Happy Birthday, Anne Elliot!

"ELLIOT OF KELLYNCH HALL.

"Walter Elliot, born March 1, 1760, married, July 15, 1784, Elizabeth, daughter of James Stevenson, Esq. of South Park, in the county of Gloucester, by which lady (who died 1800) he has issue Elizabeth, born June 1, 1785; Anne, born August 9, 1787; a still-born son, November 5, 1789; Mary, born November 20, 1791." ~Persuasion, Chapter 1

Anne Elliot, portrayed by Sally Hawkins

That's right! Today, August 9th, 2012, is Anne Elliot's 225th Birthday!

For those who do not know, Anne Elliot is the heroine of Jane Austen's final novel, Persuasion. Out of all of Jane Austen's heroines, Anne Elliot is the only heroine whose birthday is actually stated in print.

Anne Elliot portrayed by Amanda Root

"...but Anne, with an elegance of mind and sweetness of character, which must have placed her high with any people of real understanding, was nobody with either father or sister; her word had no weight, her convenience was always to give way--she was only Anne." ~Persuasion, Chapter 1 

"The last hours were certainly very painful... but when pain is over, the remembrance of it often becomes a pleasure. One does not love a place the less for having suffered in it, unless it has been all suffering, nothing but suffering, which was by no means the case at Lyme." ~Anne Elliot, Chapter 20

"Anne was tenderness itself, and she had the full worth of it in Captain Wentworth's affection. His profession was all that could ever make her friends wish that tenderness less, the dread of a future war all that could dim her sunshine. She gloried in being a sailor's wife, but she must pay the tax of quick alarm for belonging to that profession which is, if possible, more distinguished in its domestic virtues than in its national importance." ~Persuasion, Chapter 24

I also included this picture in this post. This picture is from an opera version of Persuasion done in a Chicago theater (sorry, don't have the name of the actress). This picture looks very similar to the 2007 version of Persuasion, don't you think?

So, to all celebrate Anne Elliot's birthday, let's all have a piece of cake (okay, virtual cake in this case...).

Meanwhile, if you want to make Regency Era cake, try this recipe at The Jane Austen Center's website. I never made it, but I should try sometime.

Happy Birthday, Anne Elliot!

---

 God Bless,