From the Bookshelf of Reading the Classics…

Sense and Sensibility

Jane Austen

Start date: July 1, 2013

Finish date: July 31, 2013

Discussion: Past Group Reads

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* Washington Square - Reading Schedule
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Feb 05, 2023 Lee rated it really liked it

As a high school English teacher, I have difficulty finding the time and energy to read during the school year. Ironically, it's so much easier after a long day of teaching reading to teenagers for my job, to just zone out to a trashy reality tv show or scroll the internet mindlessly. But this weekend, I discovered I had accidentally left my smartphone at school and that my internet at home wasn't working. The forced hiatus from screens was a blessing in disguise: I had few ways to occupy myself As a high school English teacher, I have difficulty finding the time and energy to read during the school year. Ironically, it's so much easier after a long day of teaching reading to teenagers for my job, to just zone out to a trashy reality tv show or scroll the internet mindlessly. But this weekend, I discovered I had accidentally left my smartphone at school and that my internet at home wasn't working. The forced hiatus from screens was a blessing in disguise: I had few ways to occupy myself, other than attempting to locate books I had promised to lend to my students. Upon being unable to locate my copy of Pride and Prejudice, I picked up Sense and Sensibility and started reading it. I have read Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, but none of her other novels, despite owning them all. In short time, I was hooked and read for hours and hours. Even after getting my internet fixed, I shut my laptop and continued reading. I read until I fell asleep last night and resumed reading shortly after waking up this morning, finishing the book in less than 24 hours. The book captivated me just as much, if not more, than a binge-worthy series on Netflix.

In Sense and Sensibility, Austen skillfully conceals information and misdirects the reader, enabling her to employ plot twists and dramatic revelations to keep you hooked. Her pointed satire of the money-grubbing mores of the upper and climbing classes, as well as the cheeky, clever dialogue, endlessly entertain. Everyone has foibles--the central fault of Mrs. Dashwood and Marianne being an overabundance of "sensibility" or emotional volatility, imagination and romance that lead them to make impetuous decisions, while the heroine Elinor is excessive in "sense" and holds back her emotions to a fault, as she has to be the force for reason in their family. But the Dashwoods seem altogether honorable next to almost everyone else, who are portrayed as mercenary by comparison. John Dashwood and Mrs. John Dashwood, Willoughby, the Steele sisters, and most of the Ferrar family are overly concerned with money and status. Meanwhile, the book is careful to emphasize that this is not a concern of the central Dashwood women--almost to a point of straining belief. This book felt more pointedly satirical than Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, and so the characters at times almost act as stock representations of Austen's social commentary and her theme of balancing Sense and Sensibility. That being said, what prevents the main characters from becoming flat caricatures is the nuanced psychology and complex characterization she affords most of them--such as the compelling backstory for Willoughby and the development Marianne undergoes to gain more "sense" as the story goes on.

But while much of S&S works as a satire and an exploration of Austen's themes relating to the era in which she lived, there's so much about this book that is timeless. Willoughby is what we would today call a "fuckboy." He would not be out of place on the reality tv shows I watch, or the silly podcasts I listen to that give relationship advice to many 20 something Mariannes, who devote far too much time to selfish young men of his type. Edward is, in actuality, a different kind of fuckboy, whose inconstancy stems not from the selfishness and superficiality of Willoughby, but from a misplaced sense of loyalty to the wrong woman, and an inability to communicate effectively to others.

And so I was fully invested in the characters and the outcome of Marianne's and Elinor's fate--insomuch as every dramatic revelation had me reeling. But the point where the book lost me, which caused me to take off one star, was how the romantic couplings ended up. [Warning the rest of this paragraph contains spoilers]. As others have commented, I felt that Elinor and the Colonel were a much better match, while she and Edward lacked chemistry. Edward was barely present in the narrative and his relationship with Elinor was so "off screen" that I didn't really believe in their love for one and other. Meanwhile, the Colonel had many interactions with Elinor and so few with Marianne. In fact, I started to predict a "switcheroo" would occur where the Colonel would realize his true feelings for Elinor, and Edward would be revealed to secretly harbor affection for Marianne. Edward spends more time interacting with Marianne and is described as continually following her out of rooms when she tries to leave him alone with Elinor. Not to mention the fact that him being in love with Marianne and hearing of an attachment between her and Willoughby could have explained his actions better. There is no evidence of Marianne having any feelings for the Colonel, but she reacts violently to updates on Edward and Lucy. Also, Marianne is not a good match for Colonel, being too young and immature for him, while Elinor is the elder and more mature of the sisters. As a result, the ending was not satisfying for me as a reader and felt contrived.

Although it's been a long time since I read it, Pride and Prejudice, to my recollection, feels the most polished and satisfying in terms of the development of the central romance and characterization in the Austen books I have read so far. Given that S&S was her first published novel, it's not surprising to me that it wouldn't be without fault. Now that I have fully enjoyed this book, I intend to read all of Austen's works, including re-reading P&P. All in all, I'm so glad that Austen's captivating story has brought me fully back to reading for pleasure again, despite how busy and draining my work life has become. There's a reason her works continue to remain relevant to this day. ...more

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