Sense and Sensibility

Austen writes sisters like no one else, and the dynamic between tempestuous Marianne and practical Elinor is the template for so many novels that have followed.

Austen keeps the two sisters from becoming caricatures by making them more alike than different, and the love that anchors their relationship is at the heart of the novel.

I first read this as a freshman in college, and I still think about it every time I’m writing sisters. A classic.

In this first of Jane Austen’s novels, she takes up the problem which young women faced in the England of the early 19th century.

They were quite dependent on men, but wished to marry men to whom they were attracted. Elinor and Marianne do find these men, but both are thwarted in their relationships. Elinor helps Marianne see that her love interest is a cad, but she can do nothing about her own love for Edward, until he loses his inheritance.

Austen’s precise description and storytelling are always a joy. I have recently been surprised to learn how wide her… show more.

In this Austen novel, we witness the three Dashwood sisters and their mother when they move to Barton Cottage. This downgrade has occurred because they are destitute after their father’s death, reminding us of how little agency females had during this era.

Once they arrive at their new home, the older two sisters, Elinor and Marianne, begin their romantic escapades, in search of true love. While there are the ups and downs of courting and making the right match as in most Austen books, this novel is theme based.

The focus is on being prudent and acting sensibly rather than… show more.

I almost chose Pride and Prejudice, but although the Bennet sisters are more numerous, the Dashwoods have a more interesting and complex family dynamic. Eleanor, the eldest, keeps her thoughts and feelings well hidden, while Marianne, the middle sister, is all surface—beautiful, emotional, unrestrained in her words and actions, she couldn’t be more different. In combination with the youngest, Margaret, they squabble and misunderstand and pull against each other on the way to their assorted happy endings, but they never stop deeply caring for one another.

One has to have read Jane Austen in order to be a literature teacher, which I was for many years. The trials and tribulations of the Dashwood daughters, Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret, provide an entertaining look into their society and the opportunities (or not) available for women of the age. It’s fun to see them operating by “sense” or by “sensibility.” Many people of today could use more consideration of those two opposites and the repercussions of each.

I love, love period pieces especially when they include historical events along with a good story. Jane Austen’s stories tell of a time when women were treated almost as property or second-class citizens and the ordeals they had to endure for love or just survival. Women had to swallow their pride and sense of accomplishment if they wanted to survive. If they happened to marry for love, then they were fortunate, but most married out of duty, financial need, or some other loyalty.

I like the book because it shows that women can survive and make the best out of… show more.

My final book pick is Sense and Sensibility. A surprisingly interior early novel from Austen, this is the story of two very different sisters at a time in society when choices for women were notoriously thin. There is so much grief, fear of poverty, hopelessness, and unrequited love buried in the traditional marriage plot, but Austen still gives us hope for the capacity of all humans to grow through love and loss. Sense and Sensibility is a primer on seeking balance in all aspects of life, while also engagingly romantic in the best of ways.

Jane Austen was close with her sister and often has entire plots which hinge on the fact that you love your sisters, but also they drive you nuts and ruin your life and prospects, but also you’re probably sharing a sewing project or a bed or nearly dying together from doing something reckless like going for a walk in the rain. No one’s better than Austen on the way you’re stuck with your sisters so better learn to treat them with wry bemusement rather than apoplectic rage.