We Must Retrench

Austen wrote at a modest desk near the light of a window, often amidst the quiet hum of household activity. Biba Kayewich

Commentary

At the beginning of Jane Austen’s “Persuasion,” the lord of the manor is met with some unfortunate news. Expenses are outstripping revenue. It is happening so consistently that the future looks grim. The debts have piled up, and the collectors are demanding payment. The family just cannot keep living this way.