The sense of an Italian love song : a reading of Persuasion

Abstract

'Towards the close of [the first act], in the interval succeeding an Italian song, she explained the words of the song to Mr. Elliot. - They had a concert bill between them. "This," she said, "is nearly the sense, or rather the meaning of the words, for certainly the sense of an Italian love-song must not be talked of - but it is as near the meaning as I can give; for I do not pretend to understand the language. I am a very poor Italian scholar." "Yes, yes, I see you are. I see you know nothing of the matter. You have only knowledge enough of the language, to translate at sight these inverted, transposed, curtailed Italian lines, into clear, comprehensible, elegant English. You need not say anything more of your ignorance. - Here is complete proof." Nearing the end of volume II of Persuasion we come across one of Jane Austen's great set pieces. It contains the only depiction of a professional concert in her novels. The action, beautifully woven around the music, culminates in a series of exchanges surrounding an Italian song, and focuses on the heroine Anne Elliot's ability to translate for her cousin Mr Elliot its "inverted, transposed, curtailed lines", into "clear, comprehensible, elegant English".