Anne Elliot: A Feminist Before Feminism

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Diana Doherty

Dr. Holt-Fortin

English 204

October 7, 2001

Anne Elliot: A Feminist Before Feminism

Though by modern standards Anne Elliot would not be a feminist during the 19th century she was closer to being a feminist than the stereotypical woman of the time was. In fact, she was closer to it than any other female characters in Persuasion. The word feminist, according to Webster’s Dictionary, is dated 1895. This means that the word began widespread usage (thus being entered into the dictionary) well after Persuasion ended. There are two definitions of the word feminism in the dictionary. However, only one is relevant to my topic and it is as follows: [Feminism is] “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes.”

Anne does not fit the dictionary definition of Feminism. During her conversation with Captain Harville in the second to last chapter Anne argues that women love longer than men. The fact that she in fact does not argue that they love equally as long (“social equality of the sexes”) proves that she does not fit the description.

Anne also says she will not allow Harville to use quotes from literature to prove his point because men wrote them all, and it would only be another biased opinion reflecting the male point of view. So is Anne a feminist or not? She is a feminist.  During a time when labeling a women a feminist was impossible, Anne defied female stereotypes and began to behave as what we would call a feminist. To everyone (except Wentworth) she was “only Anne.” The people around her however, could not see the inner workings of her mind as we, the readers can. With that power we are able to know what she believes in, what she is capable of, and who she is… a feminist before feminism.

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        If someone reads Persuasion with a modern mindset, she is likely to think of Anne Elliot as a prim and proper woman. She should notice that these characteristics in Anne pale in comparison to those in many of the other female characters in Persuasion. Her sister, Elizabeth, is always worried about proper behavior (for someone as important as herself). Elizabeth also worries about cordiality, but only to those who meet her high standards of importance (those who are richer and of higher nobility than herself).  

During the early 19th century, women had a clearly defined role in life. Women of any ...

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