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Bailey Mae Bone
Mandi Reed
ENL 2012, Section 1215
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Jane, The Gentleman, and Gender
In all novels there is the looming theme of gender, but Jane Austen’s Persuasion presents
this theme from a completely different angle by redefining what it means to be a man in
nineteenth century Britain; the historical moment of the novel. Austen’s Persuasion transgresses
from gender norms and puts emphases on the importance of the heroine, Anne Elliot, similarly to
the way in which other authors like Mary Wollstonecraft and Edmund Burke emphasize
feminism. (Malone 1) Instead of creating simple stereotypical male characters, Austen molds her
ideal male characters around the women in her novel. She defines “the gentlemen” through the
use of a mix of subtle cues like glances, flushing cheeks, as well as more obvious cues like
conversation and character flaws. In specific, Austen’s descriptions of Captin Wentworth and his
interactions with Anne Elliot in Persuasion examine, enlarge, and change the societal definition
of “the gentleman” in her historical moment.
First and foremost in order to show the way in which Anne changes the societal
definition of “the gentleman,” it is crucial to define the ideal nineteenth century man. The
nineteenth century man is expected to support his family financially, have a physically masculine
presence, and emotional self-control. Gentlemen of the time were proper and chivalrous but
never effeminate. They were always patriotic and interested in British affairs but, also, rational in
their decisions. Meaghan Malone states, “The presence of women in social spaces was essential
to a man’s full achievement of politeness, and by extension, the status of gentleman.” (1) Here is
it simple to see that both ‘the gentleman” and “the lady” had strict societal definitions at the time.
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Although men were already defined by the presence of women during this time, women
were still considered to be men’s trophies instead of their equals. Persuasion is unique in the
way that it uses Anne Elliot to directly define the men around her without being a trophy on their
arm. Austen immediately introduces this juxtaposition at the beginning of the novel by creating a
heroine who’s narrative is defined by her previous failed relationship. Robyn R. Warhol
describes this thusly, “the love affair that should have culminated in a marriage to end a
conventional romance novel has gone bad, and the heroine of the piece must begin again, eight
and a half years later, on her quest for narrative closure.”(1) While Anne Elliot is immediately
tied to Wentworth from the start of the novel, he does not speak for himself until later in the
novel. In the mean time, leaving Anne to define their relationship and subsequently Wentworth
from solely Anne’s point of view.
