Persuasion by Jane Austen
Published 1817 · 84,833 words · about 6 hours at an average pace · Literary Fiction, Romance, Satire & Humor
How hard is Persuasion to read?
Persuasion scores 54 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it quite demanding. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.
- Vocabulary: 55 out of 100
- Austen characteristic clarity. Naval vocabulary adds period flavor but remains accessible.
- Sentence structure: 58 out of 100
- Mature Austen style with sophisticated qualifications. More introspective passages than earlier novels.
- Abstraction: 55 out of 100
- Psychological depth through concrete situation. Themes of time and constancy explored through character.
- Information density: 55 out of 100
- Compact novel with careful pacing. More compressed than earlier Austen.
- Narrative indirection: 65 out of 100
- Close third person following Anne consciousness. Reader shares her limited perspective.
- Symbolic density: 45 out of 100
- Realistic novel. Seasonal imagery and naval setting carry thematic weight without heavy symbolism.
- Ironic distance: 68 out of 100
- Irony directed at Sir Walter and social pretension. Warmer toward Anne than earlier heroines.
- Resolution withholding: 42 out of 100
- Romantic resolution clear and satisfying. The letter scene provides definitive declaration.
- Structural complexity: 45 out of 100
- Linear narrative following Anne through social season. Tighter structure than earlier novels.
How Persuasion is regarded
Persuasion holds a literary regard score of 87 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.