We entered February reading Jane Austen's Persuasion. A short book for a short month. For me, Persuasion was a breath of fresh air after Mansfield Park. I found myself taking less notes as I was quickly caught up in Anne's story. We met for tea at Robin's. I was slightly under the weather that day, so I snapped very few pictures. The ones I took were less than stellar.
For this novel I found many topics for projects and discussion. There were two sheets of blog projects for the girls to choose from and many discussion questions that didn't make it to the syllabus. Normal discussion ensued regarding how we liked Anne as a heroine, what kind of hero was Captain Wentworth, how did the book compare to the other Jane Austen works we have read. Quotes were shared, the vain Sir Walter was laughed over. The core of Persuasion, however, is persuasion. Good and bad. We then had in-depth discussion about how persuadable each of them might be. In. depth. We had in-depth discussion over whether or not Lady Russell had the right to persuade Anne not to marry Captain Wentworth. In. depth. We had in-depth discussion about the type of person each of them would consider marrying including how important education, economic stability, family background, temperament, race, religion, and ethnicity would be in their decision. In. depth. I would say that this was possibly our most serious discussion to date. Our girls have passionate thoughts and are comfortable expressing them. As the leader of our Conversations with Jane group, I am always pleased to see their minds digging deeper into these ideas that Jane Austen presents. They are smart girls and each personality lends a different perspective for the others to think on. As a mom, it is a joy to have a daughter who is comfortable with her faith and is not afraid to discuss hard topics with her parent. (I think I'm safe in saying that Robin and Sharon feel the same). It was not exactly a light afternoon, but a worthwhile one I am sure.
I look forward to the blog projects that the girls will be posting for Persuasion and their favorite quotes. I know that I am a little behind (well, a lot really) in posting any of mine. Our next Conversations with Jane will meet at Sharon's and we will be learning the art of making ribbon roses.
Tea time: Elizabeth, Skyeler, Victoria, and Calleigh
I believe you can see just how serious our discussions were. Do you see those expressions? :)--Angel
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