Sense and Sensibility

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For other uses, see Sense and Sensibility (disambiguation).

Sense and Sensibility is a novel by Jane Austen that was first published in 1811. It was the first of Austen's novels to be published, under the pseudonym "A Lady."

1 Plot introduction
2 Context
3 Plot summary
4 Characters in "Sense and Sensibility"
5 Literary significance & criticism
6 Film, TV and theatre adaptations
7 External links

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Plot introduction

The story concerns two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood (Elinor representing "sense" and Marianne "sensibility"). Along with their mother and younger sister Margaret, they are left impoverished after the death of their father, and the family is forced to move to a country cottage, offered to them by a generous relative.

Elinor forms an attachment to the gentle and courteous Edward Ferrars, unaware that he is already secretly engaged. After their move, Marianne meets Willoughby, a dashing young man who leads her into undisciplined behaviour, so that she ignores the attentions of the faithful Colonel Brandon.

The contrast between the sisters' characters is eventually resolved as both find love and lasting happiness.

The hugely successful 1995 film Sense and Sensibility starred Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet as the sisters, and was directed by Ang Lee. Emma Thompson's screenplay took some liberties with Austen's story in the interests of a modern audience's requirements.

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Context

In 1811, Sense and Sensibility was the first published novel of the English author Jane Austen (1775–1817). The first version of the novel was probably written in 1795 as an epistolary novel (novel in letters) entitled Elinor and Marianne. At this point, Austen was still living in the home of her father, George Austen, a local Anglican rector and the father of eight children. She rewrote the early manuscript in 1797–98 as a narrated novel and then further revised it in 1809–10, shortly after she moved with her mother and sister Cassandra to a small house in Chawton on her brother Edward's estate. In 1811, Thomas Egerton of the Military Library in Whitehall accepted the manuscript for publication in three volumes. Austen published on commission, meaning she paid the expenses of printing the book and took the receipts, subject to a commission paid to the publisher. The cost of publication was more than a third of her household's 460-pound annual income, so the risk was substantial. Nonetheless, the novel received two favorable reviews upon its publication, and Austen made a profit of 140 pounds off the first edition.

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Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

When Mr. Henry Dashwood dies, leaving all his money to his first wife's son John Dashwood, his second wife and her three daughters are left with no permanent home and very little income. Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters (Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret) are invited to stay with their distant relations, the Middletons, at Barton Park. Elinor is sad to leave their home at Norland because she has become closely attached to Edward Ferrars, the brother-in-law of her half-brother John. However, once at Barton Park, Elinor and Marianne discover many new acquaintances, including the retired officer and bachelor Colonel Brandon, and the gallant and impetuous John Willoughby, who rescues Marianne after she twists her ankle running down the hills of Barton in the rain. Willoughby openly and unabashedly courts Marianne, and together the two flaunt their attachment to one another, until Willoughby suddenly announces that he must depart for London on business, leaving Marianne lovesick and miserable. Meanwhile, Anne and Lucy Steele, two recently discovered relations of Lady Middleton's mother, Mrs. Jennings, arrive at Barton Park as guests of the Middletons. Lucy ingratiates herself to Elinor and informs her that she (Lucy) has been secretly engaged to Mr. Ferrars for four years. Elinor initially assumes that Lucy is referring to Edward's younger brother, Robert, but is shocked and pained to learn that Lucy is actually referring to her own beloved Edward.

In Volume II of the novel, Elinor and Marianne travel to London with Mrs. Jennings. Colonel Brandon informs Elinor that everyone in London is talking of an engagement between Willoughby and Marianne, though Marianne has not told her family of any such attachment. Marianne is anxious to be reunited with her beloved Willoughby, but when she sees him at a party in town, he cruelly rebuffs her and then sends her a letter denying that he ever had feelings for her. Colonel Brandon tells Elinor of Willoughby's history of callousness and debauchery, and Mrs. Jennings confirms that Willoughby, having squandered his fortune, has become engaged to the wealthy heiress Miss Grey.

In Volume III, Lucy's older sister inadvertently reveals the news of Lucy's secret engagement to Edward Ferrars. Edward's mother is outraged at the information and disinherits him, promising his fortune to Robert instead. Meanwhile, the Dashwood sisters visit family friends at Cleveland on their way home from London. At Cleveland, Marianne develops a severe cold while taking long walks in the rain, and she falls deathly ill. Upon hearing of her illness, Willoughby comes to visit, attempting to explain his misconduct and seek forgiveness. Elinor pities him and ultimately shares his story with Marianne, who finally realizes that she behaved imprudently with Willoughby and could never have been happy with him anyway. Mrs. Dashwood and Colonel Brandon arrive at Cleveland and are relieved to learn that Marianne has begun to recover.

When the Dashwoods return to Barton, they learn from their manservant that Lucy Steele and Mr. Ferrars are married. They assume that he means Edward Ferrars, and are thus unsurprised, but Edward himself soon arrives and corrects their misconception: it was Robert, not himself, whom the money-grabbing Lucy ultimately decided to marry. Thus, Edward is finally free to propose to his beloved Elinor, and not long after, Marianne and Colonel Brandon become engaged as well. The couples live together at Delaford and remain in close touch with their mother and younger sister at Barton Cottage

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Characters in "Sense and Sensibility"

Henry Dashwood — A wealthy gentleman who dies at the beginning of the story. The terms of his estate prevent him from leaving anything to his second wife and their children together. He asks John, his son by his first wife, to ensure the financial security of his second wife and their three daughters.

Mrs. Dashwood — The second wife of Henry Dashwood, who is left in difficult financial straits by the death of her husband.

Elinor Dashwood — The sensible and reserved eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dashwood. She becomes attached to Edward Ferrars, the brother-in-law of her elder half-brother, John.

Marianne Dashwood — The romantically inclined and expressive second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dashwood. She is the object of the attentions of Col. Brandon and Mr. Willoughby.

Margaret Dashwood — The youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dashwood.

John Dashwood — The son of Henry Dashwood by his first wife.

Fanny Dashwood — The wife of John Dashwood, and sister to Edward and Robert Ferrars.

Sir John Middleton — a relative of Mrs. Dashwood who, after the death of Henry Dashwood, invites her and her three daughters to live in a cottage on his property. Middleton, his wife, and their children live with his mother-in-law, Mrs. Jennings. He and Mrs. Jennings are a jolly and gossipy pair, taking an active interest in the romantic affairs of the young people around them and seeking to encourage suitable matches.

Lady Middleton — The wife of Mr. Middleton. She spoils lavishes her four children with affection.

Edward Ferrars — The elder of Fanny Dashwood's two brothers. He forms an attachment to Elinor Dashwood. Years before his meeting with the Dashwoods, Ferrars had been secretly engaged to Lucy Steele, the niece of his tutor. The engagement is kept secret owing to the expectation that Ferrars's family would object to the match with Miss Steele.

Robert Ferrars — the younger brother of Edward Ferrars and Fanny Dashwood.

Col. Christopher Brandon — Close friend of Mr. Middleton and a former comrade-in-arms. In his youth, Brandon had fallen in love, but was prevented by his family from marrying the girl. The girl later suffered numerous misfortunes, finally dying penniless and disgraced.

John Willoughby — a nephew of a neighbour of the Middletons, a dashing figure who charms Marianne.

Lucy Steele — a young relation of Mrs. Jennings, who has for some time been secretly engaged to Edward Ferrars. She forms a close friendship with Elinor Dashwood and with Mrs. John Dashwood.

Anne Steele — Lucy Steele's elder sister.

Miss Grey — a wealthy heiress with whom Mr. Willoughby becomes involved.

Lord Morton — ???

Miss Morton — wealthy woman whom Mrs.Ferrars wants his eldest son, Edward to marry

Mr. Pratt — uncle of Lucy Steele

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Literary significance & criticism

When the first edition of Sense and Sensibility was published, it sold out all 750 copies by July 1813, and a second edition was advertised in October 1813. The first edition was said only to be "by a lady." The second edition, also anonymous, contained on the title page the inscription "by the author of Pride and Prejudice," which had been issued in January 1813 (though Austen had not been credited on the title page of this novel either). Only Austen's immediate family knew of her authorship of these novels. And although publishing anonymously prevented her from acquiring an authorial reputation, it also enabled her to preserve her privacy at a time when entering the public sphere was associated with a reprehensible loss of femininity. Indeed, Austen used to write at Chawton behind a door that creaked when visitors approached; she would avail herself of this warning to hide her manuscript before they entered. Austen may have wanted anonymity not only because of her gender and a desire for privacy, but because of the more general atmosphere of repression pervading her era: her early writing of Sense and Sensibility coincided with the treason trial of the political reformer Thomas Hardy and the proliferation of government censors as the Napoleonic War progressed. Whatever the reasons behind it, Austen's anonymity would persist until her death in 1817.

Contemporary critics of Austen's novels tended to overlook Sense and Sensibility in favour of the author's later works. Mansfield Park was read for moral edification; Pride and Prejudice was read for its irony and humour; and Emma was read for its subtle craft as a novel. Sense and Sensibility did not fall neatly into any of these categories, and critics approached it less eagerly. However, although the novel did not attract much critical attention, it sold well, and helped to establish "the author of Pride and Prejudice" as a respected writer.

Only in the twentieth century have scholars and critics come to address Sense and Sensibility's great passion, its ethics, and its social vision. In recent years, the book has been adapted into feature films. Today, the three-volume novel by an anonymous lady has become a famous and timeless favourite.

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Film, TV and theatre adaptations

Sense and Sensibility has been the subject of several adaptations [1]:

1971: Sense and Sensibility, BBC series starring Joanna David as Elinor Dashwood and Ciaran Madden as Marianne Dashwood
1981: Sense and Sensibility, BBC series starring Irene Richard as Elinor Dashwood and Tracey Childs as Marianne Dashwood
1995: Sense and Sensibility, film starring Emma Thompson as Elinor Dashwood, Kate Winslet as Marianne Dashwood, with Hugh Grant as Edward Ferrars and Alan Rickman as Colonel Brandon.
2000: Kandukondain Kandukondain, a contemporary Indian film set in the present, based on the same plot, starring Tabu as Sowmya (Elinor Dashwood), Aishwarya Rai as Meenakshi (Marianne Dashwood), with Ajit as Manohar (Edward Ferrars), Abbas as Srikanth (Willoughby) and Mammootty as Captain Bala (Colonel Brandon).