For her last novel's plot, Austen returns to the tensions of inheritance; but the once satisfactory solution—security on a landed estate—no longer applies. Here, Anne, the unappreciated middle daughter of the Elliots, has new choices to make, between the customs and traditions in which she was brought up and the excitement of the unknown.

Comments:

"Linda Bree has done a marvelous job in this superb new edition of Persuasion. The searching introduction, the informative notes, and most of all the illuminating selection of contextual material make Austen's well-known masterpiece come alive again as a compelling and unsettling new text. Bree clarifies subtleties of class structure, social criticism, and manners that elude many North American as well as British students. Newcomers and longtime admirers of this novel will find much to learn from and enjoy here. All in all, Bree's edition deepens and enriches our understanding of Persuasion. An impressive and admirable achievement!" - Claudia L. Johnson, Princeton University

"This splendid edition is ideal for both the student and the scholar of Austen. Always one of Austen's most fascinating novels, Persuasion is made eminently teachable and readable with this wonderful edition; reading it made me want to teach the novel again, soon, just so I can take advantage of Bree's fine work." - Catherine Ingrassia, Virginia Commonwealth University

Linda Bree, author of Sarah Fielding, has taught literature at the Universities of London and Essex. She is currently Editor of British and European Literature at Cambridge University Press.

Please note: If you choose to use multiple Broadview Austen Editions we will extend a special package price offer to your students. Please contact customerservice@broadviewpress.com for details.

Table of Contents: [Back to Top]

Acknowledgments 

Introduction

Jane Austen: A Brief Chronology

A Note on the Text     

Persuasion     

Appendix A: The Canceled Chapters of Persuasion     

Appendix B: Biographical Notice of the Author    

Appendix C: Extracts from Jane Austen's letters    

Appendix D: From Thomas Gisborne, An Enquiry into the Duties of the Female Sex     

Appendix E: From Priscilla Wakefield, Reflections on the Present Condition of the Female Sex   

Appendix F: Extract from the Annual Register, London 1806    

Appendix G: From James Thomson, The Seasons: A Poem    

Appendix H: From Walter Scott, Marmion: A Tale of Flodden Field     

Appendix I: From Lord Byron, The Giaour: A Fragment of a Turkish Tale   

Select Bibliography