• Major Themes • Money/Inheritance • Laws surrounding inheritance are what put the Dashwood women in limbo at the beginning of the novel; and their lack of money, compounded with their inability to work, means that they cannot ease their situation, except through marrying well. Money also dictates the eligibility of Elinor and Marianne, as women with larger dowries are of course seen as better prospects for marriage.
• Self-sacrifice and selfishness • Elinor especially is a model of self-sacrifice, deciding to go to London for her sister's happiness, and trying her best to be civil to everyone to make up for Marianne's uncivil behavior. Marianne is the opposite, caring only for herself and her feelings; she needs Elinor's help and goodwill to get by, but needs to learn how to be giving toward others in order to become her own, independent person.
• Sense and Sensibility, revolves around Eli nor and Marianne, two daughters of Mr. Dash wood by his second wife. They have a younger sister ,Margaret ,and a older half－brother named John. When their father dies, the family estate passes to John, and the Dash wood women are left in re reduced circumstances. The novel follows the Dash wood sister to their new home, a cottage on a distant relative’s property, where they experience both romance and heartbreak. The contrast between the sisters’ is eventually resolved as they each find love and lasting happiness.
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Sense and Sensibility
《理智与情感》
Jane Austen
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Author Plot Themes Characters
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Jane Austen ,English writer(1775－ 1817) ,who first gave the novel its modern character through the treatment of everyday life . Her best－known books include PRIDE AND PREJUDICE(1813) and EMMA(1816).Virginia Woof called Austen “the most perfect artist among woood, the romantically inclined and eagerly expressive second daughter of Mr. and Mrs.Henry Dashwood. She is the object of the attentions of Colonel Brandon and Mr.Willoughby. She is attracted to young, handsome, romantically spirited Willoughby and does not think much of the older, more reserved Colonel Brandon. Marianne feels intensely about everything and loses her heart to an irresponsible seducer. “I could not be happy with a man whose taste did not in every point coincide with my own. He must enter into all my feelings; the same with books, the same music must charm us both.”
• Eli nor Dash wood, the sensible and reserved eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dash wood .She said, “I have frequently detected myself in such kind of mistakes”, “in a total misapprehension of character in some point or a note: fancying people so much gay or grave, or ingenious or stupid than they really are, and I can hardly tell why or in what deception. Sometimes one is guided by what they say of themselves, and very frequently be what other people say of them, without giving oneself time to deliberate and judge.” She becomes attached Edward Ferraris, still place her family and friends’ welfare and interests above her own ,and suppresses her own strong emotions. Just for keeping a secret for Lucy, she hides her disappointment and woks to convince Lucy she feels nothing for Edward.
• Expectations vs. reality • This is an especially important theme with regard to Marianne and her mother, whose romantic characters lead them to expect greater drama or trauma than actually appears. But reality always tends to subvert expectations, whether in life or in art, as accidents and unexpected twists and turns happen to everyone.
• Sense and Sensibility, is a love story, which reflect class difference, which reflect the people who pursues the loving and happiness. Throughout the novel, many characters develop expectation based on scarce evidence or faulty perception .
• Gender • There are very definite gender limitations involved in the society Austen describes; women cannot own property, are expected to stay in the home, marry, and be polite and good company. Men can decide whether or not to pursue a career if they have enough money, and have more latitude within society in regards to their behavior and life choices. Gender dictates acceptable roles and behavior, and even in the world of the novel, there is little room to deviate.
• Marriage • For Marianne and Elinor, marriage is not a choice, but a necessity; and their need to marry expediently and well is a pressing concern in the novel, as they look for suitors. Young men may choose more freely when and whom they marry, and Colonel Brandon is even 35 and still unmarried; but even for women who have money, marriage is necessary to secure their social positions and ensure financial stability for the future.