter 6
See the moment Austen activates a key backstory element to enliven the plot.
Suspenseful subplot: Persuasion chapter 5
Austen provides the dangerous Mrs Clay as a suspenseful subplot, not resolved until the end of the novel.