Persuasion

Theme

1. If characters from this novel were on a talk show such as Oprah Winfrey's, what issues would they discuss? What other guests would Oprah invite on the show to provide a lively conversation? Write the script and perform it for your class.

2. What is Austen most critical of in her society? What are you critical of about today's society? Conduct a debate.

3. Much of this novel revolves around Anne and Captain Wentworth looking for signs and signals of the other's possible feelings of caring. What do modern day romantics look for? How can you tell if someone of the opposite sex is interested in you? Write out a list or develop it into an advice column.

4. The early 19th century was a time when propriety ruled in society. What is positive about never speaking directly about concerns that may be upsetting when in the company of others? What is negative? How and when do we still seem to observe the rules of propriety? Is our society better or worse for moving away from this type of social constraint? Write and perform a drama that illustrates your point of view.

5. Create a word collage that captures the essence of the novel and gives viewers a good idea of what the book is about. Cut out 30 to 40 words or phrases from magazines or newspapers that describe the novel. Words may describe setting or characters or themes. Write the book title in the center of a blank sheet of paper and then glue all the words on the page, filling the entire sheet. Write about why you chose the words you did.

Character

6. Think about each main character. What contemporary songs would they identify with, or what songs would you identify with them? Bring in taped excerpts from the songs and see if your classmates can guess which songs fit each character. Example: "You're So Vain" could be associated with Sir Elliot.

7. Construct an episode of "The Dating Game." Have Captain Wentworth ask questions of Louisa, Elizabeth, and Anne. Then have Anne ask questions of Captain Wentworth, Mr. Elliot, and Captain Benwick.

8. If Anne were a modern woman, how would she react differently? Find a section in the novel you would like to change and write a script to show Anne with contemporary attitudes and values. How would the action change?

9. Analyze the characters by trying to identify their goals. Compare your own goals to those of the characters. What are the major differences? What do the comparison of these goals tell you about how things have/have not changed?

10. Choose several characters and then try to identify their modern day heroes or heroines. Would someone like Donald Trump or Mick Jagger or John Kennedy Jr. be Sir Elliot's hero? After identifying who each main character would look up to, write brief explanations of why you made these choices.

11. Who changes by the end of the book? Write an explanation of the ways characters changed. Are there characters who you wished would have changed? Write up a plan for these characters indicating how they can improve their personality or their attitudes.

12. Many of the main characters in this novel do not have careers because they are part of the gentry living off of profits from their estates. Think about the strengths and weaknesses of these characters. What jobs or careers would suit them in our modern world? Select careers for at least five characters and then explain why each character is particularly suited to that job.

13. To think more deeply about the characters, make up a list of personality characteristics (such as most whiny, best manners, friendliest) that could describe characters. Put the list on the board and have the other students suggest a name for each "award." Then have the students choose five of the categories and write about why their "candidate" should get the award. Create a page for a yearbook using this information.

14. The Afterword (pp. 237-250) contains many strong indictments of the characters. Participate in a panel discussion in which two members support what is said about the characters in the Afterword and two oppose the interpretation.

Archetypes

15. Characters in many novels go on journeys and through these journeys learn much about life and about themselves. Both Anne and Captain Wentworth have changed by the end of the novel. Describe the inner or outer journey each of these characters takes and what they learn that brings them to the final point in the novel.

16. Could this story be viewed as a Cinderella story? Who would be Cinderella, the ugly stepmother, the stepsisters, the fairy godmother? Rewrite it as a fairy tale.

Setting

17. Write up a Guide to Manners as if you were the Miss Manners or the Emily Post of the late early 19th century.

18. Do some research on the city of Bath and create a pamphlet aimed at attracting the wealthy to Bath in the late early 19th century.

Point of View

19. Who is portrayed sympathetically? What about them or their actions causes them to be shown in a positive light? Who is portrayed in an unsympathetic light? How? Do we learn about them from the narrator, their actions, or from what others say about them? Create a soap opera with at least three characters in the cast.

20. Write up a list of whom Captain Wentworth would invite to a party and why he would include each person. Do the same for Sir Elliot. Why are the lists so different?

21. Throughout the novel the reader is influenced by the narrator's commentary on characters. Does the narrative voice seem constant? Could you describe this narrative voice as omniscient? What effect does the narrator have on our reading? Try to write a section of a chapter from a different narrator's voice.

22. If this novel were told from the point of view of Elizabeth or Mary, how would it change? Script one scene from Anne's, Elizabeth's, and Mary's points of view.

Language

23. The language in the novel is usually muted, understated, and indirect. Construct a modern day conversation between two people who are discovering they like each other, but use the style of language Austen uses. Don't come right out and say something; be discreet and tactful.

24. Go through the novel and list phrases or words we no longer use. Explain how these each would be said in modern English.

Plot

25. Make a list of significant events in the novel and place them on a timeline. Share your timeline with your classmates. Compare them and discuss why they differ.

26. Create a one-page newspaper that covers three events in the story such as Louisa's fall on the beach, the Crofts move to Kellynch, and Mrs. Smith's financial fall. Interview as many of the characters as possible.

27. As a scriptwriter for a television soap opera, you are always looking for new material. Would Persuasion provide good material for a soap opera? If you believe it would, sketch out several episodes. If you believe it would not, explain your reasoning and cite soap operas you know to support your opinion.

28. Jane Austen is a master storyteller, often keeping her readers on the edge of their chairs wanting to know what happens next. How does Austen create intrigue? What plot devices does she use to keep reader interest high? Try your hand at using some of these plot devices by creating a chapter of your own.

29. Austen intertwines several plotlines throughout this novel. Identify all the subplots present in the story and explain why you think each one is used. Then work to create a sketch of a plotline which has several subplots.

30. In the Afterword, Persuasion is described as a comedy. To test out this assumption, choose a TV family sitcom you know. Write a comparison/contrast between the characters and the situations in the sitcom and the ones in Persuasion. Then write briefly about whether or not you believe Persuasion is a comedy.