Sense and Sensibility

Plot
o Mr. Henry Dashwood dies, leaving behind him his wife, Mrs. Dashwood, and his three
daughters, Elinor, Marianne and Margaret
o Mr. John Dashwood is Mr. Henry Dashwood's son from his first marriage. He inherits his
father's property. In those times women could not inherit properties. John Dashwood has a
selfish wife, Mrs. Fanny Dashwood. They decide not to offer any money to the Dashwood
girls, despite Mr. Dashwoods last wishes.
o Sir John Middleton, his wife, Lady Middleton, and Sir John's mother-in-law, Mrs. Jennings,
invited Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters to stay at Barton Park. They are distant relatives of
the Daswoods.
o Elinor is sad to leave Norland, their home, because she was attached to Edward Ferrars, the
brother of Mrs. Ferrars.
o At Barton Park, Marianne and Elinor meet Colonel Brandon, a 35 years old bachelor, and
John Willoughby. Marianne falls in love with Willoughby and doesn't notice Colonel
Brandon's affinity for her.
o One day Colonel Brandon is forced to go in a hurry to London. Short time after, Willoughby
leaves for London too. Everybody begins to ask questions about Willoughby's departure and
intentions.
o Edward visits Elinor at Barton, seeming very unhappy.
o Mrs. Palmer, Mrs. Jennings' other daughter, comes to visit Barton Park with her husband.
o Anne and Lucy Steele are two of Mrs. Jennings relations who also visit Barton. Lucy reveals
the fact that she is secretly engaged to Mr. Ferrars. Elinor assumes that Lucy is referring to
Robert (Edward's brother) and she is shocked to learn that Lucy actually refers to Edward.
o Elinor and Marianne are invited to spend the winter in London with Mrs. Jennings.
o At a party Marianne sees Willoughby, but he is very cold to her. Soon after that, Willoughby
sends Marianne a cruel letter explaining that he never truly loved her and he is going to marry
Miss Grey, a wealthy heiress.
o Finally, Colonel Brandon reveals the truth about Willoughby: he got Colonel Brandon's
daughter pregnant, left her alone, to manage by herself, and he was going to marry a wealthy
woman.
o Edward's mother decided that he will marry a rich heiress, Miss Morton, but after Edward
and Lucys engagement comes to light, she disinherits him.
o Colonel Brandon offers Edward a parish at Delaford and he accepts.
o Elinor and Marianne are invited to Mrs. Palmers house at Cleveland. Marianne becomes
very ill because she walked in the rain. Willoughby comes to visit her and confesses his
mistakes to Elinor, saying that he has always loved Marianne. Elinor is sorry for him and
shares his story with Marianne, who realizes that Willoughby was never the right person for
her.
o The Dashwoods return to Barton after Mariannes recovery. One day Edward arrives at the
cottage and informs Elinor that Lucy has married his brother Robert, instead of him. He
proposes to Elinor and becomes reconciled with his family.

o Edward and Elinor eventually get married at Barton and after two years Marianne finally
begins to love Colonel Brandon and accepts his proposal.
o In the end Elinor and Marianne both live at Delaford, whereas Mrs. Dashwood remains at
Barton with Margaret.
Genre
satire

Austen's writing is satirical

her characters represent social types
Charlotte Palmer's foolishness
Mrs. Jennings humor
Anne Steele's vulgarity

sentimental novel
a story about family and love
love plots have a happy ending
Setting

19th century
Devonshire (countryside)
London (town)
Barton Park

Writing style

precise, clear narration

female perspective through Elinor's thoughts
linear narrative discourse
many details are provided even from the beginning

Language and tone

humor between the lines

Austen empathizes with her characters
she knows everything about them

Themes and Motifs

Love-Marriage-Wealth

love
different facets of love:
sincere love between Edward and Elinor
interested love between Willoughby and Miss Grey
characters must suffer in order to achieve true love (Marianne and Elinor)
marriage
is not necessarily a choice; it becomes a necessity
the role of marriage is to secure financial and social future
wealth
money influence the characters choices and decisions
Willoughbys marriage to Miss Grey
Edward's disinheritance
Family
Families can mean a lot of different things to different people. In Sense and Sensibility,
Austen depicts a wide range of family relationships that demonstrate this diversity of
meaning. For example, while she shows us many examples of how familial love can help
bring someone through a personal crisis, she also reveals how cruel and unfeeling families
can be at the same time.
For example, in this novel we have various types of families:
On the one hand we have the Dashwood family which is a united family from the beginning
to the end; they support each other and when they have to leave Norland they stay together.
Elinor advices Marianne and stays with her when she is ill.
On the other hand we have the Ferrars, which do not support each other. Edwards mother is
impartial and she doesnt listen to her sons wishes. When Edward tells her that he wants to
marry Lucy she disinherits him, but when Robert decides to marry Lucy she accepts.
E. g. "What are Mrs. Ferrars' views for you at present, Edward?"
"Are you still to be a great orator in spite of yourself?"
"No. I hope my mother is now convinced that I have no more talents than inclination for a
public life!"
"But how is your fame to be established? For famous you must be to satisfy all your family;
and with no inclination for expense, no affection for strangers, no profession, and no
assurance, you may find it a difficult matter."
The novel also describes the other Dashwoods, John and Fanny Dashwood. For them,
especially for Fanny, the most important thing is money; love and feelings are secondary. And

for Fanny family is constituted by only a few members (her husband, son, mother and
brothers).Unlike other families, in this case the wife has the power and takes the decisions.

Another type of family are the Middletons. They are a happy but dysfunctional family. Lady
Middleton is excessively fond of her children and she is also very interested in external
appearances; she wants to be friends with people belonging to the high class, regardless their
character. Her husband is a lively and merry person but, like his wife, he is very superficial
when he analyses people.
Home
Home is a recurrent theme in Austens novels; it also played an important role in Austens
life. In the 1800 she had to move with her family to Bath. Living her home behind she also
left a part of herself in Hampshire, that change having a major impact on her personality.
It was very hard for her to adapt in a new place and we can see this problem described in
Sense and Sensibility. The house is a major problem for almost all the characters; some of
them want a house in order to enlarge their fortune (John and Fanny), others want a home in
order to live decently (the Dashwoods), whereas another category includes those who want a
house because they associated it with the idea of individualism and economic independence.

Characters
Elinor Dashwood is a beautiful and balanced person, creating a contrast with the enthusiastic
and delightful, but somewhat unreasonable Marianne. In their family she is the voice of
common sense and reason. She is the one who thinks about the practical things, such as
where are they going to live, how should they best respond to their new neighbours or what
happens if Marianne isn't actually engaged to Willoughby. The fact that Elinor looks so
composed on the outside does not mean than on the inside she lacks the strong sentiments
that are exteriorised by Marianne.
Marianne Dashwood is the exact opposite of Elinor, thinking very rarely about what is
practical or proper. Marianne is all about sensibility and she thinks that someone should be
directed by feelings, instead of logic. She is euphoric and radiant and her happiness is
contagious. But after all the experiences that she went through with Willoughby she decides
to incorporate more practical elements into her life, and become more like her sister.
Edward Ferrars is a kind-hearted, well-informed and high-minded person. He is the kind of
man that is controlled by his family, especially by his mother. He is seeking for his purpose in
life.

Colonel Brandon is a combination of feeling and logic and comes off as the only real grownup in this whole cast of characters. Despite his stiff exterior he is a very kind person and a
sensitive soul. He is the prototype of the flawless gentleman
Lucy Steele is a person who manipulates others, being a clever and self-serving person. She
would do everything to climb on social ladders. Through the course of the novel, she
manages to break Elinor's heart, plague Edward's life for a number of years, then dump him
for his own brother, in the pursuit of financial fortune and social standing.
Mrs Jennings is a nice person that can at times become annoying. She enjoys gossiping, and
although she has good intentions she doesnt know where to stop once she begins doing
something. For instance, her favourite topics are Marianne and Elinor's relationships with
Edward and Willoughby, without being aware that at times her inquires are going too far.
Fanny Dashwood is a greedy person; she is always in pursuit of money. For her love and
happiness are secondary and she becomes ruthless when she wants to gain something.
John Willoughby is a genuine rake. Everywhere he goes he seems to leave broken hearts
behind, his charm having immediate effects on romantic girls like Marianne. At the beginning
even Elinor is taken in by his pleasantness for a while. Despite the fact that he loved
Marianne, money was more important for him.

Permeation into Gothic Fiction

Mocking:
-the sublime by having Marianne respond to the falling of leaves rather than to a more
impressive landscape
-the tyrannical father figure who becomes the powerless father in the person of Henry
Dashwood who affects his daughters future by letting his fortune and estate to his son after
his death
-the genteel demon lover represented by Willoughby who endangers Mariannes mental state,
whereas a typical gothic male character threatens physically