Time & Eternity in Persuasion
Written by Abbey Nagel
“Time present and time past are both perhaps present in time future; and time future contained in time past.â€
T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets
Since reading this line in T.S. Eliot’s Four Quartets a couple of years ago with my Well-Read Mom group, it’s stuck with me. It’s mysterious and intriguing; powerful and captivating. How does eternity fit into the here and now? How does our longing for eternity affect what we do now? And what does it look like to yearn for eternity here on earth?
These questions and this particular line of Eliot’s came back to me when reading through Persuasion this fall. At its core, it’s a novel concerned with time, hope, perseverance, and eternity. It can’t be a mistake that Austen sets this novel in the changing season of fall, or at the seaside by the ever-changing waters. Anne Eliot waits eight years. The seasons continue to pass, and the sea continues to call, and within that framework Austen appeals to the deep yearning in ourselves, her readers, for eternity and the time beyond.
What does it look like to yearn for eternity here on earth?
C.S. Lewis tells us that “the present is the point at which time touches eternity”.
Living for eternity means living in the gift of the present. Living for eternity means tending to the dirty laundry this morning, or paying more attention to the fine details in the picture my five-year-old made for me, or listening more intently to my ten-year-old’s excitement about scientific facts about the Milky Way. It’s taking time for these things instead of living in the past, going over a past conversation in our heads for the fiftieth time, or living in the future, making just one more to-do list for tomorrow.
In other words, it’s a mindset.
Living in the present is best described, I think, as living a life of leisure. Joseph Peiper describes leisure as “a mental and spiritual attitude … a condition of the soul.†When reading Persuasion, I couldn’t help but be struck by the beautiful way in which Austen illustrates Anne as one who chooses to consistently do the right thing in each present moment.
Her cares are always for those around her, and she has the fortitude and temperance to do the right thing in these challenging times—sometimes involving a needy sister and other times involving tending to the injury of the very woman who is vying for the affections of the man she loves. Her ability to see beyond her own emotions and become a vessel of goodness—of Christ—in these moments exemplifies the virtues of patience, hope, and fortitude.
“Time present and time past are both perhaps present in time future; and time future contained in time past.â€
There is much to dwell on with Eliot here, but I always find it most helpful to just let this verse wash over me when I need a reminder about the importance of the present.
Poetry in general provides a way for us to slow down—to ponder, consider, reflect—to live in the present. The beautiful novels we are reading in Well-Read Mom also help us to cultivate this life of living in the present—a life with eyes fixed on eternity and yet ever invested in the present moment. Because in this moment is where we touch eternity here on earth.
Because Anne has her gaze turned to eternity, she’s able to walk through the events of the day with virtues intact. It’s her calm and present demeanor which remind Wentworth of the treasure that she is. It’s the emptying of herself for others that, in turn, proves to be the cause of her gaining back her love and her life. “Those who lose their life for my sake will find it†(Matthew 16:25).
So when Anne’s past is literally transformed and made new—when she says yes to Wentworth this second time—it brings us joy because we, too, want to find that meaningfulness and tremendous joy in our pasts being fulfilled in our futures. And the only way to do this is to live life fully in the present.
We have a happy Anne and Wentworth at the end of the novel, but an ending with some uncertainty of the future, with some trepidation of change still ahead. An ending suitable to a novel that touches on these deep truths of the mystery of time and eternity, and our trust in our Loving Maker throughout it.
About Abbey Nagel
Abbey Nagel lives in Bismarck, ND with her husband and 5 kids. She strives to live a life of true leisure in her home with her family and in her community. She enjoys reading, writing, and a good mug of hot tea.
About Well-Read Mom
In Well-Read Mom, women read more and read well. Our hope is to deepen the awareness of meaning hidden in each woman’s daily life, elevate the cultural conversation, and revitalize reading literature from books. If you would like to have us help you select worthy reading material, we invite you to join and read along with us. We are better together! For information on how to start or join a Well-Read Mom group visit our website wellreadmom.com
