Original artwork, not a still
Persuasion • 1817
Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove any thing.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The speaker questions whether books can fairly settle a dispute when men have controlled both education and authorship. A written record may reflect the advantages of its makers rather than balanced evidence. The refusal challenges the authority of accounts produced without equal access to telling the story.
Context reviewed
