Sense and Sensibility (Oxford World's Classics)

The present novel is about two young women, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. They are part of a family living in Sussex. The family is of average financial means or a bit higher than average but the family loses its home when the father dies; and, the mother and sisters move to a smaller cottage in Devonshire. The novel follows the romances and complications of the two girls. Beyond knowing those facts, you should not read any more about the plot until you read the novel, or you will risk spoiling the read. I will not give away the plot, but will only describe the writing style and structure.

I read Austen's "Mansfield Park," then read some analysis by Nabokov from his Cornell "Lectures on Literature" and the comments of Jane Stabler from the introduction of the Oxford version. After that I got a bit excited and read Austen's early writing "Sense and Sensibility," along with the analysis by Margaret Doody in the Oxford version. Yes, I guess I am now an Austen fan, and it is a pity that she did not live longer. "Pride and Prejudice" is my third Austen novel and so far the most fun to read.

Based on the three novels written over two different time periods, it is clear that she developed a certain fixed writing style and a common structure. She uses the early pages to introduce the families, and other characters, and give start the story. She moves characters around from place to place in part for time shifting. She does a wrap up in the last few chapters.

Those opening chapters are an obstacle for most readers. She uses her own vocabulary and has an unusual way of structuring her prose. That structure is a trademark of Austen's writing. Also, she manages to work in a lot of drama and social issues with some humour and irony.

Based on what Nabokov and others are saying, she got her inspiration from Sheridan, Richardson, Henry Fielding, Sir Walter Scott, and the poetry of Cowper. She modulates the complexity of the prose to reflect the characters - such as making the sentences of Sir Thomas Bertram in "Mansfield Park" somewhat elaborate instead of describing how the character is dressed or a similar description to convey qualities and traits, i.e.: she uses the complexity of speech to convey character. Also, she uses lateral shifts and epigrammatic notations and similar literary techniques. These techniques are interesting for some readers but just confusing for others. It is all part of the price of admission to entering the world of Jane Austen, and it is part of the fun in reading her novels.

Overall, once you get past reading and digesting 50 pages or so and have absorbed the Jane Austen vocabulary (words such as felicity, remonstrance, countenance, etc.) and understand the structure of her prose, the book becomes a compelling read. The second Austen novel seems much easier than the first.

This was written by a young Jane Austen and honed for over a decade before being published. By way of comparison, it is an interesting read but less complicated than "Mansfield Park." It not as interesting nor as witty as "Pride and Prejudice." Still, it is a delightful and a pleasant read.

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY chronicles the young lives of two sisters, spirited Marianne and the more stable Elinor. After being driven away from home by their step-brother and his wife, the Dashwood family (Mrs. Dashwood, Marianne, Elinor, and younger sister Margaret) settles down in a small cottage in the countryside.

Each sister proceeds to fall in love in her unique way: Elinor quietly and seriously loves somewhat-awkward Edward, while Marianne impetuously and passionately gives her heart to the dashing Willoughby. As with most of Austen's works, disparity in social class and inconsistencies in personality cause the lovers turmoil.

Austen uses some of the satirical techniques that are so prevalent of her other works. While not as funny as her other satires, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY presents some characters' absurdities quite well.

When I read this at the age of 14 or so, I did not enjoy it nearly as much. Older readers will like the subtle humor that Austen invariably includes in her work.

Overall, a good introduction to the classic work of Jane Austen.

Austen's S&S follows the same line of experience that all of her other books seem to follow, down to the family of sisters and the problems of proper behavior and good connections. But like a truly masterful artist, she can write, essentially, the same story over and over again and still have it be exciting and interesting for all readers. This is a book that can be appreciated by anyone over the 6th grade, and possibly younger. It is a classic that should be a part of any avid reader's repetoire.

At first I was disgusted with this book; the characters seemed to be mere shadows of characters of P & P and Emma. However, as I continued reading I was pleasantly intrigued by the plot and the characters were more fully developed (although the still are quite similar to P & P and Emma characters). Although I really like P &P and Emma, I would say that their plots and endings were quite predictable. S & S leaves you in suspense and doubt until the last few chapters. A really great read--if you stick with it.

I picked up this book largely due to fond memories of [[ASIN:0743487591 Pride and Prejudice (Enriched Classics)]], but I found Sense & Sensibility is an excellent novel in its own right. I'm not sure why, but I was worried that it might be a bit dry. I needn't have been concerned, as the wit and story both sparkle from the first few pages and it only gets better as it goes along.

The basic plot involves two sisters who have been more or less cheated out of an inheritance and are struggling to find husbands and happiness. Elinor is the oldest and is very intelligent and wise (Sense) and her sister Marianne is all raw emotion and passion (Sensibility). How these two interact with the world, each other, as well as family and friends makes up the bulk of the book. They struggle to understand each other even as they slowly grow more alike... meeting not quite in the middle but closer than they were. The supporting characters are very engaging and I found myself rooting for most of them, even a couple who are not entirely good. There are a few characters (e.g. Mrs. Jenkins) who are caricatures meant to parody some of the social norms of the day but even she has some depth to her and is likeable.

I won't give the ending or any major plot points away but the story does move along well and has a fairly satisfying ending. I did think that a bit more attention could have been paid to Marianne at the end but in many respects Elinor is more the central character so it is perhaps fitting that the climax focuses more on her.

In sum, this is an excellent novel and well worth reading.

Jane Austen wrote 'Sense and Sensibility' under the name 'Elinor and Marianne' in a series of letters, between 1795 and 1796.

The story follows the Dashwood family of the deasced Mr. henry Dashwood, his two daughter in particular, Elinor and Marianne, who in the end make suitable matches.

Read this book plenty of times. Love it.

I paid 15 dollars for a ripped and used book…

This is a wonderful clasic and I was so happy to find it and it is in great condition!