Well I have picked for my focus for this group read of Persuasion, the theme of persuasion. More precisely, how and why the characters in the book persuade each other to do as they wish, or fail to do so.

On thinking about this focus and remembering earlier readings, I made up in my head a tentative hypothesis that JA viewed her good, rational characters as being moved by rational arguments, while her fools were moved by flattery and indirect means. But as you can see further down, I'm starting to have some doubts about the first part of my hypothesis.

In the first four chapters we are provided with a number of examples:

Lady Russell and Mr Shepherd were called on to advise the Elliots on how to retrench. Chapter 2

Lady Russell draws up a serious plan of economy which appears to have involved considerable effort on her part. We are told that she make exact calculations, she consulted Anne, she appears to have spent considerable time on this plans.
Which is promptly proved to have been wasted as Sir Walter and Elizabeth rejects the plan: Lady Russell's had no success at all...
And then Mr Shepherd, who is there, shortly persuades Sir Walter into retrenching. He does it by picking up a phrase of Sir Elliot's: quit Kellynch Hall at once. He manages to present the idea as if it was Sir Walter's. "Since the idea had been started in the very quarter which ought to dictate ...". And he continues by more explicit flattery:
In any other place Sir Walter might judge for himself; and would be looked up to, as regulating the modes of life in whatever way he might choose to model his household."
And this succeeds.
Sir Walter would quit Kellynch Hall.
So here persuasion works when it is lavished with flattery and is indirect.

Behind this is another example of persuasion. Lady Russell consults Anne, and were are told was in a degree influenced by her... We do not see Anne persuading Lady Russell as clearly as Mr Shepherd does Sir Walter, but it is implied that Anne presents her principles firmly and by her rational statement and defense of them draws Lady Russell to a firmer set of regulations than she would earlier have reached. So, open persuasion works on a rational mind, not on foolish snob's?

We are also told that Mr Shepherd dissaudes Sir Walter from living in London. Not by rational arguments about money and expense, but by reference to more side issues: its more convenient distance from Kellynch, ... and Lady Russell's spending some part of every winter there. Mr Shepherd seems to be carefully avoiding confronting Sir Walter with his financial condition. He uses carrots and not sticks.

Mr Shepherd persuades Sir Walter to have a naval tenant. Chapter 3

In the next chapter we see Mr Shepherd at work again, and Mrs Clay. He's trying to persuade Sir Walter to let his house to a naval tenant, and lavishes it with flattery again:
Therefore, Sir Walter, what I would take leave to suggest is, that if in consequence of any rumours getting abroad of your intention; which must be contemplated as a possible thing, because we know how difficult it is to keep the actions and designs of one part of the world from the notice and curiosity of the other; consequence has its tax; I, John Shepherd, might conceal any family matters that I chose, for nobody would think it worth their while to observe me; but Sir Walter Elliot has eyes upon him which it may be very difficult to elude; and therefore, thus much I venture upon, that it will not greatly surprise me if, with all our caution, some rumour of the truth should get abroad; in the supposition of which, as I was going to observe, since applications will unquestionably follow, I should think any from our wealthy naval commanders particularly worth attending to ...
See how carefully he avoids the word advertise, but we strongly suspect that Mr Shepherd has been telling people the house is for rent.
And Mrs Clay follows him up, and we get an idea of why Elizabeth has not been dissuaded from her friendship by Lady Russell. She flatters the house: those valuable pictures of yours ... the gatrdens and shrubberies would be kept in almost as high order as they are now. It reminds me a bit of how Mr Woodhouse starts to think a bit better of Emma's engagement once Mr Knightley starts praising Emma to him.

When Sir Walter starts making problems about any tenant having the use of the shrubberies, Mr Shepherd neatly ducks the question, referring to established usages and not making any explicit opposition, or any agreement to Sir Walter's view.

And then after some more conversation, Anne puts forward a rational argument:
"The navy, I think, who have done so much for us, have at least an equal claim with any other set of men, for all the comforts and all the privileges which any home can give. Sailors work hard enough for their comforts, we must all allow."
In terms of persuading Sir Walter to rent his house to one, this sensible argument has at best has no impact. Sir Walter shortly states he finds the profession offensive in two points.

When an actual candidate, Admiral Croft appears, Mr Shepherd turns along the same line. He repeatedly talks about the benefits of the Crofts, tries to find family connections and promptly drops that when it doesn't work, and succeeds.

Again JA does not appear to think that rational arguments have any effect on Sir Walter, flattery and misdirection is the way to go.

Anne is persuaded by Lady Russell to break her engagement to Captain Wentworth. Chapter 4

In the next chapter, Lady Russell's persuading Anne to break off the engagement is described, unfortunately not through such quoted text as Sir Walter and Mr Shepherd's interactions. So I can't check my tentative hypothesis that persuasion might be portrayed by JA as working by rational arguments on rational, intelligent people.

It does seem, however, against my hypothesis, that Lady Russell's persuasion worked as much on Anne's feelings as on her reason.
Such opposition, as these feelings produced, was more than Anne could combat. ... Lady Russell, whom she had always loved and relied on, could not, with such steadiness of opinion, and such tenderness of manner, be continually advising her in vain.
On the other hand, we are told:
She was persuaded to believe the engagement a wrong thing: indiscreet, improper, hardly capble of success ... The belief of being prudent and self-denying, principally for his advanatge, was her chief consolation ...
And later on, we are told that Anne did not blame Lady Russell, she did not blame herself for having been guided by her as might have been expected if Anne's position was purely shifted by Lady Russell working only on her affections.

I wish we could have seen the conversations between Anne and Lady Russell at this point.

Still, even if I must give up my first hypothesis, there does appear to be a difference between how the fools are worked on and how the rational people are. Lady Russell's persuasion works on Anne and completely fails on Sir Walter and Elizabeth.

Other Examples