Amanda Root on playing Anne Elliot: “her discernment and constancy never cease to inspire”

“I am not born to tread in the beaten... Publication week for The Austens

Amanda Root on playing Anne Elliot: “her discernment and constancy never cease to inspire”

I’m sure many of you will agree with me that Amanda Root’s performance as Anne Elliot in the 1995 film adaptation of Persuasion was extraordinary. My co-editor Liz Philosophos Cooper and I were delighted that she accepted our invitation to contribute to “Unexpectedly Austen,” a series celebrating Jane Austen’s 250th birthday. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, all the contributions to the series can be found on the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA) website: “Unexpectedly Austen.”

Root’s tribute appeared in the August installment, along with quotations from Emmanuel Macron, President of France, and Sir John Major, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The latter praised Austen’s novels as “pure quality” in a letter now on display at the Jane Austen Centre in Bath. In a speech at a state banquet at Windsor Castle in July 2025, Macron drew on Pride and Prejudice to illustrate the “ties that bind” the people of the United Kingdom and France:

Deep down, it’s as if we were living in a great Jane Austen novel, where the greatest hostilities reveal paradoxical attractions. Miss Elizabeth Bennet spends hundreds of pages complaining of Mr Darcy’s arrogance, and you know how that story ends. As for our two peoples, in history we were such loyal, devoted enemies that it was impossible for us not to become friends.

Unexpectedly Austen August graphic with quotations from Amanda Root, Emmanuel Macron, and Sir John Major

In her reflection on Austen’s heroine, Root speaks of “Anne’s sweetness of nature, her wisdom and stoicism,” which “earn our admiration as she navigates a frivolous world, and the machinations of others. She writes that

It was a great privilege to play Anne Elliot, and to feel touched by this remarkable author. Each time I return to the novel I discover something new, but Anne’s strength of character, her discernment and constancy never cease to inspire, and certainly make her most worthy of the tender conclusion.

Trees, rocks, ocean, late evening sky, Queen Anne’s lace

Now that we’ve caught up on the August installment of “Unexpectedly Austen,” I’ll look forward to sharing quotations from the September installment in a future post in the next week or two.

I’m excited that this coming Monday, September 15th, is the official publication date for my novel The Austens, and I’m really looking forward to reading from the book at Prescott House in Starr’s Point, Nova Scotia on Sunday the 14th. Come and join me at this beautiful Georgian house in the Annapolis Valley! Free admission. The event begins at 2:00 p.m., and light refreshments will be served. RSVP (if you like) on the Facebook event page.

I took this photo of two JASNA friends at the Prescott House Jane Austen Garden Party last month:

Two people in Regency attire walking past a white Georgian house.

On a different topic, I was very sad to hear the news recently that Margaret C. Sullivan, founder of Austenblog and author of Austen-inspired short stories and books, died last month. It was always a pleasure to read Maggie’s work and to meet up with her at JASNA events, and I know that she will be deeply missed by many. It was an honour to include guest posts from her in the celebrations I hosted for Mansfield Park in 2014, Emma in 2016, and Northanger Abbey in 2017:

The Manipulations of Henry and Mary Crawford

Miss Bates in Fairy-land

Bless Me, Henry Tilney for I Have Sinned