Hidden Depths
As I return to writing a Sense and Sensibility variation I began writing a few years back, I have also returned to the original source material. It doesn't matter how many times I reread Sense and Sensibility; I always find so much to admire about this novel. In particular, I love the wit Austen uses to poke fun at so many of the characters, "good" and "bad." (Indeed, I think the only character she spares is Elinor.)
Today, when I reached the scene in which Willoughby takes his unexpected leave from Barton, I was struck by the conversation between Elinor and her mother. Mrs. Dashwood is chiding her daughter for being skeptical of Willoughby's motives for departing. She wants to give this young man they have all come to love the benefit of the doubt, but sensible, skeptical Elinor raises the possibility of something not being quite right in Willoughby's behavior. In particular, she wonders at his lack of transparency in explaining why he must leave without any fixed plans to return. "Secrecy," she tells her mother, "may be advisable; but still I cannot help wondering at its being practiced by him" (Chapter 15).
What I love about this line is that Elinor is not distressed by secrecy in general, more the practice of it by someone who had previously seemed so very open and transparent. It is the alteration in Willoughby's behavior, not the behavior itself, that troubles Elinor.
Austen's use of character transformation is, of course, one of the reasons so many of us love her writing. She loves to upend the expectations of her protagonists (and readers) by making certain affable characters (Wickham, Willoughby) seem open, only to show they are really hiding dark secrets--and likewise to make other, more reserved characters (Darcy, Brandon) possess hidden depths of feeling and honor that their initial reserve seems to mask.
My questions for you:
1.) Does she do this with only male characters, or can you think of female characters who upend our expectations in this same way?
2.) Are there modern, real-life equivalences to this idea of "hidden depths"? Or do you think this is more of a literary device than a realistic depiction of humans?
Happy reading--and if you're somewhere cold and dreary (like I am), may you find a little sunshine and warmth in coming days!
Today, when I reached the scene in which Willoughby takes his unexpected leave from Barton, I was struck by the conversation between Elinor and her mother. Mrs. Dashwood is chiding her daughter for being skeptical of Willoughby's motives for departing. She wants to give this young man they have all come to love the benefit of the doubt, but sensible, skeptical Elinor raises the possibility of something not being quite right in Willoughby's behavior. In particular, she wonders at his lack of transparency in explaining why he must leave without any fixed plans to return. "Secrecy," she tells her mother, "may be advisable; but still I cannot help wondering at its being practiced by him" (Chapter 15).
What I love about this line is that Elinor is not distressed by secrecy in general, more the practice of it by someone who had previously seemed so very open and transparent. It is the alteration in Willoughby's behavior, not the behavior itself, that troubles Elinor.
Austen's use of character transformation is, of course, one of the reasons so many of us love her writing. She loves to upend the expectations of her protagonists (and readers) by making certain affable characters (Wickham, Willoughby) seem open, only to show they are really hiding dark secrets--and likewise to make other, more reserved characters (Darcy, Brandon) possess hidden depths of feeling and honor that their initial reserve seems to mask.
My questions for you:
1.) Does she do this with only male characters, or can you think of female characters who upend our expectations in this same way?
2.) Are there modern, real-life equivalences to this idea of "hidden depths"? Or do you think this is more of a literary device than a realistic depiction of humans?
Happy reading--and if you're somewhere cold and dreary (like I am), may you find a little sunshine and warmth in coming days!
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