Originally Posted by
JBI
spoilers bellow, be warned, I'm going to give away much of the plot and ending:
Well the whole plot, I think, is about the hypocrisy of the romance - before, when Anne had the better prospects, she rejected Wentwroth, because of the importance she put in the value of "good opinion", rather than in her own judgment, and perhaps a tad of prejudice at the economic prospects of Wentworth - when the situation reverses however, the novel is able to really drive the points home - Wentworth is rich, whereas Anne's prospects and fortunes are waning. She no longer looks pretty, she no longer has much too offer the latter, and all her good opinion and whatnot is worthless.
In the end, I think the real lesson is that all this foolishness over looks and titles is a load of crap next to the important things in life - the second chance at romance seems to highlight that redemption can be found however, and that one, though they make mistakes, can, perhaps, in the end learn from them, and mature accordingly, to a point where they can make their own decisions confidently.
Spoilers over:
As for the beginning - I think it comes off as a tad slow because of the editing of the text - the book itself wasn't as refined as earlier works because it was never fully edited by Austen. I personally found the listing of stuff a tad boring in the beginning, and all the talk about Sir Walter perhaps a tad dry. I think also, that this text comes off as a little bit subtler than Pride and Prejudice, for instance, in that the jokes are more thought out and developed, rather than snappy - as fits the mood of the protagonist, who is more melancholic and nostalgic in the beginning, rather than fire-spirited and sharp-tongued like Eliot, or immature and self-centered like Emma.