“Persuasion” by Jane Austen (post 4): Does it take two personalities for Anne Elliot to play piano for dancers and simultaneously analyze their psychology?

I have previously discussed Austen’s Emma (search “emma austen”).

Having never played for dancers (indeed, not being a piano player), I don’t know the answer to the above question, and hope that a reader of this post is in a position to offer an opinion based on personal experience.

The following passage from the novel is written as though it would take only one personality to do both things simultaneously, since the piano playing is said to have been done “mechanically” and “without consciousness.”

But is playing for dancers purely mechanical and without consciousness? Or do you have to select the music and watch the dancers, continually and carefully, to coordinate the music with the dancing?

“The evening ended with dancing. On its being proposed, Anne [Elliot] offered her services, as usual, and though her eyes would sometimes fill with tears as she sat at the instrument, she was extremely glad to be employed, and desired nothing in return but to be unobserved.

“It was a merry, joyous party, and no one seemed in higher spirits than Captain Wentworth. She felt that he had every thing to elevate him, which general attention and deference, and especially the attention of all the young women could do. The Miss Hayters, the females of the family of cousins already mentioned, were apparently admitted to the honor of being in love with him; and as for Henrietta and Louisa, they both seemed so entirely occupied by him, that nothing but the continued appearance of the most perfect good-will between themselves, could have made it credible that they were not decided rivals. If he were a little spoilt by such universal, such eager admiration, who could wonder?

“These were some of the thoughts which occupied Anne, while her fingers were mechanically at work, proceeding for half an hour together, equally without error, and without consciousness. Once she felt that he was looking at herself—observing her altered features, perhaps, trying to trace in them the ruins of the face which had once charmed him; and once she knew that he must have spoken of her; —she was hardly aware of it, till she heard the answer; but then she was sure of his having asked his partner whether Miss Elliot never danced? The answer was, ‘Oh! no, never, she has quite given up dancing. She had rather play. She is never tired of playing’…(Volume I, Chapter VIII) (1, p. 136).”

1. Jane Austen. The Annotated Persuasion. Annotated and Edited by David M. Shapard. New York, Anchor Books, 2010.

2. Wikipedia. “Persuasion (novel).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persuasion_(novel)

Added, Tuesday, August 18, 2020: My reading of this novel is going very slowly, because it seems to be neither plot-driven nor character-driven. The plot, in essence, is whether Anne and Captain Wentworth will or won't renew their relationship, which was ended years ago when she refused his proposal of marriage, because he didn't have much money or prospects at that time. But now he has returned as a financially successful war hero, who is much admired by all the young women. Meanwhile, there is no development in the character of Anne that would make me much care about her. I would rather watch and listen to Judy Garland singing "The Man That Got Away: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzyPMRo8ZUQ