Abstract

At the time of the 18th to 19th centuries, there had been a movement called Romanticism.
This movement primarily focused on the importance of human emotions and thedefiance of the old social conventions. Romanticism attracted many artists, specially,
the poets. Romanticism from the 18th century onward has been discussed by a numberof profoundly influential critics.

Northrop Frye’s Anatomy of Criticism wasinstrumental in establishing the critical view that the Romanticism largely involved anemphasis on the inner processes of the individual mind. The metaphorical structure ofRomantic poetry tends to move inside and downward instead of outside and upward,
hence the creative world lays deep within.
For Frye, the interiority of Romantic metaphoric structures was central; he extends thisline of argument whether English Romanticism legitimately can be called a revival ofromance. The poet takes the patterns of quest-romance and transposes them into hisown imaginative life. And there is a high cost of internationalization which is in thearena of self-consciousness.
Yet, Jane Austen, a prose writer and a contemporary of the Romantic period, wassometimes criticized as anti-romantic. It is because her stories take place within theestablished community, where etiquette and prudence were the norm.
Ann Elliot, heroine of Austen’s last novel, let the love of her life get away. In this case,she had allowed herself to be persuaded by a trusted family friend that the young man
she loved wasn’t an adequate match, social station-wise, and that Anne could no better.
The novel opens some seven years after her heart-broken beau leaves, and she’s stillalone. But then Wentworth whom she never stopped loving comes back from the sea,
with fame and money.
Benwick is a navy man and a friend of Wentworth. He is in a state of despair since helost his fiancé while he was at the sea. I intend to give some new way of looking at
Benwick character, based on Anne’s point of view, her understanding and her likes anddislikes. Also I intend to defend Benwick’s somehow “speedy” recovery in the light ofmodern psychology, specifically in terms of “mourning” since I found an interesting
connection between Austen’s view towards Benwick and his process of recovery.
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Anne’s understanding toward Benwick’s character, and such examples are foundAusten’s other works. Also, I try to explore the fundamental impact and influence ofBritish Romanticism on Austen’s works, by examining the works of Wordsworth,Coleridge, Scott and Byron, and see how the impact is prevalent and flourished in her
last completed novel, Persuasion.
I would also like to point out that there are striking similarities between Wentworth
and England’s war hero, Nelson. Austen had two younger brothers who served in theBritish Royal Navy, and one of them worked with Nelson.

Nelson’s charismatic

persona and his heroic deeds must have excited Austen’s imagination.

Thus

Wentworth character was created, with certain alterations to become a Romantic herowith commanding figure, of strong personality. This research will also shed a light onAusten’s idealism and her historical perspective, examining characters’ moods andbehaviors, which are definitely “Romantic.”

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