Analyzing and Interpreting Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen Part I

Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility probably left more an impression on me as a little boy than I would have expected. Though I had seen the 1995 edition of it long before this, around the age of twelve, I would begin to take a more serious note of the story based on the films of I that had seen. It wasn't that I liked a film about early 19th century romance, it was just that I thought that Sense and Sensibility was truly a good story. Exactly why I thought so, I am not certain, but the story was one I was familiar since I was very young. One thing is possibly for certain though, no matter what Jane Austen work is your favorite, Sense and Sensibility is possibly the most emotionally driven. 

Austen's first work, Sense and Sensibility, certainly was not published right after the author completed it. The book was written in 1795, then revised in 1795-1797 and 1809, and not published until 1811. Later in 1813, a revised edition would be published, which is the currently read edition. Originally called Elinor and Marianne, Sense and Sensibility is about the sense, Elinor, and the sensibility, Marianne. 

 In early 2019, I would buy a copy of it and read it swiftly through. It was one of the few books that I had ever read, that I thought was thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end.
So I have been rereading Sense and Sensibility for the second time. As perhaps would be expected,  I have picked up things in rereading it that I did not get the first time.  That said, this post is an addition to my first posts that were reviews of the book. What I want to demonstrate here though, is more about touching on the literary work itself rather than on why I like it.
 Yes, I am a fan of Jane Austen's works. I certainly plan to read all her works eventually, and not just her novels, but also her non-fiction works. However, as I said above, this post is not about reasons I like Jane Austen or Sense and Sensibility, but rather themes and influence found in Sense and Sensibility that have given literary impact.
 To start off, I'd like to give quotes from a notable literary figure on the text and influence of Sense and Sensibility.
{ Speaking of Sense and Sensibility,} ''gives us all the agony of passion the human heart can feel...it is here that we find the human heart in English Prose narrative for the first, and, alas, for the last time.'' -George Moore, novelist.

Jane Austen took on many forms of writing including Gothic. However, the ''Sentimental Novel'' is what she is most known for. This is perhaps never more true, than in Sense and Sensibility, which heavily builds upon the emotional relationship of the Dashwood sisters, both to each other, and to those around them. Austen demonstrates in Sense and Sensibility, not just make the romance in her stories seem real, but the very heart of Marianne Dashwood, and the mind of Elinor Dashwood.

 A concurring them of the story is comparing and contrasting the Dashwood sisters. The story shows their disappointments throughout in several suitors, yet constantly shows the difference in reaction to their situations. Elinor, holds from within much that happens throughout, while Marianne assumes she alone is in grave pain. The maturity of Eleanor is thus contrasted largely with the immaturity of her younger sister. On the flip side, Marianne is more in touch with her feelings than is Eleanor with her own. By the end of the story, both sisters come to a more middle ground. The personality of both sisters, would later lay the foundation for Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice.
 It surprised me recently learning that all of Jane Austen's works were presented as written by anonymous in her life. It would be after her death, that her brother would make known the author of these books. I suppose we owe him a little credit too then, for unmasking the writer behind such great classics. 

  I will have more to say later. Enjoy your week! 

 Further Sources: The Companion to English Literature edited by Margaret Drable, Introduction to Sense and Sensibility by Margaret Drable, Merriam Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature edited by Kathleen Kuiper, Sense and Sensibility: An Annotated Edition edited by Patricia Meyer Spacks.