Satire in Persuasion

Jane Austen is an author who is quite fond of satire, often using it throughout her whole stories. Persuasion is one of her books that is filled with satire. From satirical characters, such as Sir Walter, Mary, and Elizabeth; to satirical situations such as Louisa’s fall.

                Several of the characters in Jane Austen’s Persuasion are deeply satirized. For example, Sir Walter is used by Austen to poke fun at the obsession many people of her time had with wealth and status. Specifically she uses irony with Sir Walter’s character, such as the fact that he is so obsessed with status, yet has to give it all up because he spends too much of his money. Mary, Anne’s sister, is another character that Austen satirizes. Austen uses exaggeration in Mary to represent the weak and needy characteristics that so many women in that time period had. Typically these characteristics shine through Mary’s self-centered and often self-pitying attitudes towards things, such as when Anne first came to visit her and some of her first words were “So, you are come at last!  I began to think I should never see you.  I am so ill I can hardly speak.  I have not seen a creature the whole morning…I do not think I ever was so ill in my life as I have been all this morning:  very unfit to be left alone, I am sure” (Austen 36). As you can see, Mary’s character does nothing more in the book than whine and complain, a perfect characteristic for satirizing the women of Jane Austen’s time.

I have only read two of Jane Austen’s books, but I have found an interesting pattern in the fact that she typically does not satirize her main characters. These strong, independent, female main characters, such as Anne in Persuasion, remain above all of the petty nonsense for which other characters are being satirized. Another one of Jane Austen’s satirical themes that appears throughout several of her books is the idea of the poorer characters being the wisest and most pleasant to be around. In the case of Persuasion, Ms. Smith embodies this poor and disabled, yet wise and kind character. Ms. Smith has lost all of her fortune, so many of the satirically pretentious characters such as Elizabeth and Sir Walter cannot understand why Anne would rather spend time with her rather than with the rich and powerful, yet quite dull, Lady Dalrymple.

                Jane Austen also uses situations in Persuasion as a satire for ridiculous aspects of her society. One of the best examples of this is when Louisa Musgrove stubbornly jumps off the stairs, only to fall and hit her head. Earlier in the book, Captain Wentworth talks of how he likes that Louisa is strong willed and not easily persuaded. This preference probably derives from Anne previously being persuaded by Lady Russell to leave him; however it is still ironic when her strong will is precisely what leads Louisa into a coma, and is the factor that allows Captain Wentworth to leave her in pursuit of Anne.

Works Cited: Austen, Jane. Persuasion. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003. Print.

An Unfilmable Conclusion: WAGYWHYB & Smooth Talk

Both Smooth Talk and Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been address the issues of sexism and racism, however, Sooth Talk takes a more revolutionary approach towards the issues.        

            Daly addresses the criticisms that both Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been and Smooth Talk have received for being a “cautionary tale” to women. She displays the opinion of B. Ruby Rich who is disgusted at the way that Chopra’s film seems to warn girls to “keep a lid on their sexuality” through the use of camera spacing. As quoted by Daly, “Every time Connie is on screen, she’s shot in close-up…every time Arnold is on screen, he’s in middle-shot framed against ample landscape” (Rich 148). Both Rich and Daly feel that this use of tight, close-up spacing is a way to show women as inferior and in the same token, “each time Connie crosses into new and larger spaces…she becomes increasingly more vulnerable” (Daly 148). I felt this sexism as I read as well, however it was quite subtle because, as Daly points out, Oates simply followed the formula of the too common horror story where the girl is trapped and helpless. I felt that Chopra’s Smooth Talk showed equal signs of sexism, however I noticed most of this in the dialogue and Connie’s reaction to male characters. I did not consciously notice the difference between the close-up shots of Connie and the properly spaced shots of Arnold, however this too could have been a result of my familiarity with such stories.

Daly goes further to say that Oates’s original story is revolutionary in its feelings towards women. Oates does not blame Connie, the victim of the story, for the attack, and in fact give her the last word, rather than giving that privilege to Arnold. This is quite revolutionary for the 1960’s, a time in which women were never considered superior. However, Smooth Talk provides even more empowerment to Connie, as it is set in the 1980s.

 This difference between the power given to Connie is most evident in the end of the movie, when Connie is shown returning safely to her home, seemingly unshaken by the events. This is quite a change from Oates’s book, in which the reader is left wondering if Connie will ever return at all, let alone return safely. Oates is quoted saying “Laura Dern’s Connie is no longer ‘my’ Connie at the film’s conclusion; she is very much alive, assertive, strong willed-a girl perhaps, of the mid 1980’s and not of the mid-1960’s” (Oates 149). Daly explains that the reason for this difference is most likely due to the fact that the 1960’s had not experienced the feminist movement, making women of the 1980’s much more “resisting readers” to the “smooth talk” of men around them.

As you can see, both Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been and Smooth Talk address the issues of sexism and feminism. However, Smooth Talk, due to its later time period, gives quite a bit more empowerment to Connie.

Works Cited: Daly, Brenda O. "An Unfilmable Conclusion: Joyce Carol Oates at the Movies." The Journal of Popular Culture 23.3 (1989): 101-14. Print.Oates, Joyce Carol. “Where are you going, where have you been?” New Brunswick, N.J: Rutgers University Press, 1994. Print.

WAYGWHYB & "Seduction, Space, and a Fictional Mode" Reaction

I found Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been to be a very fascinating story that highlights many of the insecurities and fears of our world, especially for a rebellious young woman. Gillis’ analysis was even more interesting and focused on several aspects of Oates’ story that were very abstract and insightful.

                For example, Gillis emphasizes the invasion of space that is displayed throughout Oates’ Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been. I found it fascinating how she points out the theme of invasion that is seen throughout the book. I had noticed the literal invasion of Arnold Friend into Connie’s home, but there were a few other symbolic invasions that I did not originally pick up on. For example, there was the symbolic invasion of her innocence by the new and seductive life of partying at the drive-in restaurant.

                Another point that Gillis made that I found quite fascinating was the idea that personal invasion has become a much greater issue in the more recent times in which has led to fictional stories dealing more with the “evil represented as that which threatens the privacy of self” (Gillis 134). I find this particularly interesting because it related to some of the other readings that we have done in this class. One example being Benjamin Barber, who explains in his book, Consumed, that in our day and age, people are becoming increasingly privatized. He explained that we are beginning to focus more on the individual, rather than the collective and postulated that that led us to be vulnerable to the invasion of consumerism into our lives. This vulnerability to consumerism parallels the way that Connie’s vanity and focus on her own wants and needs rather than those of her family leaves her vulnerable to be invaded by Arnold Friend. If Connie had not been so vain in feeling the need to stay home from the picnic to wash her hair, she would not have been home alone and not have needed to deal with Arnold Friend.

                Gillis also explains that in its own way, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been is a coming of age story, which I find to be an interesting interpretation of the story. She explains that “the tale catches its main character at a passage point where, it is implied, the future may depend precipitously on the past” (Gillis 135). I can see how Oates’ story could be interpreted as coming of age story, what with Connie, at the young age of 15, separating from her parents and going to the drive in, experiencing things that she has never before experienced. However, most coming of age stories do not have the dark undertone that characterizes Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been. When Connie comes out into the world, while she is greeted with the common seduction and temptation that is found in other coming of age stories such as Gatsby (as Gillis uses for an example), her experience is much darker and unfriendly, guided by the most frightening of all, Arnold Friend.

                Overall, both Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been and Seduction, Space, and a Fictional Mode were extremely fascinating reads that touched on issues that were very engaging. I felt that Gillis’ critical essay was especially interesting because of her illustrative analysis of Oates’ story.