Persuasion

　　女主角安．艾略特與溫特伍上校相戀，但年輕的溫特伍上校既沒有財富、也沒有地位，安的家人極力勸她解除與溫特伍上校之間的婚約。然而時隔八年後，兩人又再度相遇，此時的溫特伍不再是過去的泛泛之輩，而從海軍生涯退役後，搖身變得財力雄厚的有錢人，反觀安的家庭，因家中危機，安的父親華特艾略特爵士被迫出租祖宅而舉家搬至巴斯，然而危機不只一件，溫特伍上校似乎移情別戀，不再鍾情於安，安此時終於明白過去拒絕溫特伍上校，似乎是一件錯誤，然而一切似乎已成定局。《Persuasion》一書為奧斯汀成書最晚的一部，但有部份評論家認為是奧斯汀最好的一部小說。

　　Persuasion, by Jane Austen, is part of the Barnes & Noble Classics series, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of Barnes & Noble Classics:

．New introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars
．Biographies of the authors
．Chronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events
．Footnotes and endnotes
．Selective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work
．Comments by other famous authors
．Study questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations
．Bibliographies for further reading
．Indices & Glossaries, when appropriate

　　All editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. Barnes & Noble Classics pulls together a constellation of influences-biographical, historical, and literary-to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.

　　In her final novel, as in her earlier ones, Jane Austen uses a love story to explore and gently satirize social pretensions and emotional confusion. Persuasion follows the romance of Anne Elliot and naval officer Frederick Wentworth. They were happily engaged until Anne's friend, Lady Russell, persuaded her that Frederick was "unworthy." Now, eight years later, Frederick returns, a wealthy captain in the navy, while Anne's family teeters on the edge of bankruptcy. They still love each other, but their past mistakes threaten to keep them apart.

　　Austen may seem to paint on a small canvas, but her characters contain the full range of human passion and moral complexity, and the author's generous spirit renders them all with understanding, compassion, and humor.

　　Susan Ostrov Weisser is a professor of English at Adelphi University, where she specializes in nineteenth-century literature and women's studies. Weisser also wrote the introduction to the Barnes & Noble Classics edition of Jane Eyre.