Liberty in Jane Austen’s Persuasion by Kathryn E. Davis (review)

Kathryn E. Davis’s Liberty in Jane Austen’s Persuasion examines the novelist’s opinion that the ability of every individual to properly self-govern is the basis for political freedom in the commonwealth. Austen, Davis argues, investigates whether it is possible for humans to be liberated enough to realize—and then act upon—the truth, given the reality of human fallibility. Building on the past work of Alistair Duckworth, Claudia Johnson, and Marilyn Butler, who show Austen’s acute interest in political events, Davis’s work takes the next step: to bridge the gap between ethical and political understandings of Austen’s last novel.

While the heroine Anne Eliot best represents true freedom of mind, largely because she reflects on her thoughts and actions, Captain Wentworth is the Austenian character with the most active profession, publicly placed for future consequence. Together, Anne and Wentworth take their place with other notable couples from western literature, such as Homer’s Odysseus and Penelope or Shakespeare’s Hermione and Leontes of The Winter’s Tale. With Mrs. Croft as model for Anne’s future married life, “home and abroad will be indistinguishable spheres,” and thus, Anne and Wentworth will be working together to bring about liberty (164).

In each section of her book, Davis examines nonfictional influences on Austen’s ideas about liberty, then traces the way that they are developed in Persuasion. In the first chapter, Davis references Thomas Sherlock’s Sermons (1754–58), of which Austen reports being “very fond” (qtd. 37). The tension therein between faith and reason, and in particular Discourse XVIII, on Paul’s letter to the Philippians, may have guided Austen’s burgeoning sense of the collaborative nature of freedom, as stemming from God’s grace and individual effort combined. Wentworth’s ultimate realization of his dangerous self-reliance and new willingness to respect God’s providence by Persuasion’s end is merely one piece of evidence that Davis supplies of Austen’s thinking. Charles W. Pasley’s Essay on the Military Policy and Institution of the British Empire (1810) also influenced Austen. Pasley recommends that rather than trust blindly in the British navy’s ability, each individual should evaluate himself with the aim of becoming a better and more prudent citizen. Austen’s definition of liberty includes the ability to pursue excellence, and in subsequent chapters Davis closely reads pivotal moments of excellence in Persuasion.

In her second chapter, Davis contemplates false liberty in Persuasion, especially that held by Austen’s vicious and self-absorbed characters: Sir Walter, Elizabeth, and Mr. Elliot, who have been or are currently implicated in financial difficulties. Captain Wentworth is also flawed, giving in to his relentless pursuit of activity to distract him from his lack of mental liberty: on shore, he suffers from erratic behavior and, oddly for a naval captain, lack of a greater plan for his life. Wentworth is resilient yet deficient in managing his private affairs, Davis posits. Through her flawed hero, Austen shows her readers how true liberty is what happens when a unified body and soul work in tandem toward the “highest good of human happiness” (84). For Davis, Wentworth will need to transform to become worthy of Anne, a change that England might also consider for political and economic reasons.

In her third chapter, Davis examines The Winter’s Tale as a work Austen “meditated upon” (101), influencing her creation of Anne and Wentworth’s romance. Consequently, Anne’s need for remaining in a romantic state (inclusive of practical wisdom) is a psychological and spiritual good. In Persuasion, Davis argues, the usual virtue of prudence is instead an evil, depicting too much concern for financial security or social mores. Becoming authentically prudent means, in this novel, achieving a romantic education. As Anne resists self-pity, Austen exhibits liberty of soul: a reason-informed will moving her protagonist from pain to hope. While Anne must learn to trust that...