Book Review: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Book title: Sense and Sensibility
Author: Jane Austen
Genre: classic
Published: 1811
My rating: 5/5

After their father’s death, the Dashwood sisters are left with very little money and have to find love in a world that values wealth. Elinor’s stoic and detached sense and Marianne’s romantic and passionate sensibility cause them their own trials and tribulations. Elinor must suffer silently after she falls in love with secretly engaged Edward and Marianne is jilted by the immoral Mr. Willoughby.

Sense and Sensibility is Jane Austen’s first published novel. It has always been on the lower half of the list of my favorite Jane Austen novels, and that was partly the reason I was interested in reading it this Jane Austen July.  I wanted to see if my feelings for it have changed, and whether I could pinpoint more clearly what it is about this book that I don’t like. I’m sorry to say that even after this reread, Sense and Sensibility still remains at the bottom, possibly only besting Emma (but then again, I need to reread Emma as well, so the situation may change!).

The main reason I don’t care for this book is the passivity of the characters. For the female characters that makes some sense, as the societal expectations dictated how they could behave. But even Elizabeth Bennet, although she can’t go after the man she loves, gives a feisty riposte to Lady Catherine de Bourgh, thus signaling to Mr. Darcy that her feelings have changed. Elinor, on the other hand, sits around while the minor characters determine the course of her life. Marianne at least tries to act, but her actions only lead to heartbreak and near-fatal illness.

And while Edward’s determination not to injure Lucy by breaking off the engagement is admirable, he is completely passive, and in the end it doesn’t feel like he deserves Elinor. Colonel Brandon at least tells the truth about Willoughby and fetches Mrs. Dashwood to nurse Marianne. But Marianne’s change of heart happens so abruptly that pairing her with Colonel Brandon doesn’t provide the most satisfying ending. It seems that rather than the husbands they marry, the best thing about the marriages is that Elinor and Marianne continue to live close to each other. If you don’t mind the lackluster romantic partners, this is a great story of sisterly love.

It’s no wonder that the film adaptations of this book change the characterization of multiple characters. I’m currently watching the 2008 BBC miniseries, and it’s interesting to note all the differences. Margaret and Edward have more personality than they do in the book, and Marianne admits that she enjoys talking with Colonel Brandon from the start (albeit only because he’s the only person at Barton Park worth conversing with). The most conspicuous change is probably the pacing: the first episode of the three-part series dramatizes about 20% of the book, the second episode reaches the midpoint of the book, and the third episode takes up the whole latter half of the book. I was slightly disappointed how little room the second episode spent setting up Lucy Steele as the jealous and cunning character that she is. If my memory serves me correctly, the 1995 movie adaptation did a better job with Lucy’s characterization – but I have to see when I watch the movie later this week!

But though it’s not my favorite, Sense and Sensibility is still Jane Austen, so I’m obviously giving this book five stars. I also annotated the novel, and although the it didn’t give me new-found appreciation for the book, I had a fun time reading this book.