story, but her details about this particular segment of society should be accurate (as accurate as can be made by an observer, and a woman sequestered from male-dominated world). If this were not so, we would not try to read novels as a reflection of society. And cultural criticism using novels for analysis would be useless.The thorough development of characters, the novel’s structure and cohesion, and the portrayal of the social order are qualities that loom essential in my mind as I read Persuasion. These attributes are by no means exhaustive. But I focused on qualities that are necessary for the novel’s success, that not only are present in the novel, but also distinguish it from other genres. ...
