Persuasion (fandom)

Persuasion is a novel by Jane Austen, first published posthumously in 1818. It has a small rarelit fandom as part of the broader Austen fandom; with a naval hero, it fits under the Age of Sail fandom umbrella too.
==In Canon==
When the novel opens, the heroine, Anne Elliot, the faded middle daughter of a vain & spendthrift baronet, is almost on the shelf. Eight years beforehand, she had a love affair with Frederick Wentworth, then a penniless naval commander. She accepted his offer of marriage but was subsequently persuaded by her mentor, Lady Russell, to break off her engagement. The novel charts the couple's slow journey to reconciliation after Wentworth's return to England as a wealthy captain.
The heroine is Austen's oldest, and the novel has an autumnal feel (played up in the 1995 adaptation) with themes of constancy & second chances. It's the only Austen novel where the hero is in the military, as well as the one where the man gets to express his love the most poetically (You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope).
===Adaptations===
Of the four adaptations, two are popular among fans. A 1995 film starred Amanda Root & Ciarán Hinds. Pretty faithful to the novel, it is much loved but gets occasional criticism for casting actors significantly older than the character ages. For example, Slytherin Gypsy writes The 1995 version seems to be the favorite adaptation with fans. While some people complain that the actors looked older than they are supposed to and that they are not as attractive as they should be, most people agree that this version is very faithful to the original novel.Shipper's Manifesto: I Have Loved None But You – A Frederick Wentworth/Anne Elliot Manifesto (accessed 1 February 2014)
A 2007 ITV television film starred Sally Hawkins & Rupert Penry-Jones (with Anthony Stewart Head as a wonderful Sir Walter). Much less faithful to the novel, it gives Anne more agency, a move which is popular with some & reviled by others. Slytherin Gypsy again: The 2007 version is a bit more controversial than the 1995 one: some have loved it, some hated it. The costumes, the locations and the score have been praised, while the end (especially the part where Anne literally runs around Bath and the kiss she shares with Wentworth) has been highly criticized.
==Fannish Responses==
==Fandom==
The novel is often cited as a favourite among Austen readers. (It's a bit like Marmite: the Austen Unconvinced tend to hate it.instant-fanzine: Book Group Discussion: June - Persuasion by Jane Austen (accessed 1 February 2014)) Anne's poignant defence of women's capacity for constancy & Wentworth's fervent letter in response (one of the most beautiful fictional letters ever written) are widely known & loved. (The letter is referenced, for example, by P.D. James when Adam Dalgliesh proposes.)
Discussion frequently focuses on the merits of the two most recent adaptations. Picspam tends to favour the 2007 version.
===Fanfiction===
The Jane Austen Fanfiction Index documents around 325 Persuasion stories as of 1 February 2014, with the earliest dating from 1997. There's a little Persuasion fanfiction at some of the major Austen archives, including Bits of Ivory and especially Derbyshire Writers' Guild, where it is the most popular source after Pride and Prejudice. The novel is a perennial request at Yuletide, where the first story appeared in 2006. Significant amounts of fanfiction can also be found at the multifandom archives FanFiction.Net and Archive of Our Own.
Like P&P, Emma, Sense and Sensibility & Northanger Abbey, Persuasion mainly inspires romances featuring the canonical pairings. There is accordingly little or no m/m slash or femslash. Occasional non-canonical het pairings include Anne/Walter William Elliot, Wentworth/Louisa Musgrove, Anne/James Benwick & Anne/Charles Musgrove.
Most stories are canon compatible. Many focus on the novel's backstory, telling the story of Anne & Wentworth's love affair, and the years of regret in between for both characters. Retellings of the novel from Wentworth's perspective are also common. Happy-ever-after sequels are also very popular, often showing Anne at sea or following the couple's children. Some fork-in-the-road AUs exist, but relatively few compared with P&P. The majority of fanfiction is set in the canonical Regency period, but there are also plenty of modern AUs. Compared with P&P, there is relatively little fanfiction about the novel's secondary characters, although Admiral & Sophy Croft's story occasionally gets told, as does Mr & Mrs Smith's history with Mr Elliot.
The naval background sometimes inspires works with a naval setting and more of an Age of Sail feel. These works sometimes cross over with Mansfield Park, often using the hook that Fanny's brother William Price served under Captain Wentworth. Crossovers with other Age of Sail fandoms have also occasionally appeared, including the Aubrey-Maturin & Hornblower series. The Bath background leads to stealth crossovers with other works set in that city, especially Georgette Heyer.
==Example Fanworks==
===Fanfiction===
*The Best of Intentions by Cassie M. Early AU in which Anne stays to nurse Louisa (1998)
*The Uppercross Stories by Margaret C. Sullivan. Series focusing on the next generation (1999–2003)
*A Misstep On The Cobb by Amy P. Louisa-centric AU in which it is Anne who falls in Lyme (2005)
*To Everything, Turn, Turn by Willow Smith. Popular Anne/Wentworth vignette; one of the earliest Yuletide stories (2006)
*Paper Sails by mjules. Wentworth backstory (2007)
*Slipping Anchor by Derry. Naval battle pre-story, with Wentworth & Benwick (2007)
*Stardust by Ulrike & Cindy C. Historical AU set in Germany after WW2 (2007–11)
*The Dancing Monkeys by Ione. Crossover with Mansfield Park in which Henry Crawford finds himself aboard the Laconia whose crew includes William Price (2009)
*In the Year Eight by Jack Caldwell. Example of a common AU scenario in which Wentworth & Anne reconnect in 1808 (2010)
*And the Waves Clasp One Another by nahco3. The Crofts' backstory (2013)
*Fair Winds and Homeward Sail by Ione. The Crofts' backstory & Mrs Croft's perspective on the events of Persuasion; novel (2014)
*The Pen in Their Hands by pendrecarc. Five letters that were written, but were never sent, aboard H.M.S. Laconia. (And one that was.) (2019)
*An Unusual Arrangement by Mrs Leary. An AU Fusion in which the characters Anne and Wentworth are embodied by Colin Morgan and Bradley James of the Merlin RPF fandom. "Colin Elliot fell in love eight years before with the dashing young Captain Bradley Wentworth, but he was persuaded not to accept Bradley’s suggestion that they share a home." (2009)
*Her Keener Powers by metonymy. A delightful character study of Sophia Wentworth, when she first met Captain Croft. (2021)
===Meta===
*I Have Loved None But You – A Frederick Wentworth/Anne Elliot Manifesto. The Shipper's Manifesto essay by Slytherin Gypsy
===Recs===
*Anne Elliot Character Manifesto. Set of Anne-focused recs by n_e_star
==Resources==
*A Calendar for Persuasion by Ellen Moody
*Persuasion FAQ at The Republic of Pemberley
==References==
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