Student Question
Who lived in the Great House at Uppercross?
Quick answer:
The Great House at Uppercross is home to Mr. and Mrs. Musgrove, along with their daughters, Henrietta and Louisa, who have recently completed their education. This house contrasts with Uppercross Cottage, where Anne stays with her sister Mary and her husband, Charles Musgrove. The Great House is notable in the story as the intended location for Anne's initial reunion with Captain Wentworth, although their first meeting occurs the following day at the cottage.
In Persuasion, Anne must stay with her sister, Mary, at Uppercross Cottage in the village of Uppercross when her father and sister, Elizabeth, retire to Bath.
While Uppercross Cottage is the home of Charles and Mary Musgrove, The Great House, about a quarter of a mile away, is home to Charles' parents, Mr. and Mrs. Musgrove. The inhabitants of the Great House also include Henrietta and Louisa, nineteen and twenty years old respectively, who have just graduated from a finishing school in Exeter.
The Great House is significant in Chapter Seven, as it is meant to be the venue for Anne's first meeting with Captain Wentworth after eight years. Anne does not, however, meet Wentworth at the Great House dinner because she stays behind to care for Mary's son, who has injured himself in a fall. The next day, Anne and Captain Wentworth meet at Uppercross Cottage, an awkward meeting which proves eventful and which foreshadows the couple's eventual reconciliation and marriage as the novel meets its conclusion.
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