Subtle Resilience in Jane Austen’s Persuasion: An Analysis of Characterization and Inner Strength

• HOTMAULINA MANURUNG
• 2025

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Recent debates in literary studies highlight the need to examine subtle and relational forms of resilience, especially in female characters constrained by historical norms. This study applies Murphy’s characterization theory and Moe et al.’s inner strength framework to Jane Austen’s Persuasion, focusing on Anne Elliot. Murphy’s nine techniques of characterization, such as personal description, speech, and reaction, provide a structured method for identifying traits, while Moe et al.’s four components, connectedness, firmness, flexibility, and creativity, offer a psychological lens for interpreting resilience. The analysis shows that Anne’s strength lies primarily in connectedness and firmness, supported by adaptability and problem-solving. These qualities are conveyed mainly through indirect cues, including others’ perceptions, nuanced dialogue, and internal reflection. The study demonstrates how Murphy’s theory can inform literary practice and resilience research, offering a replicable model for linking textual evidence to psychological constructs and deepening cross-disciplinary insights into character development and human strength in constrained contexts.

• Characterization Theory
• Inner Strength
• Anne Elliot
• Jane Austen’s Persuasion
• Female Resilience

https://repository.bsi.ac.id/repo/69022/Subtle-Resilience-in-Jane-Austen’s-Persuasion:-An-Analysis-of--Characterization-and-Inner-Strength
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