Persuasion

Persuasion Summary | Chapter 1 Summary

Persuasion, by Jane Austen, begins by introducing Sir Walter Elliot. He is a handsome, vain 54-year-old man. His favorite story and book, literally, is that of his own life. It begins with dates of the births, deaths and marriages of his family members and it chronicles their accomplishments. Sir Elliot's wife of 17 years passed away 13 years ago. She left him three daughters, although he only cared for the eldest, Elizabeth. In her, he sees himself and all of the good qualities of his wife. Elizabeth is a very handsome young woman. His youngest daughter, Mary, is of some interest to him since she made a good match for herself in marriage. Anne, the middle daughter, is of no consequence to either Elizabeth or Sir Elliot. Anne lives with the two yet is never consulted. Her family does not place any confidence in her. Sir Elliot does not think Anne is pretty at all. One of Sir Elliot's neighbors, Lady Russell, was the best friend of his late wife. She loves all of his daughters and she holds a special place in her heart for Anne.

Elizabeth has filled the role of lady of the house ever since her mother passed away. Sir Elliot thinks that she is by far his prettiest daughter and knows that she will marry very well. He pays no attention to the fact that she is 29 years old, past the normal marrying age. He believes that Elizabeth has a beauty that only gets better with age. Elizabeth, on the other, hand is very mindful of her advanced age. She has already felt disappointment in her romantic life. When she was a young girl, her parents arranged a marriage for her that would provide Sir Elliot with an excellent heir to his fortune, as he has no sons. However, the young man ended up marrying someone else. Elizabeth's former suitor is now a widower, since the recent death of his wife.

For some time now, Sir Walter Elliot has been having money troubles. Actually, Sir Elliot and Elizabeth have been outspending their income ever since Lady Elliot passed away. She was the one who kept the spending under control. Although their debt is getting quite large and the creditors are calling often, neither Elizabeth nor Sir Elliot is willing to give up any conveniences. They call their two neighbors, Lady Russell and Mr. Shepherd, to ask for advice on what to do.