Meaning of a passage in “Persuasion” by Jane Austen
Please refer to this extract from chapter 14 of Jane Austen's Persuasion:
Elizabeth’s last letter had communicated a piece of news of some
interest. Mr Elliot was in Bath. He had called in Camden Place; had
called a second time, a third; had been pointedly attentive: if
Elizabeth and her father did not deceive themselves, had been taking
as much pains to seek the acquaintance, and proclaim the value of the
connexion, as he had formerly taken pains to shew neglect. This was
very wonderful if it were true; and Lady Russell was in a state of
very agreeable curiosity and perplexity about Mr Elliot, already
recanting the sentiment she had so lately expressed to Mary, of his
being ‘a man whom she had no wish to see.’ She had a great wish to see
him. If he really sought to reconcile himself like a dutiful branch,
he must be forgiven for having dismembered himself from the paternal
tree. Anne was not animated to an equal pitch by the circumstance; but
she felt that she would rather see Mr Elliot again than not, which was
more than she could say for many other persons in Bath. She was put
down in Camden Place; and Lady Russell then drove to her own lodgings,
in Rivers Street.
Questions:
The above extract says that Mr. Elliot, Anne's cousin, was in Bath. Then I can't understand the following line: "He had called in Camden Place; had called a second time, a third; had been pointedly attentive". What does the phrase "called in" mean?
"if Elizabeth and her father did not deceive themselves". Why would Elizabeth and her father deceive themselves?
Why does Lady Russell hold negative opinions about Mr. Elliot?
Who thinks: "If he really sought to reconcile himself like a dutiful branch, he must be forgiven for having dismembered himself from the paternal tree."?
meaning jane-austen persuasion
add a comment |
Please refer to this extract from chapter 14 of Jane Austen's Persuasion:
Elizabeth’s last letter had communicated a piece of news of some
interest. Mr Elliot was in Bath. He had called in Camden Place; had
called a second time, a third; had been pointedly attentive: if
Elizabeth and her father did not deceive themselves, had been taking
as much pains to seek the acquaintance, and proclaim the value of the
connexion, as he had formerly taken pains to shew neglect. This was
very wonderful if it were true; and Lady Russell was in a state of
very agreeable curiosity and perplexity about Mr Elliot, already
recanting the sentiment she had so lately expressed to Mary, of his
being ‘a man whom she had no wish to see.’ She had a great wish to see
him. If he really sought to reconcile himself like a dutiful branch,
he must be forgiven for having dismembered himself from the paternal
tree. Anne was not animated to an equal pitch by the circumstance; but
she felt that she would rather see Mr Elliot again than not, which was
more than she could say for many other persons in Bath. She was put
down in Camden Place; and Lady Russell then drove to her own lodgings,
in Rivers Street.
Questions:
The above extract says that Mr. Elliot, Anne's cousin, was in Bath. Then I can't understand the following line: "He had called in Camden Place; had called a second time, a third; had been pointedly attentive". What does the phrase "called in" mean?
"if Elizabeth and her father did not deceive themselves". Why would Elizabeth and her father deceive themselves?
Why does Lady Russell hold negative opinions about Mr. Elliot?
Who thinks: "If he really sought to reconcile himself like a dutiful branch, he must be forgiven for having dismembered himself from the paternal tree."?
meaning jane-austen persuasion
add a comment |
Please refer to this extract from chapter 14 of Jane Austen's Persuasion:
Elizabeth’s last letter had communicated a piece of news of some
interest. Mr Elliot was in Bath. He had called in Camden Place; had
called a second time, a third; had been pointedly attentive: if
Elizabeth and her father did not deceive themselves, had been taking
as much pains to seek the acquaintance, and proclaim the value of the
connexion, as he had formerly taken pains to shew neglect. This was
very wonderful if it were true; and Lady Russell was in a state of
very agreeable curiosity and perplexity about Mr Elliot, already
recanting the sentiment she had so lately expressed to Mary, of his
being ‘a man whom she had no wish to see.’ She had a great wish to see
him. If he really sought to reconcile himself like a dutiful branch,
he must be forgiven for having dismembered himself from the paternal
tree. Anne was not animated to an equal pitch by the circumstance; but
she felt that she would rather see Mr Elliot again than not, which was
more than she could say for many other persons in Bath. She was put
down in Camden Place; and Lady Russell then drove to her own lodgings,
in Rivers Street.
Questions:
The above extract says that Mr. Elliot, Anne's cousin, was in Bath. Then I can't understand the following line: "He had called in Camden Place; had called a second time, a third; had been pointedly attentive". What does the phrase "called in" mean?
"if Elizabeth and her father did not deceive themselves". Why would Elizabeth and her father deceive themselves?
Why does Lady Russell hold negative opinions about Mr. Elliot?
Who thinks: "If he really sought to reconcile himself like a dutiful branch, he must be forgiven for having dismembered himself from the paternal tree."?
meaning jane-austen persuasion
Please refer to this extract from chapter 14 of Jane Austen's Persuasion:
Elizabeth’s last letter had communicated a piece of news of some
interest. Mr Elliot was in Bath. He had called in Camden Place; had
called a second time, a third; had been pointedly attentive: if
Elizabeth and her father did not deceive themselves, had been taking
as much pains to seek the acquaintance, and proclaim the value of the
connexion, as he had formerly taken pains to shew neglect. This was
very wonderful if it were true; and Lady Russell was in a state of
very agreeable curiosity and perplexity about Mr Elliot, already
recanting the sentiment she had so lately expressed to Mary, of his
being ‘a man whom she had no wish to see.’ She had a great wish to see
him. If he really sought to reconcile himself like a dutiful branch,
he must be forgiven for having dismembered himself from the paternal
tree. Anne was not animated to an equal pitch by the circumstance; but
she felt that she would rather see Mr Elliot again than not, which was
more than she could say for many other persons in Bath. She was put
down in Camden Place; and Lady Russell then drove to her own lodgings,
in Rivers Street.
Questions:
The above extract says that Mr. Elliot, Anne's cousin, was in Bath. Then I can't understand the following line: "He had called in Camden Place; had called a second time, a third; had been pointedly attentive". What does the phrase "called in" mean?
"if Elizabeth and her father did not deceive themselves". Why would Elizabeth and her father deceive themselves?
Why does Lady Russell hold negative opinions about Mr. Elliot?
Who thinks: "If he really sought to reconcile himself like a dutiful branch, he must be forgiven for having dismembered himself from the paternal tree."?
meaning jane-austen persuasion
meaning jane-austen persuasion
edited Feb 6 at 10:25
Gareth Rees
6,45911361
6,45911361
asked Feb 6 at 10:03
SoumeeSoumee
1364
1364
add a comment |
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
He had called in Camden Place; had called a second time, a third; had been pointedly attentive:
"Called" here means "visited." Camden Place is the name of the building or location. The sentence means "He visited the house several times."
if Elizabeth and her father did not deceive themselves,
It's a rhetorical device: "Unless I'm wrong, here's what's happening." The entire sentence reads "Unless Elizabeth and her father misunderstood why he was there, he was putting in just as much effort to spend time with them now as he had previously worked at ignoring them."
If he really sought to reconcile himself like a dutiful branch, he must be forgiven for having dismembered himself from the paternal tree.
The narration is speaking; I believe the sentiment is being attributed to Lady Russell.
I haven't read the book, but the wiki summary tries to explain why various characters object to Mr. Elliot (which, honestly, I couldn't follow, but the upshot seems to be that he's a money-chasing jerk).
2
Title-chasing: he wants to inherit the baronetcy.
– Gareth Rees
Feb 6 at 11:29
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "668"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fliterature.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f9333%2fmeaning-of-a-passage-in-persuasion-by-jane-austen%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
He had called in Camden Place; had called a second time, a third; had been pointedly attentive:
"Called" here means "visited." Camden Place is the name of the building or location. The sentence means "He visited the house several times."
if Elizabeth and her father did not deceive themselves,
It's a rhetorical device: "Unless I'm wrong, here's what's happening." The entire sentence reads "Unless Elizabeth and her father misunderstood why he was there, he was putting in just as much effort to spend time with them now as he had previously worked at ignoring them."
If he really sought to reconcile himself like a dutiful branch, he must be forgiven for having dismembered himself from the paternal tree.
The narration is speaking; I believe the sentiment is being attributed to Lady Russell.
I haven't read the book, but the wiki summary tries to explain why various characters object to Mr. Elliot (which, honestly, I couldn't follow, but the upshot seems to be that he's a money-chasing jerk).
2
Title-chasing: he wants to inherit the baronetcy.
– Gareth Rees
Feb 6 at 11:29
add a comment |
He had called in Camden Place; had called a second time, a third; had been pointedly attentive:
"Called" here means "visited." Camden Place is the name of the building or location. The sentence means "He visited the house several times."
if Elizabeth and her father did not deceive themselves,
It's a rhetorical device: "Unless I'm wrong, here's what's happening." The entire sentence reads "Unless Elizabeth and her father misunderstood why he was there, he was putting in just as much effort to spend time with them now as he had previously worked at ignoring them."
If he really sought to reconcile himself like a dutiful branch, he must be forgiven for having dismembered himself from the paternal tree.
The narration is speaking; I believe the sentiment is being attributed to Lady Russell.
I haven't read the book, but the wiki summary tries to explain why various characters object to Mr. Elliot (which, honestly, I couldn't follow, but the upshot seems to be that he's a money-chasing jerk).
2
Title-chasing: he wants to inherit the baronetcy.
– Gareth Rees
Feb 6 at 11:29
add a comment |
He had called in Camden Place; had called a second time, a third; had been pointedly attentive:
"Called" here means "visited." Camden Place is the name of the building or location. The sentence means "He visited the house several times."
if Elizabeth and her father did not deceive themselves,
It's a rhetorical device: "Unless I'm wrong, here's what's happening." The entire sentence reads "Unless Elizabeth and her father misunderstood why he was there, he was putting in just as much effort to spend time with them now as he had previously worked at ignoring them."
If he really sought to reconcile himself like a dutiful branch, he must be forgiven for having dismembered himself from the paternal tree.
The narration is speaking; I believe the sentiment is being attributed to Lady Russell.
I haven't read the book, but the wiki summary tries to explain why various characters object to Mr. Elliot (which, honestly, I couldn't follow, but the upshot seems to be that he's a money-chasing jerk).
He had called in Camden Place; had called a second time, a third; had been pointedly attentive:
"Called" here means "visited." Camden Place is the name of the building or location. The sentence means "He visited the house several times."
if Elizabeth and her father did not deceive themselves,
It's a rhetorical device: "Unless I'm wrong, here's what's happening." The entire sentence reads "Unless Elizabeth and her father misunderstood why he was there, he was putting in just as much effort to spend time with them now as he had previously worked at ignoring them."
If he really sought to reconcile himself like a dutiful branch, he must be forgiven for having dismembered himself from the paternal tree.
The narration is speaking; I believe the sentiment is being attributed to Lady Russell.
I haven't read the book, but the wiki summary tries to explain why various characters object to Mr. Elliot (which, honestly, I couldn't follow, but the upshot seems to be that he's a money-chasing jerk).
answered Feb 6 at 11:09
Lauren IpsumLauren Ipsum
3,3952927
3,3952927
2
Title-chasing: he wants to inherit the baronetcy.
– Gareth Rees
Feb 6 at 11:29
add a comment |
2
Title-chasing: he wants to inherit the baronetcy.
– Gareth Rees
Feb 6 at 11:29
2
2
Title-chasing: he wants to inherit the baronetcy.
– Gareth Rees
Feb 6 at 11:29
Title-chasing: he wants to inherit the baronetcy.
– Gareth Rees
Feb 6 at 11:29
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to Literature Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fliterature.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f9333%2fmeaning-of-a-passage-in-persuasion-by-jane-austen%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown