Her first book ever published, Sense & Sensibility greatly reflects upon the true writing style of Austen. Like Pride & Prejudice, the meaning of this novel too, lies in its title. This story is about the conflict between Sense and Sensibility. The two main characters in the novel are Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, two beautiful sisters of elegant birth but of little fortune. Elinor, extremely mannered and reserved, portrays Sense while Marianne, lively and passionate portrays Sensibility.
Elinor deeply loves Edward Ferarrs, the brother of her sister-in-law; a man who is equally reserved and shy as Elinor herself. Elinor never quite manages to tell Edward about her feelings. This brings a high price, for one day she finds out that Edward has become engaged to another girl.
Marianne, who lives for passion, finds exactly what she wants. John Willoughby, a handsome and dashing bachelor, has almost everything in common with Marianne. The two are open and ardent in their love until their behavior becomes too scandalous and arrogant. They despise the 35-year-old bachelor Colonel Brandon, a man who has neither youth nor passion. Colonel Brandon forms an intimate and deep friendship with Elinor, and at the same time is enchanted with Marianne, who resembles his long lost love. Marianne's dreams are torn away from her as Willoughby betrays her shockingly and marries another girl for money.
So who wins in the end in terms of a happy ending? Sense or Sensibility? The answer is the same as almost all of Austen's other books: A balance between the two. Both the sisters come to terms with their own selves and realize their mistakes and finally, repair the rift between the two of them to help each other through their miseries. And both of them find true love and happiness in the end, in a way none of them had ever imagined. And thus Austen concludes with the fact that while both reserve and passion are important, too much of one can destroy any kind of relationship.
As far as personal opinion goes, I don't like this novel all too much. Though it has a great moral and storyline, the ending almost destroys the whole point of the novel. In my opinion the characters in the novel had a lot more room for development and the ending did none of them justice, especially Elinor and Marianne. Also, if you're looking for a romantic read like Pride and Prejudice, this book is not for you, because the book is more about the analysis of the characters of the two sisters than their love stories. Nonetheless it's a good read if you already like Jane Austen's style and aren't afraid of a somewhat disappointing ending.
Elinor deeply loves Edward Ferarrs, the brother of her sister-in-law; a man who is equally reserved and shy as Elinor herself. Elinor never quite manages to tell Edward about her feelings. This brings a high price, for one day she finds out that Edward has become engaged to another girl.
Marianne, who lives for passion, finds exactly what she wants. John Willoughby, a handsome and dashing bachelor, has almost everything in common with Marianne. The two are open and ardent in their love until their behavior becomes too scandalous and arrogant. They despise the 35-year-old bachelor Colonel Brandon, a man who has neither youth nor passion. Colonel Brandon forms an intimate and deep friendship with Elinor, and at the same time is enchanted with Marianne, who resembles his long lost love. Marianne's dreams are torn away from her as Willoughby betrays her shockingly and marries another girl for money.
So who wins in the end in terms of a happy ending? Sense or Sensibility? The answer is the same as almost all of Austen's other books: A balance between the two. Both the sisters come to terms with their own selves and realize their mistakes and finally, repair the rift between the two of them to help each other through their miseries. And both of them find true love and happiness in the end, in a way none of them had ever imagined. And thus Austen concludes with the fact that while both reserve and passion are important, too much of one can destroy any kind of relationship.
As far as personal opinion goes, I don't like this novel all too much. Though it has a great moral and storyline, the ending almost destroys the whole point of the novel. In my opinion the characters in the novel had a lot more room for development and the ending did none of them justice, especially Elinor and Marianne. Also, if you're looking for a romantic read like Pride and Prejudice, this book is not for you, because the book is more about the analysis of the characters of the two sisters than their love stories. Nonetheless it's a good read if you already like Jane Austen's style and aren't afraid of a somewhat disappointing ending.
1 comment:
its a nice 1.i liked it, but u could make it a l'll less descriptive
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