Sense vs. Sensibility in Sense and Sensibility

Sense vs. Sensibility in Sense and Sensibility

               

                “There are few people whom I really love,

                And still fever of whom I think well,

                The more I see of the world,

                The more am I dissatisfied with it;

                And everyday confirms my belief of

                The inconsistency of all human

                Characters, and of the little dependence

                That can be placed on the appearance

                Of merit of sense”

                -Jane Austen.

               

                An English novelist, Jane Austen was born on 16^th of December, 1775 in England. George Austen was belongs to the family of woollen manufactures. Her mother, Cassandra was a member of prominent family. She had six brothers and one sister. Her brother’s names were as: 1. James 2. George 3. Edward 4. Henry Thomas 5. Francis William 6. Charles John and sister’s name was Cassandra Elizabeth. She also like Jane died unmarried. Cassandra was Austen’s nearest person and confidante throughout her life. Her sister was will to her and she used to know everything about each other.

                Jane Austen was very famous English novelist. She was very much famous for her works; she had earned a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature. Jane’s realism biting irony and social contemporary have gained her historical importance among scholars and critics. The steadfast support of her family was critical to her development as a professional writer. In her literary period, she had experimented with various literary forms. She was a successful published writer. Her works are:

1.       Sense and Sensibility (1811)

2.       Pride and Prejudice (1813)

3.       Mansfield Park (1814)

4.       Emma (1816)

5.       Mort hanger Abbey (1818)

6.       Persuasion (1818)

She began to write a third novel but she died before completing it. The title of the novel was “Sandition”.

                Jane Austen’s novel’s have the character and story with fall of sense. They also have the elements like romance, comedy and all. She had also focused on women’s dependence and also about on marriage to secure social standing and economic security. After the publication of her nephew’s “A Memoir of Jane Austen”, she became more widely accepted in academia as a English writer. She earns lots of love, glory and respect in her life, with this she died on 18^th July, 1817.

                “Her heart did whisper that he had done it for her.”

Sense and Sensibility:

               

                “Sense and Sensibility” was Jane Austen’s first published work in 1811 under the pseudonym “A Lady”. The novel was a romantic fiction but it is also known as comedy of manners. The story was about two Sister Elinor and Marriane Dashwood. The story took place in Southwest England, London and Kent between 1792 and 1797. It was about their love and life.

                Jane Austen wrote the first draft of the novel in the form of a novel in letters and gave it the title “Elinor and Marriane”. She later changed to a narrative and the title to “Sense and Sensibility”. The novel follows the young ladies to their new home, a merge collage on a distant relative’s property, where they experience love, romance and heartbreak. The philosophical resolution of the novel is ambiguous: the reader must decide whether sense and sensibility have truly merged.

Elinor Dashwood:

 

                  Elinor Dashwood was the eldest daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Henry Dashwood. She was 19 years old at the beginning of the book. In the novel she becomes attached to Edward Ferrars, the brother-in-law of her elder half brother, John. She used to care for her family. She suppresses her own strong emotions in a way that leads others to think she is different or cold-hearted.

Elinor as a Sense:

                Elinor was a very practical woman by nature. Elinor was a mature enough to tackle every situation. She was living with two other ladies at her home. She was the only one veiling to hold up a cautionary hand and tell everyone to hold off for a minute and it’s a good thing she was there to do so.

                Elinor’s practical nature often shows in the novel. She is the voice of common sense in this crazy damn of excitable, romantic woman and we were not sure that what would happen to them without her. She was the one who thinks about the practical stuff. Where are the Dashwoods going to live? How should they best respond to their new batch of crazy neighbours and acquaintances? What happens if Marriane’s dramatic musical rampages at the piano? She was actually very beautiful and kind hearted girl.

                Elinor’s practiced outlook helps everyone in the Dashwood family get through everyday life, but leaves Elinor herself with some unresolved issues. Despite the fact that Elinor looks like she was just as full of emotions as Marriane perhaps even more so. Elinor doesn’t get dramatically carried away by infatuation the way her sister does, but when she falls for someone, she falls hard. Her love Edward Ferrars, which goes unannounced and unresolved for most of the book, may be hidden, but that doesn’t make it any less powerful.

                In the end, Elinor finally reconciles her private feelings with her public persona, first by admitting her inner pain to Marriane and then by joyously agreeing to marry Edward. At long last, she was actually feeling on the inside to the people who matter to her most furthermore, the happy young couple are able to come to a practical arrangement with regards to their future plans-Elinor convinces Edward to approach his proud mother, who rather grudgingly agrees to furnish him with some money. It’s enough to ensure that the future Ferrars will be able to live reasonably well, through not extravagantly, of course.

Marriane Dashwood:

                Marriane Dashwood was sixteen year old second daughter of Mr. And Mrs. Henry Dashwood. She embodies the “Sensibility” of the title. She was totally opposed to her elder sister Elinor’s “sense”. She embraces spontaneity, excessive, sensibility, love of nature and romantic idealism lead her to fall in love with the debaucheries. John Willoughby, though he painfully spurns her, causing her to finally recognize her misjudgement of him. She was always getting herself into a tizzy about this or that and her plot was directed purely by her emotions. She was something of a self-indulgent romantic and she very rarely thinks about what is practical or proper. After turn of heart, she ultimately marries her long standing admirer Colonel Brandon.

                “The more I know of the world,

                The more I am convinced that   

        I shall never see a man,

        To whom I can really love?”

        -Jane Austen.

Marriane as a Sensibility:

  

                     Marriane represents sensibility in the novel. She was all about passion. She believes firmly that one should be directed by feelings not by logic or mind. Marriane powers out all of her feelings into tempestuous rants. She hits both dizzying highs and terrifying lows over the causes of this novel. The former come when she was head over heels in love with Willoughby, while the letter strike after Willoughby dumps her brutally. Love is a thing to behold. She was euphoric and radiant and her happiness is infectious. When she was down though, she was really down. Her depression on everyone around her and it seems that her emotions influence the lives of her friends and family almost as much as they influence Marriane herself.

        Marriane’s Sensibility represents the kind of literary heroine common in the so called novel of sensibility”. These heroines were typically romantic innocent, young girls inclined to swoon and be relatively confused. Austen’s witty novel takes this sensitive heroine figure and displaces her instead of being in a novel that glorifies emotion and sentimentality. Marriane is stuck in the real world, a place of money, political marriages.

        In the end, Marriane comes to realize that her unleashed emotions almost killed her literally. Her decision to marry Colonel Brandon is the ultimate practical step in her life. Though she didn’t immediately feel sparks with the Colonel. She intellectually appreciates that he is a good guy. He can provide a wonderful life for her.

Difference between the character of Elinor and Marriane:

   

                  The title of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility” expresses not only the individual character traits but also the relation and interaction of Sense and Sensibility in the society as portrayed in the romantic literature of this time. It is doubtful, however that Austen would have been able to fully describe this relation without creating the two characters who would exemplify sense and sensibility in their actions and their behaviour and comparing them and the ways they interact with people around them. Austen presents her own attitudes about her contemporary society and its obsession with the ideals of romanticism.

        One of the most noticeable differences between Elinor and Marriane is in the way they expresses their feelings. Both of them are capable of strong emotions, although some readers may think otherwise because Elinor makes her feelings well.  While some can view Elinor’s composure as a sign that she is emotionally more stable than her younger sister, a point of no less importance is how Elinor exemplifies her contemporary society’s unhealthy obsession with secrets. It appears that every person who is acquainted with the sisters tends to trust some sensitive information to Elinor, most likely because they observes her quietness and judge that their secret will be safe with her. Very few of these secrets reach Marriane without first going through Elinor. The reason for this is described by Marriane herself when, at one point in the story, she says to her sister. “We have neither of us anything to tell; you, because you communicate, and I because I conceal nothing” (Austen, 184).  Because Marriane’s emotions often force her to disregard to accepted social standards, she is considered too “dangerous” by her acquaintances to disclose to her any secrets firsthand. Instead, they tell them to Elinor, who will always think twice before voicing any of the information she receives. Some of it likes Lucy Stut’s engagement to anybody. But even the private information that is soon to become public in a form of gossip or otherwise is given to Elinor first, so she can pass it on to Marriane in a less emotional form. It is a common occurrence in the novel that Elinor converses with someone in regards to some ‘secret’. She already knows but she not only does not reveal this knowledge verbally, but also keeps her facial expression so as not to reveal any prior knowledge.

        When it comes to the regard for social norms, the difference between the two sisters is obvious. Once Marriane meets Willoughby the rest of the company her family keeps ceases to exist for her. Her emotional state calls for all her attention to be given to Willoughby and the thought that others may consider her behaviour improper or be offended by it does not enter her mind. Her personal invests receive priority in a similar manner while in London when she effectively ignores her hostess and society and is being rude to her well-meaning sister because she is upset that Willoughby fails to contact her. Afterwards, After she finds out about his betrayed, Marriane goes into asocial shell, disregarding the way she has no interest in society without Willoughby being in it and thinks that no one around her can understand her pain.

        In addition, Marriane ignores the social circles like this because she despises their concerns and their interest. This disclaim is apparent in her short emotional outbursts card games which is one of the major social amusements in her contemporary society. Even Marriane’s near fatal illness can be attributed to her emotions forcing her to disregard the feelings of others and their concerns for her. After all, she denies the need to change out of wet clothes after walking in cold, rainy weather and declines all medicines when she begins to feel poorly. These actions are Marriane’s additional acts of defiance against socially accepted norms, in this case those concerning care for one’s health.

        Unlike her sister, Elinor always thinks how her actions or behaviour would reflect on others around her. This “sense” of social norms is what keeps Elinor from expressing her feelings openly like Marriane does. In order to block her emotions so as to appear calm and collected in front of other people. Elinor searches in her own mind for ways to justify the actions of others even are those actions hurt her. Elinor has the same social concerns, such as propriety and financial well being as the rest of the people around her and it is not very flattering to her character because other members of her social circle are portrayed in an unfavourable light because of their obsession with those things. Marriane does not concern herself with money for a moment during her relationship with Willoughby. It is Elinor who explains in socioeconomic terms, to Marriane why she would be unhappy while married to Willoughby even if he shared her feelings and proposed to her.

        Despite all this, however, Marriane close possess a fair amount of “sense”, and Elinor is a considerably more sensitive person than she appears to be at first. Marriane’s moment of sensible conduct comes on her sicked. After recovering, she later mentions to Elinor that even though she had no reservations against dying in a state of emotional hurt. She could not bear what her death would cause to her mother and sister. Elinor on the other hand, shows how emotional she really is when she loses her composure at the news of the supposed marriage of Edward and Lucy. This is when she realizes that trying to deceive others that she was indifferent to this match, in order to avoid social scandal, she was also trying to deceive herself and now her emotions showed her that she failed. The fact that positive emotions have a similar ability to crack Elinor’s social mask is shown later, when she again loses her composure, when Edward comes to Barton to propose to her and in the process to explain that Lucy actually married his younger brother Robert.

        Austen does not fail to once again show the importance of finance to their well being and how in the end, societies influence the person’s actions. Despite marrying the man whom she loves, Elinor still persuades Edward to reconcile with his mother. So she would help them out financially. Marriane, on the other hand is persuaded by everyone close to her to marry a man who is already well off financially but who does not match her in terms of emotional intensity