Reading Order
Persuasion Reading Order
Jane Austen's Persuasion (1818), published posthumously, is her final completed novel — the story of Anne Elliot, who at nineteen was persuaded to break off her engagement to Captain Frederick Wentworth by her family and her mentor Lady Russell, and who eight years later meets him again, now a successful naval officer. It is the most emotionally direct and the most melancholy of Austen's novels, and many readers consider it her most perfect. Austen died in July 1817, before the novel was published.
Where to start
Persuasion
Complete Persuasion Book List
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Persuasion
Jane Austen·1818·Start here — the complete standalone novel, Austen's final finished work. All six of Austen's novels are standalone.
Persuasion — Frequently Asked Questions
Is Persuasion a standalone novel?
Yes. Persuasion is complete and standalone; no prior Austen novel is required. Characters from Persuasion do not appear in other Austen novels. The novel was published posthumously in 1818 in a volume with Northanger Abbey. Some readers come to Persuasion after Pride and Prejudice or Emma; others begin here.
What should I read next after Persuasion?
Austen readers continue with Emma — widely considered her most technically accomplished novel — or with Pride and Prejudice if not already read. For readers who loved Persuasion's emotional directness, The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro share its concern with the cost of choosing propriety over feeling.
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