Darcy could scarcely believe it. She had said yes. Yes. To him.
Surely, the heavens ought to have opened up; there should have been a chorus of angels serenading them from a tasteful distance. Instead, the countryside looked exactly as it had five minutes before, which seemed rather too commonplace for such a momentous event. This was, after all, the most extraordinary day of his life.
So I've encountered an idea that some people think Anne Elliot is frail, delicate, or even sickly, and no, I think it's pretty clear she's healthy and strong to a normal degree.
As far as I recall, there's no suggestion that her health is poor or even iffy, only that her appearance is meh and she's skinny.
She gets tired on the walk where Wentworth sticks her on the carriage, but IMO that's presented as just someone being tired in a normal manner, not someone being unfit. After all, she's been nursing her injured nephew for a few days at this point and is probably unusually sleep deprived, plus stressed about Wentworth and the unpleasant conversation she overheard, so she's drained and not at her best, nor even at her normal. Before that walk, the Musgrove sisters suggest that only Mary is too unhealthy to come on the walk, not Anne, which, granted, is just an excuse because they don't want Mary, but it's an excuse that would be impossible for them to use if Anne was also sick and weak like Mary claims to be.
Anne walks to Lady Russell's house from Kellynch Hall "almost daily" we are told. She also goes on multiple walks around Lyme without trouble, and in fact looks so vivacious doing it that Mr. Elliot is like "damn she's hot" and then Wentworth is like "hey you know what, yes, damn she is hot!" She's not huffing and puffing and stumbling and looking miserable. She's fine.
In fact, no one raises any concern about her handling the trip to Lyme to begin with. Anne is treated by the Musgroves as a person in normal health, hearty enough to travel, go on long walks, help around the house, nurse her nephew, nurse Louisa, etc. And Lady Russell would have made objections about Anne going out so much if she truly was delicate—she genuinely loves Anne and is very solicitous over her well-being (arguably too much so).
And Wentworth too! He doesn't like seeing Anne tired or attacked by a toddler, but he doesn't ask after her health like he does other things about her, and he's not concerned about her going out in the rain with only an umbrella. He would rather she take a carriage, but he's not stressed about it, and that is normal gallantry that any gentleman would make to any lady so they don't get rained on, and even more so if he's in love with said lady, which he is. Mr. Elliot, who is desperately trying to make Anne fall for him by being The Perfect Boyfriend, doesn't even suggest she not walk, which I'm certain he would do in a heartbeat if there was the slightest suggestion Anne is delicate.
By the way, the thing with the toddler? It's not that she was too weak to get him off; the narrator says she is positioned in such a way with her hands occupied nursing the other kid that would make it awkward to remove him, and she's too nice to just chuck him off, and she in fact does get him off once all by herself, it's just that he gets back on again.
As my final piece of evidence that Anne is generally healthy, not frail, I give you this, after she's just read The Letter and is freaking out:
The absolute necessity of seeming like herself produced then an immediate struggle; but after a while she could do no more. She began not to understand a word they said, and was obliged to plead indisposition and excuse herself. They could then see that she looked very ill, were shocked and concerned, and would not stir without her for the world. This was dreadful. Would they only have gone away, and left her in the quiet possession of that room it would have been her cure; but to have them all standing or waiting around her was distracting, and in desperation, she said she would go home.
“By all means, my dear,” cried Mrs Musgrove, “go home directly, and take care of yourself, that you may be fit for the evening. I wish Sarah was here to doctor you, but I am no doctor myself. Charles, ring and order a chair. She must not walk.”
(Emphasis added by me)
Anne looks ill, which shocks everyone because A) they love her but B) she doesn't normally look like this. "Seeming like herself" means looking healthy and calm. No one acts like this happens to her a lot. No one even suggests she go home until she suggests it. Mrs. Musgrove thinks she will be perfectly fine again by that same evening if she rests for a bit. She doesn’t expect Anne to be knocked down for an extended period of time, as she might if she was known to frequently have "episodes" or periods of exhaustion.
I'm not saying Anne is an Olympic athlete or anything. There's no reason to think she's notably strong. She's just average, normal, healthy.
Austen tells us directly when a character has poor health (Fanny Price, Anne de Bourgh, etc.). She would have with Anne Elliot. She doesn't. Because she's perfectly fine. As all the evidence in the text shows.
Anonymous asked:
Apart from the Prince Regent. What other important people admired Jane's works?
janeaustentextposts answered:
Me.
so. who wants to do Silly Powerpoint Night.
My friends and I have actually done this and it was amazing. Highly recommend!!!!
"I have long since come to the conclusion that irrespective of the question, the answer is always you" PEAK ROMANCE NOW PLEASE KISS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD
I beg of you 😭😭😭
ill-always-need-you
ladyandith
You shouldn't make promises you can't keep.
