Sense and Sensibility

Sense And Sensibility is the first published work of Jane Austen and the simplest and the most straight forward.  The story revolves around the lives of two sisters – Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Elinor, 19, is the responsible one. She is the “sense” . on the other hand, Marianne, 17, is impulsive, out spoken and wears her heart on her sleeve. She is the “sensibility”. 

Elinor and Marianne’s story  starts with their father’s death and the shocking revelation that all of his wealth, including the family estate, Norland Park, is to be owned by their step brother John Dashwood. John Dashwood, inspite of being an honest man, is very gullible and is mostly bullied by his rich wife. He does not make any provisions for his step mother and three sisters who are left with no more than a few pounds. The story progresses with the introduction of many characters, some very bad choices on the part of Marianne and some very prudent choices of Elinor.

Even though it is the simplest works of Jane Austen, it is complex in terms of the characters. There are at least ten characters who are actively a part of the novel which would interest a Dicken’s fan but would seem too much for a person who reads contemporary. Also there are characters who the narrator strongly criticizes but strangely seem very positive later in the story. 

The best part of “Sense And Sensibility” is the near-constant irony of the narrator. Although I found the story lacking sometimes and at times, overly clichéd, I must say that it is by far the best Austen novel I have read. All thanks to the complexities of the characters and the beautiful but sometimes untrustworthy voice of Jane Austen.

To sum up, this novel is beautiful, near perfect and a must-read for anyone looking for a mix of familial relations and British provincial life with a dash of romance.