Persuasion has certain similarities with Emma, another late novel by Jane Austen. In both stories, the heroine is a young woman who lives with her widowed father, and who has an enduring attachment to her eventual spouse from the opening of the action. Persuasion also incorporates certain elements common to Austen's earlier novels, such as characters from the military, visits to Bath and calculating and cynical suitors. In the end, Anne Elliot successfully combats the destructive vanity of her father and the machinations of her villainous cousin William, and settles down with her long-time beloved, the noble Captain Frederick Wentworth.

Presented by The Online Stage

Cast:

• Narrator: Linda Barrans
• Anne Elliot: P.J. Morgan
• Frederick Wentworth: David Prickett
• Sir Walter Elliot/Waiter: Andrew Coleman
• Lady Russell/Lady Dalrymple: Cate Barratt
• Mr. Shepherd/Mr. Musgrove: Denis Daly
• Mrs. Clay/Mrs. Smith: Elizabeth Chambers
• Mary Musgrove: Libby Stephenson
• Elizabeth Elliot/Henrietta Musgrove: Amanda Friday
• Mrs. Musgrove/Second Lady: Michele Eaton
• Mrs. Croft/Third Lady: Elizabeth Klett
• Charles Musgrove: Ben Stevens
• Admiral Croft: Craig Franklin
• Captain Harville: Andy Harrington
• Mr. Hayter/William Elliot: Russell Gold

Audio edited by Libby Stephenson