okay i really need to go to bed but one of the things i really liked about persuasion is that it's also a story about the power of good social support LIKE anne languishes so much because her dad and older sister don't give two shits about her, and the one person she trusts there is also a mom figure so she always has to defer her judgment to her even if she isn't correct. then once she's with a group of people who all actually listen to her and trust her judgment and see the best in her, it's so much easier for her to be the best version of herself (which is also what wentworth sees)! and she carries that version of herself all the way to bath knowing that there are people who care about her!! i'm not much of a romance person tbh but jane austen's novels are just so full of intersecting relationships and social norms and community and it brings me so much joy
