Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (review by Angela)

Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility is the story of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. When their father dies, he bequeaths his entire estate to their shallow half-brother and his spiteful wife, leaving the Dashwood sisters and their mother virtually penniless. When a distant relative of Mrs. Dashwood, Sir John Middleton, kindly offers them a small cottage on his estate to stay in, the family leaves their beloved home, Norland, and moves to Barton Park. Elinor must also say goodbye to her friend and secret love, Edward Ferrars, her unpleasant sister-in-law’s brother, who would visit and talk with her often at Norland. Soon after the Dashwoods become settled in their new cottage, they are invited to the Middleton’s house, where they meet jovial Sir Middleton, haughty Lady Middleton and her spoiled children, talkative Mrs. Jennings, and kind, quiet Colonel Brandon, a retired soldier. It is obvious that Colonel Brandon falls in love with Marianne, but she has lately fallen under the spell of the charming, young, and handsome Willoughby. Marianne’s emotions lead her to behave indecently around Willoughby, but when Elinor finally begins to chide her for her behavior, Willoughby abruptly disappears, leaving Marianne heartbroken and miserable. Soon after Willoughby leaves, Elinor finds out an awful secret about her beloved Edward, also leaving her disheartened. The two sisters leave for London with Mrs. Jennings, weary of the countryside and not expecting much out of the visit, but they soon discover that being in the bustling city will answer many of their questions and might even lead them to a happier ending.

Sense and Sensibility’s main theme that defines the book is the relationship between Elinor and Marianne. While Elinor is very sensible, always striving to be level-headed and logical, her sister Marianne is wild in comparison. Marianne’s emotions are always extreme—when she is happy she is joyful, when she is sad she is dejected and almost lifeless, and when she is in love, she becomes filled with reckless abandon and believes her admirer can do no wrong. Even their talents illustrate their differences: Elinor loves to draw, while Marianne is passionate about music. Both want what is best for the family, but it is Elinor who must help her mother make the important decisions in their household. This unique and loving relationship between the two sisters keeps the novel interesting and provides some very witty conversations.

***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!***

However, besides featuring a strong female character(s) and many pages of witty banter, Sense and Sensibility has quite a different feel from the rest of Jane Austen’s work, especially Pride and Prejudice. While Pride and Prejudice uses a light, witty tone to describe the adventures of its spunky heroine, Sense and Sensibility seems darker and not quite as optimistic. From the very beginning of the book, the Dashwoods are surrounded by spiteful, sly, greedy, small-minded, and foolish people. Their father, who was thought to be a good man, leaves nothing to his wife and daughters. Their half-brother seems well-meaning, wanting to help his half-sisters and stepmother somehow, but his greed and dim-wittedness make him easily controlled by his hateful wife. Willoughby is a deceitful and money-obsessed flirt (think Wickham from P&P), unwanted acquaintance Lucy is selfish and whiny, and Lady Middleton is proud and haughty, for the most part ignoring the sisters. Even the people who are nice to the sisters, such as Mrs. Jennings and Mrs. Palmer, seem like silly and somewhat airheaded gossips. The only “good” characters in the book are the Dashwoods, Colonel Brandon, and Edward (kind of—he was flirting with Elinor while secretly engaged to another girl). In addition to the general dark tone of the book, the ending is relatively unsatisfying. Elinor does end up with Edward, but her devotion to sense and self-control makes her engagement to him seem passionless. Marianne, after being rejected by Willoughby, ends up with Colonel Brandon, a much-older man she has never expressed interest in. While this seems implausible considering Marianne’s emotional nature, this serves to reinforce the point that the right balance of sense and passion is needed to live happily.

***END OF SPOILERS***

This is not to say that I do not recommend S&S. While not as thoroughly enjoyable as P&P, this book still has much to offer. In typical Austen style, there is much gossiping, entertaining conversations, and surprising secrets just waiting to be revealed. The satire on the wealthy class of England during Austen’s time is not lost either. The love stories are still touching, and the relationship between the two sisters is very well developed. If this is your first Jane Austen book, I suggest you read Pride and Prejudice first, but if you are an Austen fan, this book is a must-read for you.

~Angela

You can buy Sense and Sensibility here.