The autumnal, brooding quiet in which Jane Austen's Persuasion begins feels as if it will never lift. Anne Elliot is fading away like a spent leaf, falling unnoticed from a tree of lost hopes, and trampled underfoot by her unfeeling family. Anne's rich, interior world of strong feelings is utterly suppressed and it is almost impossible to believe that a second spring is in store for her. But then, at Lyme, the stuffy, lowering clouds begin to break apart amid the fresh winds of the sea, and Miss Elliot begins to bloom again.
In undertaking this storytelling painting of Persuasion, I hoped to illuminate its connection to the seasons. Reading left-to-right, right-to-left, and so on in the print, we move from the very long walk towards Winthrop amid the hazel hedgerows, to the first green leaves budding in the trees along the Gravel Walk in Bath, to the vivid display on the flower stand at the Elliots' evening party. As we progress from fall through a drear city winter towards spring, Anne comes into the foreground of her own life as her foolish, designing family slips into the background, at last! And, Captain Wentworth wins his bride, also at last!
In the final vignette of the canvas, I wanted to give viewers a glimpse of the new life - the life of Captain and Mrs. Wentworth. Austen fans will recall that at the concert, Anne expresses that she would like to return to Lyme one day. What better place for a honeymoon or even a first home than by the lovely sea, just down the lane from the Harvilles? Here, we see Anne in morning dress and Frederick at perfect ease as the couple relaxes over tea and enjoys the splendid view.
Their new horizons are wide and fresh. Yet, as Austen hints at the end of this, her most bittersweet novel, danger is not far off. We see a ship in the distance, and in the Regency, the threat of war is ever-present. But for now, the newlyweds have entered a time of bliss, of love lost and found, and of a great deal of tenderness to heal the old, mutual ache. Sympathetic readers will wish Anne and Frederick a long summer of happiness.
Georgians were very preoccupied with the concept of bloom (the presence of youthful color in the complexion) and while it is frustrating to think of women being judged and dismissed solely on the basis of their appearance - rather than being seen as whole people deserving of consideration and regard - there is a lesson in Persuasion that is far more than skin-deep. Life has its seasons, just like the Earth, but how we spend them is not a pre-written formula. We can be surprised when a new interest, talent, vista, thought, or person comes into our life at any age and refreshes us. The women I love best in reality are those who have remained interested in everything throughout life and who, unlike Sir Walter, have earned wisdom with the years. They have the real beauty secrets, which bear no relationship to using Gowland's lotion.
Persuasion reminds us to remain hopeful. Things may turn out better than we expect in a season to come.
I hope you will enjoy following dear Anne from Kellynch, to Uppercross, to Lyme, to Bath, and to her heart's desire in this video short: