The Romantic Literature

Unit - 3

Significance of the Title : "Sense and Sensibility"

Sense and sensibility is a Romance novel written by Jane Austen. The story of the novel includes the life and love of Dashwood sisters Elinor an Marianne. They experience love, romance, betrayal and hartbreak. The resolution of the novel is ambiguous.

Elinor Dashwood is the sensible eldest daughter of tar and tars Henry Dashwood. She is fourteen years old at the beginning of the novel. She becomes attached to Edward ferrars. The brother in law of her elder half-brother John. She always feels a sense of responsibility to her family and friends as well. She thinks of their welfare and suppresses her own strong emotions in a way that others think that she is indifferent or cold hearted.

Marianne Dashwood is so romantic and expressive daughter of Mr. and Mrs Henry Dashwood. She  is sixteen years old at the beginning of the book. She becomes the object of the attentions of colonel Brandon and Mr Willoughby. Willoughby is handsome, young and has characteristics of romanticizing. She does not think much of colonel Brandon. Her development throughout the novel is important with the time she realizes of her own lacks and over sensibilities which have became selfish and then she decides to be like her elder sister Elinor. She should have that type of sense and understanding of each and every matter.

To understand the contrast between "Sense" and "Sensibility" is necessary and it has much importance. There is the psychological contrast between the novel's two chief characters, Elinor and Marianne. Elinor represents qualities of "Sense" reason, logic, restraint, social responsibilities and a concern for the welfare of others. In contrast, Marianne, her younger sister, devotion to love and feelings, impulsiveness. Their different attitudes toward the men they love and how to express that love reflect their oppoorte natures.

This dichotomy between "Sense" and "Sensibility" has cultural and historical resonances as well. Austen has written this novel around the 18th century, regarding two cultural movements : Classicism  and Romanticism. Elinor represents the characteristics associated with 18th century, including rationality, reason, logic, insight, Judgment, balance and moderation. In contract, Marianne represents. The qualities associated with "Sensibility" including romance, love, emotions, dedication to the beauty of nature. There are too many examples and proofs in the novel which show how both the characters express their nature and characteristics of sense and sensibility through their behaviour.

How the money, Marriage establish the important role in society and economical concerns play vital role in this novel. Jane Austen wants us to understand the material realities how it forces us to love and to be married. She portrays the tension between reasonable economic concerns and romantic dreams through the characters of Eliner and Marianne. There is a vast difference between both. Eliror's sense and Marianne's 'Sensibility' the duality gets established throughout the novel. Elinor has a good understanding of everything. She has coolness of judgement. She has sensible attitude. In contrast Marianne who reasnbles their mother is "everything but prudent". She longs for a man with taste, grace, spirit in his eyes. Marianne considers her sister cold-hearted regards to Edward Ferrars. Elinor is only a sensible and rational woman.

We can find the sensibility of Marianne and Mrs Dashwood in their excessive mourning over the deaths of the two Men first old Mr. Dashwood and then Henry Dashwood. As compared to grief of Elinor it is silent grief.

Marianne's character has been portrayed emotionally and we can have a proof before departing Marianne wonders. The grounds of Norland uttering sad, words "Dear ! Dear Norland..... oh ! happy house..... . She is leaving behind not just her home but all beautiful memories and a man she has grown, and she has been taken care by her father. It shows the sensibility and emotional nature of Marinne.

Elinor loves to appreciate the nobility, gravity of Brandon. Unlike Marianne appearances do not dazzle the Elinor. Willoughby at first seems like a kind gentleman, she immediately becomes suspicious of his impulsivity and lack of prudences.

As compared to Elinor and Marianne there is a contrast between colonel Brandon who is a man of good sense, Mature, with the understanding and Willoughby has excessive sensibility. Brandon like Elinor is well-road, wise, whereas Willoughby is romantic and headstrong like Marianne. Both of these Men are attracted to Maranne. Willoughby has much in common with her. Marianne and her preference for Willoughby brings disastrous consequences and it shows the danger and harm of excessive sensibility and there should be observation looking beyond appearances while judging characters.

Eliror and Brandon's discussion of "second attachments" is well-known development in the novel. Almost every character except Elinor falls in love more than once. Marianne falls in love with Willoughby but grows to love more sensible colonel. Colonel loves Marianne. Marianne reminds him of a woman he loved before, Ferrars Marries Elinor only after a long engagement to lucy, steel, John Willoughby expresses her devotion to Marianne but then marries the wealthy miss sophia arey. Iven Mr Henry Dashwood had two cwives. In her discussion Eliror seems to have no problem with second attachments. It is only she (Elinor) who Marries the first man she knows and loves. These all incidents and matters show how the characters behave and what they think with sense or sensibility.

When Marianne uses the term "Attachment" it seems individual, subjective feeling of falling in love, a term related to the novel's motion of "Sensibility". The counterpart of their term is "connection". Which refers to the bond "emotional attachment" is related to the notron of "sense". Marianne's relationship with willoughby is described as an attachment whereas when Elinor speaks of her relationship to Edward, she points out the lack of any formal connection between than.

The novel deals with the them of the role of appearance in judging characters. Eliror consistently prevents from judging other character on the basis of appearances alone. This shows Elinor's nature of sense and understanding the wely she acts, thinks, reacts, handler the situation. When Mrs Jennings claims to Brandon is interested in Marianne, Elinor does not, believe it and is not convinced of this fact until Boandon comes to her to discuss Marianne's sensibilities. Each and every incident shows Elinor's rationality and maturity a genuine and obvious insight. Mrs Dashwood and Margaret conclude that Marianne and Willoughby are engaged but Elinor remains skeptical until they both announce about their engagement. Elinor's thinking regarding appearances that those appearances should be confirmed by words. This is another, example of dichotomy in the novel's title.

Marianne's much more emotional nature, romanticism reflect in her behaviour when she behaves as she believes a disappointed lover ought to act. She expresses her grief by reading what she and willoughly read together and by singing only their sons at the piano. The way she remembers and recalls her romantic and lovely memories with her lover shows her high sensibilities. How love and betrayal, departure from lover affect and it hurts her much because of her nature and sensibilities. She draws her mother and Elinor into her mother and Elinor into her own grief, gloom. She makes others unhappy as poossible. Marianne cannot control herself and prevent herself from expressing her grief and it shows her high sensibility, But Elinor as compared to marianne does different and instead of expressing and sharing her grief she tries to conceal her pains from her family when she believes Edward no longer cares for her. She sits alone at table in silent thought and it shwos her 'sense' who does not want to bother others even her own family members.

One of the themes is value of privacy and confusions result from secrecy and concealment. Since Marianne conceals any sort of understanding that may exist between herself and willoughby about their status as a couple. Mrs Dashwood and Elinor can only predict. speculate about their status. Elinor's high conduct of sense reflect in her behavior when she does not greet ferrars with the warm and open regard of a lover but she always awaits his reaction as he is not in hurry in his emotions and it makes Elinor wonder if his feelings have changed. As compared to Marianne she seems to be absorbed in her romantic ideas. She cannot control her sensibilities whereas Elinor knows how to Love and how to maintain relations but she is nature and understands the situation, how to behave and react, how to handle. For Marianne loves comes first and if love has been destroyed or betrayed. She is not able to overcome from that situation and she seems to be very sensitive, possessive and coannot prevent herself from expressing her grief and pains before others. How Elinor's sense reflects in her behaviour and how Marrianne sensibility reflects in her expressions and way of acting or reacting have been portryaed well.

There is a contrast between Dashwood sisters and the steels. The ofeels  lack education. Anne ofeel is thirty - plain - looking , simple minded whereas the Dashwood girls are beautiful and insightful. Lucy is smart, pretty, but lacks education which she has not achieved. Elinor is accomplished in drawing while Marianne is in playing piano as if Jane Austen in her own time she studied drawing, painting and piano. Women of Genteel classes  were expected to acquire  skills. But the steels have no such skills. The main purpose of these skills was to help a woman acquire a husband so with this reference again Elinor's sense plays vital role in the novel. Elinor is an educated woman with skills and understanding so she had a reason to be surprised when the unaccomplished lucy steel announced her secret engagement to Edward Ferrars. Elinor values sense, education, good-will of others, skills etc. Lucy's revelation is a critical turning point in Elino'r thinking because now her hopes of marrying ferars are over. It will be futile to think of ferrars again becuase he has been engaged for a long time. We can find her higher sense through the way she digests the news and it shows her characteristic sense and rationality. She also reasons that Edcord's engagement to lucy must have been the product of a youthful fatuation rather than a genuine affection. One of the most excellent things and qualities of Elinor is she always thinks from other's prospective also she is able to understand. She thinks practically if at has happened or someone has done this then she will think of logic and reason or circumstances. She always thinks from a reasonable and genuine perspective.

Inspite of having the proof of Willoughby's selfish inconstant character Marianne still has some expectations for her meeting to Willoughby. It shows her nature. In spite  of being hurted how that love matters for her so highly sensibility and emotional state of mind is shown will. She also travels to town and accompanies Mrs. Jennings. How she has been waiting, for many days and Willoughby doesn't  come. Here Elinor too thinks of Willoughby because she thinks of the welfare of her sister and her concern again shows her rational thinking because she is practical, has sense but she loves her family, her sister and if her sister meets willoughby it would be better for Marianne because her condition is too miserable. Elinor also understands and knows very well if her sister spends her life with that inconstant selfish, person she will be in trouble and she will have to suffer but the condition and circumstances require Willoughby so here the extreme kind  of maturity and understanding have been shown on the part of Elinor.

The contrast and difference between Elinor seems in their reactions to their lovers' insensitive treatement. Elinor thinks she does not have to share, lucy's news about Edward with her mother and sister wherease Marianne's grief cannot be imagined. She expresses her pain through her behavior and can't control herself from showing genuine grief to others. Marianne insists through her grief that "I care not who knows that I am wretched." Her attempt to claim intimacy with Willoughby at the party shows the dangers of showing one's fellings publicaly and contracts with Elinor's nature who seems more careful and she is more cautions restraint. When Marianne arrives at cleveland with Elinor with Mrs Jennings her melancholy nature still remains there. She takes walks in the evenings. She become ill because of violent cold. Her illness is a proff of her excessive romantic sensibility. The way she has been suffering is miserable. The rejection of her lover mother, show her sensibility. Her illness is not only related to physical toody  but also the soul. How she is hurted, betrayed in love which comes first for her. Her illness is due to mental fains as well.

Elinor must not only deal with her sister's illness but also with the individual who was responsible for her condition. It was too difficult for her to forgive Willoughby and take care of her sister or to trust willoughby instead of his vicious, inconstant nature. The way she acts and handles the situation it shows her "sense". When they were in London, Elinor concluded that willoughby was villain, but now she comes to pity with him. Elinor perhaps finds it easier to forgive him because she knows ultimately he has suffered - and will continue to suffer for his misconduct. He has entered into a loveless inarrige with a woman him happy. Elinor knows now that his love for marianne was genuine in spate of his inappropriate behavior. Even the rational and restrained Elinor moves to forgive Willoughby after hearing his confession.

Elinor, though representing sense, does not, lack passion and Marianne, though representing sensibility is not always foolish and headstrong but genuine too. In this  novel Jane, Austen seems to argue not for the dismissal of of sensibility but for the creation of a balance between reason and passion. Too much sensibility may harm it is proved through Marianne's character and too little feeling is also dangerous as dangerous as too much.

Elinor and Marianne achieve happiness at the end of the novel but they learn from one another together. They show how to feel and express their sentiments. The novel's success is not a result of the triumph of sense over sensibility but need to remember sense and sensibility as a conjunction. Thus the title has been given to the novel through two main characters sense and sensibility.