SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

Jane Austen

Jane Austen (16 December 1775-18 July 1817) was an English novelist whose social

commentary and masterful use of free indirect speech, burlesque and irony have earned

her a place as one of the most widely-read and best-loved writers in British literature.

Her novels, mainly Sense and Sensibility, were the "successful resolutions" of the 18^th

century novel.

The novel Sense and Sensibility was published in 1811 and it was the first novel of Jane

Austen that was published.She didn`t used at first her real name, just a pse 18318y249s udonym "A

Lady". It had a big success that was brought also nowadays in the cinema.

The novel created the story of a rich family from Mr.Dashwood that because of his death

brought to his family misfortune. His estate was left to his only son John.His second wife

with whom he had three daughters, Elinor, Marianne, Margaret didn`t become anything

but with pity was helped by John and his selfish and meen wife Fanny. The Dashwood

women wanted another place to live and decided to move from Norland to Devonshire.

At their new home they will discover love but also heartbreaks.Their lives will totally

change.

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In that house was also staying Mrs. Jennings and Colonel Brandon, an old friend of Sir

John.This Lady is teasing the Colonel and Marianne that they should marry, but Mariane

is upset about it and says that he is an old 35 years old bachelor incapable of falling in

love.

Marianne has an accident and sprains her ankle but is rescued by the young and cute Mr.

Willoughby who rescues her and brought her home. For that, he gets the symphaty of

Marianne. From that moment he comes daily to visit Marianne and her mother and the

two sisters thinks that they are secretly engaged. The young Willoughby announces her

that he must go for one year long to London.Marianne is devastated.

Elinor becomes visit from her lover Edward Ferrars but he no longer loves her, or is what

he thinks. Elinor`s family has faith in Edward and in his love for her.

After a while, two cousins of the sisters Anne and Lucy Steele came to stay at Barton

Park.

Sir John tells Lucy that Elinor is in love with Edward but she shocking responded that she

has been secretly engaged with Edward for four years now.

Elinor realizes that she was naïve and fullish and Edward was lying all about the

engagement but he doesn`t want to disappoint or hurt her and doesn`t break the engage-

ment. Elinor on the other hand hides her suffering and disappointment and tells Lucy

that she fells nothing for Edward.

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Elinor and Marianne spend the winter at Mrs. Jenning`s in London. Marianne will also

suffer when she finds out trough a letter that the young Willoughby has been lying her

and was engaged to a Miss Grey a very wealthy and high-born woman and is breaking

their relations up. Marianne confeces to Elinor that they were never engaged and that she

still loves Willoughby but he led her believe that he loved her and was dishonest.

Elinor found out from Colonel Brandon that Willoughby has seduced Brandon`s ward

Eliza Williams but abandoned her when she became pregnant.

With the curiosity of Anne Steele, Mrs. Ferrars discoveres Edward and Lucy`s

engagement. Elinor and Marianne feel sorry for Edward.He plans to make something

for his living and for that, Colonel Brandon gives the living of the parish of Delaford.

The sisters end their stay in London and return back home. There Marianne very hurt

gets very ill. Mr.Palmer is advised to leave the house with his family because of the

dangerous fever of Marianne.

Willoughby tells Elinor that he got married with that rich woman but that he was still in

love with poor Marianne and hopes on forgiveness.

On the other hand Colonel Brandon tells Mrs. Dashwood that he was in love with

Marianne. Marianne recovers and Elinor tells her about the visit of her former lover.

She says that she wouldn`t have been happy with him and that she got ill because her

sensibility and suffering.She became more strong now and wise.

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Lucy has married Mr.Ferrars and this thing brings Elinor so much suffering. Her mother

sees that and realises that she had strongly loved Edward and didn`t do anything to help

them to be togheter.

The next day Edward arrives and told Elinor that his brother married Lucy and not he.

Edward asks Elinor to marry him and she accepts.They move from Elinor`s home to live

happy away.

Over the next two years, Mrs. Dashwood, Marianne and Margaret spent their time at

Delaford. Marianne decides eventually to marry the Colonel, even though she fells more

respect for him rather than real love.After a while she discovers that she truly loves him.

They moved near Elinor and Edward so that they can visit each other and be close.

It is said that the title of the book describes how Elinor and Marianne find a balance

between sense and sensibility in their life and in love.

The novel is a sentimental novel and belongs to the literary form of sentimentalism which

is though distinguished from sensibility.

It is used as an execive emotion in order to enjoy it and as an optimistic overemphasis of

the goodness of humanity also called sensibility.

Sensibility is the opposite of rationalism and is based on feelings.

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The sentimental novel or the novel of sensibility started in the 18^th century as a literary

genre witch has the most impotant factor the emotional and intellectual concepts of

felling, sentimentalism, sensibility.

Authors that have used sentimentalism in their works are Samuel Richardson in' Pamela'

or Laurence Sterne, Tobias Smollet, Henry Fielding and others.

POPANDRON DOINA MARIA

AN 1

SECTIA GERMANA ENGLEZA

UNIVERSITATEA BABES BOLYAI

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