Free indirect discourse allows the identity of the narrator to be particularly chosen by the author to show a facet of a character’s personality. In Persuasion by Jane Austen, she writes, “For one daughter, his eldest, he would really have given up any thing, which he had not been very much tempted to do (p.7).” The reader does not know who is thinking about this, but can surmise that it is either Sir Walter Elliot or the narrator. The paragraph which contains this excerpt begins by describing the good qualities of Lady Russell, a woman “of steady age and character (p.7).” She is described as having a steady character because she is the one who supports Anne and acts as her motherly figure, which is more dedication than Anne’s father, Sir Elliot, could care to give to his daughter. Later in the novel, Austen writes that Lady Russell “had a cultivated mind… was… rational and consistent- but she had prejudices on the side of ancestry; she had a value for rank and consequence (p.12)”
With this excerpt, Austen chooses to compare how gender and social class influence how decisions are made by intricately piecing together the nuances of how Sir Elliot and Lady Russell interact. Sir Elliot is a man who cannot maintain his finances and favors his offspring who is of similar temperament and appearance. Lady Russell, meanwhile, is a woman who has a good sense of judgement and is rather sympathetic to Sir Elliot’s offspring of whom he does not favor. It is she who draws up a plan for Sir Elliot to balance his finances and live within his means by eliminating excess luxurious expenses. If Sir Elliot is the one who is thinking about the first excerpt mentioned, then Austen wishes to convey a sense that Sir Elliot is rather arrogant and blindsided by the realities that life has to offer. However, it is more likely that that excerpt is voiced by the narrator because it shows a stark comparison between Sir Elliot and Lady Russell. Though Lady Russell is a woman of distinguished character because she is a widow who can financially support herself, she must help Sir Elliot run his household efficiently, both by rearranging his finances and caring for his daughter. One would expect that Sir Elliot would be able to have a grasp on his financial stability and family, but Austen chooses to have the narrator point out his faults and have a female exhibit leadership.
In another example of indirect discourse, Austen writes, “No second attachment, the only thoroughly natural, happy, and sufficient cure, at her time of life, had been possible to the nice tone of her mind, the fastidiousness of her taste, in the small limits of the society around them (p. 28)”. Here, the reader has either Anne or the narrator in mind as to who is verbalizing this excerpt. This passage is weaved into a rather long paragraph about how Anne was forced to end her courtship with Wentworth due to her father’s disapproval. Subsequently, she had found no replacement beau, the closest one eventually partnering with her sister. Anne’s regret and angst regarding her missed opportunity at settling down with Wentworth is at the core of this excerpt’s message: a woman living in that historical period has a small window of opportunity to settle down and the pressure to settle down is immense. The reader can imagine Anne living in a small community, with only few prospects suitable for marriage, and harboring a feeling of mental distress and anguish. Austen expertly illuminates through one of her main female characters the plight that many women experienced during that historical time period.
I really liked your analysis of the second quote that you used. It was strongly reinforced with evidence. Later on in the paragraph, Austen writes, "Lady Russell might have asked for something more ... so respectably removed from the partialities and injustice of her father's house, and settled so permanently near herself" (p. 28). As the reader can see here, Austen takes on the voices of what we can assume to be several characters: Lady Russell, Anne, or the narrator's all at once. Austen is presenting evidence that while Lady Russell did not think Wentworth to be good enough to be with Anne, she also had a personal stake in it as well.
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