Austen's first and one of the finest

One of the best things about being in a romantic literature class that focuses solely on Austen's work is that I'm finally reading some classic texts I've been trying to read for years! Sense and Sensibility, Austen's first published novel, is one of these classic works. Reading the Broadview version/edition of this text proved to be even more helpful in my endeavor to start and finish this book. One of my favorite things about this novel was how much I learned about its author and the social climate she was writing in. I learned about Austen's early life and difficulties in getting this book published as a woman. I learned about how this book speaks to the concepts of "sense," "sensibility," and "susceptibility" (three hotly-debated concepts in the realm of late 18th century social politics). And I learned about how Austen's clever writing says so much more about women, finances, love, and marriage than a first look reveals. My class repeatedly questioned how the title implies that "sense" and "sensibility" are to coexist, that one is not better or more refined than the other. We also continually analyzed how the characters modeled after "sense," chiefly Elinor, contributed to the stereotype of a more formal and logical, less emotional woman, and how her younger sister, Marianne, models the emotional and romantic tendencies of a woman ruled by a sensible disposition. One of my chief takeaways from this novel is that while it may seem like a love story on the surface (as Austen has garnered a reputation for writing romance novels), it is in actuality a lot more about money and the social game that marriage was for men and women alike during Austen's time. Seeing how the men in the story as well as the women either lean into elements of "sense" or "sensibility" all comes together to remind readers that this book follows the many interconnected lives of extremely wealthy people playing a tricky game involving fortunes and suitable matches. I loved the main plot twist concerning the complex, conniving Lucy Steele among the more subtle twists in the narrative that made me realize I wasn't really reading a love story at all, but rather a story full of characters striving for love in the midst of social obstacles and hyper fixations on money. I definitely recommend this book despite its daunting language -- read the Broadview version, it's helpful and worth it!



Some of my favorite quotes from Sense and Sensibility:

"I wish, as well as everybody else, to be perfectly happy; but, like everybody else, it must be in my own way."

"It isn’t what we say or think that defines us, but what we do."

"When I fall in love, it will be forever." (like the classic song :)

"The more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!"

"It is not everyone,′ said Elinor, ‘who has your passion for dead leaves."

"Always resignation and acceptance. Always prudence and honour and duty. Elinor, where is your heart?"

"Sometimes one is guided by what they say of themselves, and very frequently by what other people say of them, without giving oneself time to deliberate and judge."

"Money can only give happiness where there is nothing else to give it."

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