Persuasion is the title of a famous novel by Jane Austen, one of Britain's best-loved authors.

Persuasion means trying to convince a person to do something or to believe that something is right. In this novel set two hundred years ago, the heroine, Anne, has no mother to advise her about marriage. When Anne is a young woman, her much older friend, Lady Russell, persuades her to turn down an offer of marriage from a man because he does not have enough money or status. Lady Russell is trying to help Anne be happy but she makes a mistake with her advice.

After Anne tells the man that she will not marry him, she and he are unhappy for the next seven years! The man goes to sea with the navy for all that time. At the beginning of the novel, he comes back to Anne's local area, looking for a wife, and the novel is the story of what happens next.

I enjoy reading Persuasion because it is not like a normal romance. Instead the normal romance is what has already happened before the novel began! There are several interesting characters and clever observations by Jane Austen on money and social values. There are also mentions of the countryside, villages and towns like Bath.

In this lesson, I am using a Penguin graded reader, which is the story specially adapted for learners of English. It is recommended to buy this book as a paperback or as an ebook.



We will read the story aloud and talk about it, and after the lesson I will send feedback and links to pictures of the places in the story.

I look forward to reading it with you.