Tag Archives: Persuasion

Austen: Romance without Words

By Robin Bates | Published: February 13, 2025

Jane Austen never directly reports a protagonist saying “yes” to a marriage proposal. For Valentine’s Day, I explore why.

By Robin Bates | Published: March 21, 2024

Austen’s Anne Eliott describes “good company” in a way that captures our own friendships.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged Anne Elliot, friendship | Comments closed

By Robin Bates | Published: March 13, 2024

In which I share a talk I will be giving on the thematic significance of card playing in Jane Austen’s novels.

By Robin Bates | Published: November 6, 2022

As we visit with old friends in Slovenia, I think of how Jane Austen’s Anne Elliot values “good company.”

By Robin Bates | Published: June 8, 2021

Family relations regarding in-laws are almost always delicate. Austen captures some of the challenges in “Persuasion.”

By Robin Bates | Published: March 17, 2021

An exploration of Jane Austen’s mixed feelings about the gothic–and about lightweight lit.

By Robin Bates | Published: March 1, 2021

I look at how thinkers over the centuries have viewed so-called popular or lightweight literature.

By Robin Bates | Published: December 13, 2020

Covid is disrupting our dating lives but may as a result have an up-side. Kundera, John Fowles, and Jane Austen explain.

By Robin Bates | Published: February 26, 2020

While filled with allusions to the previous novels, the televised “Sanditon” is in the end a let-down. I explore why.