1.
Biography
of Jane Austen
·
Name: Jane Austen.
·
Born: December 16,
1775, in Steventon, Hampshire, England.
·
The seventh child and second daughter of
Cassandra and George Austen.
·
Her father served as the Oxford-educated
rector for a nearby Anglican parish.
·
Austen's comic novels of love among the
landed gentry gained popularity after 1869, and her reputation skyrocketed in
the 20th century.
·
In the 1790s, her first own novel is Love
and Freindship, a parody of romantic fiction organized as a series of love
letters.
·
The next year she wrote The History of
England..., a 34-page parody of historical writing that included illustrations
drawn by Cassandra.
·
She continued to write, developing her
style in more ambitious works such as Lady Susan.
·
Jane also started to write some of
her future major works, the first called Elinor and Marianne, another
story told as a series of letters, which would eventually be published as Sense
and Sensibility.
·
Now in her 30s, Jane started to anonymously
publish her works. In the period spanning 1811-16, she pseudonymously published
Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice (a work she referred to as her
"darling child," which also received critical acclaim), Mansfield
Park and Emma.
·
Today, Austen is considered one of the
greatest writers in English history, both by academics and the general public.
In 2002, as part of a BBC poll, the British public voted her No. 70 on a list
of "100 Most Famous Britons of All Time."
·
The popularity of her work is also
evident in the many film and TV adaptations of Emma, Mansfield Park, Pride and
Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility,
as well as the TV series and film Clueless, which was based on Emma.
·
In 1816, at the age of 41, she made
impressive efforts to continue working at a normal pace, editing older works as
well as starting a new novel called The Brothers, which would be published
after her death as Sanditon.
·
She died on July 18, 1817, in
Winchester, Hampshire, England.
2.
Review of
Sense and Sensibility’s Jane Austen Novel
Sense
and Sensibility, novel by Jane Austen that was published anonymously in three volumes in 1811 and
that became a classic. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austin has been reviewed
by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine. The satirical, comic
work offers a vivid depiction of 19th-century middle-class life as it follows
the romantic relationships of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood.
Summary
Sense
and Sensibility tells the story of the impoverished
Dashwood
family, focusing on the sisters Elinor and
Marianne, personifications of good sense (common sense) and sensibility
(emotionality), respectively. They become destitute upon the death of their father, who leaves his home,
Norland Park, to their half brother, John. Although instructed to take care of
his sisters, John is dissuaded of his duty by his greedy wife, Fanny. The
family—which, in addition to Elinor and Marianne, includes their mother and a
younger sister—moves to Barton Cottage in Devonshire. There the open and enthusiastic Marianne meets Colonel Brandon, a staid and settled bachelor 20 years her senior. Although
he expresses an interest in Marianne, she discourages his attention and instead
becomes infatuated with the attractive John Willoughby, who seems to be a
romantic lover but is in reality an unscrupulous fortune hunter. He deserts
Marianne for an heiress, and she eventually makes a sensible marriage with
Colonel Brandon.
During
this time, Marianne’s elder sister, the prudent and discreet Elinor, and Edward Ferrars, Fanny’s brother, have formed an attachment. However, she
is outwardly reserved about her affections, especially after learning that he
has been secretly engaged to Lucy Steele for several years. Although Edward
loves Elinor, he is determined to honour his commitment to Lucy. When the
engagement is revealed, Edward is disowned, and Colonel Brandon offers him a
living as a clergyman. Later Elinor is told that Mr. Ferrars has married.
Believing that the Mr. Ferrars in question is Edward, she is both shocked and
relieved to discover that Lucy has wed Edward’s brother, Robert. Edward arrives
at Barton Cottage and proposes to Elinor, who accepts.
Christian Beliefs:
Edward Ferrars does not want the life of an English gentleman and would rather
be a curate in a small parish. He eventually gets his dream when Colonel
Brandon offers him the parsonage at Delaford. Willoughby remarks that God
should be praised when he hears the news that Marianne will recover from her
illness. "Lord bless you" and "God bless you" are spoken
several times.
Other Belief Systems:
None
Authority Roles:
Mr. Dashwood entreated his son and heir to provide generously for his
stepmother and stepsisters upon his death, but John Dashwood accepts his wife's
selfish counsel. Mrs. Dashwood is a loving mother, but rather too easily swayed
by emotions and romance to provide cautionary advice to Marianne.
Profanity/Violence:
God's name is used as an exclamation of surprise with the words oh, good and
gracious. "Lord!" is a favorite expression of Mrs. Jennings.
Kissing/Sex/Homosexuality:
Colonel Brandon tells Elinor of his love for a girl named Eliza. Although not
described in detail, Eliza was unfaithful to her husband with several men. She
had an illegitimate daughter. The daughter became Brandon's ward. While on
holiday in Bath with a girlfriend, Brandon's ward was seduced by Willoughby. He
left her soon after without giving her a way to contact him when she discovered
she was pregnant with his child. Brandon has placed her in a home in the
country until her child is born.
Analysis
and Reception
The novel
had a long period of gestation. Austen began writing it about 1795, and she
initially titled it Elinor and Marianne. She significantly revised it in
1809. It was her first published novel, and she paid to have it published. Sense
and Sensibility contained what would become Austen’s trademark features:
insightful observation, astute characterization, and dazzling wit. There has long been
debate whether Austen favoured one quality over the other—sense or
sensibility—or whether she favored an equal dose of both as the best recipe for
life.
Sense
and Sensibility was a success upon publication, and
it later was adapted for film, stage, and television. Among the most notable adaptations is the 1995 movie, which was directed by Ang Lee and starred Emma
Thompson (Elinor), who won an Academy Award for her adapted screenplay; Kate
Winslet (Marianne); Hugh Grant (Edward Ferrars); and Alan
Rickman (Colonel Brandon). A critical and
commercial success, the movie spurred a resurgence of interest in Austen’s
novels.
3.
5 Elements of Story “ Sense and Sensibility”:
Ø PLOT
Introduction:
1.
Widowed Mrs. Dashwood and daughters
must leave their home.
Rising Action:
2.
A wealthy relative provides a
cottage for the Dashwoods.
4.
Elinor and Marianne meet gentlemanly
Colonel Brandon.
5.
Marianne meets and falls in love
with charming Willoughby.
6.
Brandon departs for London with
rumor-generating haste.
7.
Willoughby leaves Barton Park,
apparently sorry to go.
8.
Elinor learns of Edward and Lucy's
secret engagement.
9.
Marianne learns that Willoughby has
married an heiress.
10.
Edward's mother disowns him; Brandon
offers him employment.
11.
As Marianne lies ill, Willoughby
confesses all to Elinor.
Climax
12.
Lucy marries Robert, freeing Edward
to propose to Elinor.
Falling Action
13.
Edward seeks reconciliation with his
mother.
14.
Mrs. Ferrars restores part of
Edward's inheritance.
15.
Elinor and Edward marry and live at
Delaford.
Resolution
16.
Marianne comes to love Brandon; they
marry as well.
Ø SETTING
Place: This
novel moves between the town and the country, Devonshire and London (England).
Time: Early
19th century.
Social Condition:
The Dashwoods move are those of the middle classes (and believe us, there are
about a million different levels of "middle class" operating here).
Ø CHARACTER
Protagonis: Elinor
Dashwood and Marianne Dashwood
Antagonis: Society
Ø POINT OF
VIEW
Third Person (Omniscient)
This is a
textbook third person omniscient narrator – we have a privileged view inside
the minds of most of the characters, and Austen's strong narratorial voice
takes us in and out of the people that populate this novel. However, the
narration tends to focus our perspective through Elinor's thoughts most often,
and we find our own opinions most clearly influenced by hers. Notably, Austen
is primarily concerned with showing us the female perspective here – though we
occasionally get to see "inside" Edward or John, we mostly stick
close to the women in the novel, and get to know them better than anyone else.
Ø THEME
The title
itself is a clue to another theme of the book, of course, and the two sisters
are the living examples of both the strengths and weaknesses of being either
too practical (sense) or emotional (sensibility).
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