Explain to Theme of Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen

Paper 5: Romantic Literature

Topic:

◙ Explain to Theme of Sense and Sensibility –Jane Austen

Name: Sagar G.Ladhva 
Roll No: 25
Semester : M.A. -2
Enrollment No: 14101022
Email.id: sagarladhva5507@gmail.com

  Submitted To: 

Smt.S.B.Gardi

Department  of English

MK.B.U. - Bhavanagr Universtity

With reference to  novelist: -

                                   The novel sense and sensibility written by female writer Jane Austen. She is a realist who draws her materials from actual life, as she sees it. There is nothing fantastic or fanciful as far she depicts the social life of her time.  Jane Austen is very famous in social tendency. In the whole novel Austen uses marriage as a plot and theme of the novel.

                             Jane Austen, the daughter of a Hampshire clergyman, was born at Steventon. She was educated at home; her father was a man of good taste in the choice of reading material, and Jane’s education was conducted on sound lines. Her life was unexciting, being little more than a series of pilgrimages to different places of residence, including the fashionable resort of Bath (1801) .On the death of the rector his wife and two daughters removed to the neighborhood of Southampton, where the majority of Jane Austen’s novels were written. Her first published works were issued anonymously, and she died in middle age, before her merits had received anything like adequate recognition. 

                              In this novel title to compare of Guajarati language literature name was like : ‘ZRGF VG[ ;\ZRGF’ – CZLJ<,E EFIF6L. In this book story about philosophy of human life and adventures. Austen works good presentations of human nature and relationship of about man and woman life.  

Main works of the Jane Austen like:  (

1. Austen wrote her first novel, Love and Friendship (sic), at the age of fourteen, though this piece of juvenilia was not published until 1922. In 1795 she wrote the epistolary (in the form of letters) novel, Elinor and Marianne, which she was later to rework and publish as Sense  and Sensibility.
2. Pride and Prejudice (1813),
3.  Other major novels by Austen were Mansfield Park (1814) and        Emma(1816).
4. Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were published posthumously in a four-volume collection in 1818.

                                            Here we disused Austen novel Sense and sensibility main theme. first look in this novel theme is simple way but some parts of novel divide from to complicated and difficult way through describing to novel. 

•       About story and Setting:

               The setting of the novel mainly takes place in the English Country side. It is in southern England. Here Austen Fictional estate Called NORLAND and CLEVELAND on the way between. The time is about 1800-1810.Neraly all of the Action involves the lives of the lesser gentry and wealthy people. Sense and sensibility novel about a girl that must leave their family home and beautiful Norland Park. When her father died,she and her mother Mrs.Dashwood , and her  sister, Elinor and Margret , must move to a small   cottage In  Devon. The girl falls in love with the has Elinor Misses Edward Ferrars .This book is cool because it has an interesting story.

- Sense / Sensibility:

                           The theme of the novel is very simple. In those novel Austen drawn to on the cusp between two cultural movements: Classicism and Romanticism. The distinction is most clearly symbolized by the psychological contrast between the novel's two chief characters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. 

Main Theme of S.&S.:

•  Sir Walter Scott writes about Jane Austen that,

  “That young lady had a talent for describing the involvements, feelings and characters of ordinary life...”

Let’s one by one explain of how to explore to reflect of Theme in this novel:

(1) Marriage: 

                           The principal theme of her novels is her matrimony. Generally the heroin after few false starts, meets the right man, and a series of misunderstandings and frustration occurs to delay but never to prevent their union.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 are more free to chose a life partner for marriage, for example Mr. Colonel Brandon reach at the age of 35 and still unmarried.For women who have money, marriage is necessary to secure their social positions and ensure financial stability for the future

Scene of Sense and Sensibility

Compare of  movie Krish

                                                           Marianne and Margaret decided to climb a high hill together, near the house. They began to run a fast down the hill Margret go to bottom, but Marianne fell and cools not get up again. A gentleman was walking near them with his dog. He saw the accident, and immediately came to help them.

                       In last Marriage scene -Sense and Sensibility

                         (2) Theme of Love:

             We are also know love is beautiful things of human life. Love is a many splendored thing, sure, but it's also a many troubled thing,if you ask Austen. In Sense and Sensibility, she shows us dramatically different facets of this crazy little thing we call love, from the joyful to the life-threatening. While love is certainly the driving force of the various plots we see in this novel, it's not always a good thing – in fact, more often than not, there's an edge of danger or tragic potential in it. Love, asserts this book, is wonderful and beautiful and all, but there's always a chance that it'll creep up behind you and attempt you in the back.Here Put this image  about how to  conflict between relationship to each other love-affair of this novel.    

(3)      Judgment:

                   In interactions with other people, judgment is always at work; a person must determine who a person really is and what they want, in order to avoid those who could potentially be hurtful. These judgments can be flighty and unjust, as Marianne's appraisals of most of her acquaintance are, or blinded by kindness, as Mrs. Jennings’judgment of Lucy Steele is.

(4)      Jealousy :

                Relates mostly to Lucy Steele, and is the prime determinant of her behavior toward Elinor. Willoughby also becomes jealous of Colonel Brandon marrying Marianne, and other, petty jealousies become evident in characters. Indicates insecurity, or poor character.

(5)       Appearance vs. reality :

               Pertains to character especially, as many characters in the novel present themselves as one thing, and end up being another. John Willoughby is the best example of this, as he seems romantic, open, and genuine, but ends up exposing himself as vain, idle, and cruel.

      "Tell me, Willoughby- for Heaven's sake, tell me, what is the Truth?" Marianne  to Willoughby.

                 Also pertains to Lucy Steel, who ends up conniving, despite her innocent appearance. at first she engaged with Edward and then she come to know that Robert is the inherent of property, she engaged with him and left Edward.

(6)Expectations vs. reality:

   

               Here example of Social Media of facebook. There is Realize of such in Expectations VS Reality. Some time same as social relationship of man and other human beings are Drive to good or bad   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.

“To wish was to hope, and to hope was to expect”

But reality always tends to subvert expectations, whether in life or in art, as accidents and unexpected twists and turns happen to everyone.

(7) Moderation :

                  Marianne must learn moderation of her emotions if she is to become independent of Elinor and become an adult; her trials serve to teach her about her excesses, and luckily, she does come to improve herself and become a much better, more caring person toward others.

                          “That is what I like; that is what a young man ought to be. Whatever be his pursuits, his eagerness in them should know no moderation, and leave him no sense of fatigue.”

(8)  Secrecy :

               Usually an indication of wrongdoing on someone's part, as is especially evident in Willoughby; his sudden unwillingness to share information with Marianne and the Dashwoods indicates mistakes made on his part. On the other hand, as with Edward, secrecy can be a sign of discretion, though when his secret is revealed it is damaging as Willoughby's is.

(9) Hypocrisy:

               A vast number of characters in the novel embody this trait to varying degrees; John and Fanny(to him his father asked to look after his three sisters )

 "Indeed, to say the truth, I am convinced within myself, that your father had no idea of your giving them any money at all."  -  Fanny Dashwood to her husband..

                        Fanny Dashwood to her husband Lady Middleton(Sir Middleton is good fellow who gave resort to Mrs.Dashwood).The Steele girls(who tries to keep secret of their love from each other, and tried to be more rich than their reality). Mrs.Ferrars(as she disinherited Edward from her property only   because he engaged secretly).

•      

(10)  Money/Inheritance:

                                 Laws surrounding inheritance are what put the Dashwoods women in critical situation at the beginning of the novel. Their lack of money, compounded with their inability to work, means that they cannot come out from their situation, except through marrying well, and marrying with rich guy is the only way. Money also dictates the eligibility of Elinor and Marianne, as women with larger dowries are of course seen as better prospects for marriage.

                                        Elinor argues that it was her duty to keep her emotions in control. For one thing, she made a promise to Lucy to continue to keep her engagement to Edward a secret. Not only that, Elinor knew just how much hearing of Edward's engagement would upset Marianne and her mother; therefore, she was eager to protect them by keeping them from finding out. Marianne, on the other hand, feels it's her right to express her grief, even at the cost of hurting other people. However, she soon understands that her philosophy about unguarded emotion was wrong. She even understands that her behavior had been selfish and had nearly cost her her life, as we see in her lines:

           Saw that my own feelings had almost led me to the grave. My illness, I well knew, had been entirely brought on by myself by such negligence of my own  health, as I had felt even at the time to be wrong. –  Ch-46

                                      Hence, we see that Austen is showing us that all things must be governed by sense, even one's sensibilities, or emotions, making sense vs. sensibility the main theme.

Self-sacrifice and selfishness :

•  Elinor especially is a model of self-sacrifice, At first she left Edward for the sake of her mother and sisters and started living at Barton Park. “I will be calm. I will be mistress of myself.” 

• “But remember that the pain of parting from friends will be felt by everybody at times, whatever be their education or state. Know your own happiness. You want nothing but patience; or give it a more fascinating name: call it hope.” 

•  Then she 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.

To wind up.....

                               The main theme in this novel is the danger of excessive sensibility(too emotional). The sentimentalism was the very popular at that time. Austen is concerned to emphasizing the emotional and sentimental nature of people rather than their rational endowments.

    “I could not be happy with a man whose taste did not in every point coincide with my own. He must enter in all my feelings;the same books, the same music must charm us both.”-      (Marrianne) 

                          Samuel Richardson's portrayal of women in his novel has some influence on Austen’s novel also. As we can see in the character of Marianne who immediately falls in love with John Willoughby without knowing his background.

In last very hart touchable line in this lien about to love like that: