novel analysis

It is generally felt that Jane Austen did her reading public a great favour by reconsidering the two-chapter ending she had originally created for her last novel Persuasion (1818). Critic Linda Bree remarks that it is “widely recognized as one of Austen’s finest pieces of writing” (“Introduction” 33). In the original ending, Anne is confronted by Frederick with a commission from his brother-in-law, Admiral Croft, to discover whether Anne wishes to take possession of Kellynch Hall upon her marriage to her cousin, which is widely rumored to be about to take place. “A very few words […] will put an end to the awkwardness & distress we may both be feeling” (263), he says to her, thus forcing her to reveal that she is not in love with her cousin, and opening the way for his own proposal of marriage. In the revised ending, Anne has much more to say than simply “No Sir” (263). In fact, she has a great deal to say about the feminine form of love. Frederick overhears Anne defending female constancy, telling Captain Harville that “It would not be the nature of any woman who truly loved” (241) to forget her beloved after his death. Although the revised ending is effective in providing Anne with the opportunity to verbalize her deep love for Frederick, an objective consideration of the two versions shows that the original has certain advantages over the final, being highly dramatic, full of irony and suspense, and avoiding the strain on reader credulity that the revised version creates. In forcing the moment upon Frederick and Anne, the original ending created a believable moment of romantic suspense that deserves to be better known.

Works Cited

Austen, Jane. “Appendix A.” Persuasion. 1818. Toronto : Broadview Press, 1998. 259-269.

Austen, Jane. Persuasion. 1818. Toronto: Broadview Press, 1998.

Effective Revisions to Alice Munro’s “The Bear Came Over the Mountain”

Critics of the short story have an unusual opportunity when presented with the two versions of Alice Munro’s “The Bear Came Over the Mountain.” The first version was published in The New Yorker magazine in 1999, a venue where many of Munro’s stories were originally published. The second version was revised and collected in her book Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, published two years later in 2001. A comparison of the two versions provides an unusual glimpse into the creative process of a skilled writer. Although the changes made are subtle and have no measurable effect on the plot and overall meaning, they do significantly impact the reading experience and the story’s mood. The subtle changes work primarily to heighten the ironies at play in the story, increase the multiplicity of interpretative possibilities, and accentuate the story’s Gothic elements. In general, it is no exaggeration to say that the differences between the two versions are the differences between a great story—full of intrigue and ambiguity—and a masterpiece with a haunting impact. The second version shows how Munro at the height of her powers makes every word count and always chooses the maximum of fictional evocativeness where it matters most.

Munro, Alice. “The Bear Came Over the Mountain.” The New Yorker 27 Dec. 1999. 1-28.

Munro, Alice. Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage. New York: Penguin, 2001.

242-284.