Primary sources are pieces of evidence that contribute to certain topics by fueling the field of research with original work. These sources, such as letters, can be linked as personal, derived from personal experience, or about the time frame that one is living in. They add to the understanding of a text in a variety of ways. The primary sources that accompany Persuasion all give a broader understanding of Austen’s writing style and her own personal life, as we get to see the point of view of her brother. These all make it easier to understand why she would write a text like this one, what was her goal, what inspired her characters, and so much more. Primary sources help us answer the questions we would want to ask Jane if she were alive. They contextualize the novel.
My findings happen to be based off of the passages below.
- “I will prove to them, that he who marries an Old Maid, has a much greater chance of being invariably beloved by his wife, or, in other words, of being happy in wedlock, than he has, who rashly throws himself into the open arms of a Widow” (192). : This passage gives the reader some insight into how widows and single women of older age were viewed. We can conclude that being a widow was something that was highly frowned upon.
- “She was thoroughly religious and devout; fearful of giving offence to God, and incapable of feeling it towards any fellow creature” (206). : Said from the true words of her brother, we now have some context on the life of Jane. She seems like an innocent, religious, admirable young lady. She lived a life of care and purpose; even to the day she died
- “…the art of copying from nature as she really exists in the common walks of life, and presenting to the reader, instead of the splendid scenes of an imaginary world, a correct and striking representation of that which is daily taking place around him” (208). : The change in literature happened to be the idea of adding the ‘face of reality’ to the novel instead of trying to deter from the present. Commenting on Jane as a writer, he describes the style that one would find in her writing.
I thought the passages you chose from the primary sources were interesting and will each contribute something unique to your paper. While I don’t know what your theme is, I think all three of the passages you chose provide a different sort of insight into Persuasion. I think it’s interesting that you picked up on the fact that being a widow was looked down upon from the first passage. I think it’s a bit ridiculous to classify women in terms of suitability for marriage based on age or if they have been married before, etc… and I think the fact that both widows and old maids are chastised in the passage shows that society was always going to find something to nitpick at with women. Marriage arrangements seemed quite suffocating.
I’m curious to see how you would incorporate the religion passage into your paper. I was trying to think of ways in which I would, but nothing was really coming to mind. I didn’t personally see too much religion within Persuasion. Lastly, I think the speaker in the third source describing Austen’s writing as natural was something I wouldn’t have otherwise have picked up on and was glad you noted!