The Rise of the Novel

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Why is Jane Austen still so popular?

Susie Lee

While reading Sense and Sensibility, I enjoyed the novel so much that I almost forget that it was written in the 19th century. Even with the differences in social and cultural background between those of the 19th century and those of contemporary society, I still find myself relating to so many things Austen writes.  It made me question how a novel that was written two centuries ago can still be so popular. Out of many analyses of Austen’s timeless brilliance, I found this Wall Street Journal article to be the most interesting. 

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-secret-of-the-jane-austen-industry-1427473889

[mikaylaoneal16-blog]

More Austen Quizzes!

http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2015/01/personality-quiz-jane-austen-heroine/

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To compare 'Sense and Sensibility' to the movie 'Frozen' is to open up new complexities in the novel.

Here’s a story about Frozen and Sense and Sensibility haha

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Jane Austen x BuzzFeed

There are actually a bunch of links on BuzzFeed about Jane Austen, but these two were my favorite. I recommend checking them out during a study break this week.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jennaguillaume/which-austen-hero-is-your-soulmate#.xeJv3vRXz

http://www.buzzfeed.com/jarrylee/jane-austen-was-way-ahead-of-her-time#.raRwZw3ea

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Jane Austen Center in Bath

This is the official website for the Jane Austen Center in Bath. I have visited this museum when I was in Bath and highly suggest anyone interested in Jane Austen to go there. The staff of the center are very helpful in terms of answering questions regarding Austen’s biography and they all wear themed costumes of Jane Austen characters. The tour will introduce interesting background information of Austen’s life and writings. 

Bath is Austen’s final residence and as I read through Austen’s experience in Bath and saw pictures of her apartment and her daily walks, I more deeply feel the financial difficulties that Austen faced in her late life and those experiences indeed inspire her to portray characters like the Dashwoods sisters in Sense and Sensibility. The experience in a museum like this definitely helps me to understand the novel better. 

http://www.janeausten.co.uk/

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Sense & Sensibility: The Musical

This is a short preview of Sense and Sensibility: The Musical that was performed by the Denver Center for Performing Arts in 2013.  In this short clip promoting the musical, we can hear the cast singing songs from the musical and we see short snippets of scenes from the novel.  While you watch this clip I suggest that you think about how this method of presenting Jane Austen’s novel either compliments or contrasts the nature of this novel and Austen’s intention of creating this story.  Also consider if this musical rendition adds or detracts from Austen’s main message and the historic and classical qualities of the novel.  Does this new mode of her classic novel make the story appeal to you more or do you find it to be silly and superfluous?  What do you think the director’s intentions were when coming up with the idea for this musical and how do those contribute to how we perceive 18th century novels in society today?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxGh5oYeMjg

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The end of the novel?

Though you do not have an official Tumblr response due this week, you might consider doing one or both of the following in order to put a capstone on your wonderful respnses to our course site. 

1) respond to a peer’s paper abstract; what did you like? how can you help your peer with a question or concern brought up in our discussion on Thursday?

2) Share something funny/interesting/delightful from the internet that intersects with our class discussions. 

I’ll start:

http://www.chawtonhouse.org

The Chawton House is one place that Jane Austen once called home. It is now part pilgrimage site for Austenites (and for c18 specialists) as well as a world-renowned center for c18 studies. 

They are currently attempting to purchase the letter from Cassandra Austen to Fanny Austen, wherein Cassandra describes the last moments of Jane Austen’s life. I shared a small quote from this letter during class recently. 

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I See Your True Colors

Jessica Valenzuela

The issue of money and inheritance are repeatedly brought to the forefront of Sense and Sensibility and are extremely telling of each character’s true priorities. As Brian argues, inheritance is a particularly important aspect of the novel that is indicative of the society at the time and is presented so critically as to suggest Austen calls for social reform on this point. However, I believe Austen also uses the issue of inheritance to allow the reader to see into the minds of certain characters and their family dynamics through their treatment of money.

The Ferrars family, including John and Fanny Dashwood, is a prime example of wealth being indicative of family dynamics and personal character. Edward Ferrars is shown to be the only honorable member of this family in that he values loyalty and duty above wealth. The reader finds that, when his mother demands he break of his engagement, “Edward said very little; but what he did say, was in the most determined manner. Nothing should prevail on him to give up his engagement. He would stand to it, cost him what it might’” (Austen 250). Edward refuses to be dishonorable and disloyal to Lucy, even though he is well aware that it will cost him his inheritance and the respect of his family. He also loses his very identity and belonging to his family, as he “is dismissed for ever from his mother’s notice” (251). Particularly when we take into account the fact that Edward remains in this engagement against his true desire to marry Elinor, he sacrifices much more than wealth for the sake of staying true to his moral code. Mrs. Jennings’ response to his bravery is also very telling of her own character, as she says “he has acted like an honest man!” in honoring his commitment to Lucy (250). This response is freely given by a character as unabashed as Mrs. Jennings but it seems to be a sentiment shared by the rest of the characters outside of the Ferrars family. 

The portrayal of Mr. Robert Ferrars offers an entirely different value system. When he speaks to Elinor about his brother, she observes that “the gay unconcern, the happy self-complacency of his manner while enjoying so unfair a division of his mother’s love and liberality...was confirming her most unfavourable opinion of his head and heart” (279). Because he has now become the heir to his family’s fortune, he could not care less about Edward’s misfortune. There is a complete lack of familial affection because it has been corrupted by the insatiable hunger for wealth, no matter what the cost to one’s own flesh and blood. Although not directly related to Robert Ferrars, Mr. John Dashwood appears to hold a similar value system characterized by wealth above all else. It is even shown to shape his behavior towards certain others when it is said that “he never wished to offend anybody, especially anybody of good fortune” (250). It seems to be suggested that John would be a good man if not for his greed. He does not want to cause anyone pain and does show some concern for his sisters throughout the novel but his greed always seems to get the better of him and is ultimately what prevents him from being a kind and benevolent man.

At the very end of this character color spectrum is Mrs. Ferrars. Elinor aptly says that, because Edward has refused to obey her wishes regarding his marriage, “she has cast him off for ever...[and] cannot be imagined liable to any impression of sorrow or of joy on his account” (278). Yet again, the issue of wealth has severed a family bond, this time between a mother and her son. As with the Marchesa and Vivaldi in The Italian, the greed and wishes of the mother overrule the happiness and well-being of the son. The maternal bond, one that is supposed to be strong and unconditional, is thus easily broken by the desire to accrue wealth and honor. In this way, although Austen’s shocking severance of filial bonds as a result of money is not necessarily a new idea, its juxtaposition with other models of affectionate families in Sense and Sensibility makes the call for reform all the more poignant.

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Willoughby’s selfish apology -Andrea Jewett

I want to build on what Jeff was talking about in his post about selfishness in Sense and Sensibility. Not only are the characters in Austen’s novel driven primarily by greediness and a desire for wealth, fortune and material possessions, they almost always act out of self-interested motivations. We talked a lot about John Dashwood in class and his conversation with Elinor, and I was struck by the fact that the entire conversation he seems to be reassuring himself that it is okay that he has not helped out the Dashwood women financially. He tells her that he is much more pressed for money than it seems, and that he and Fanny are actually experiencing poverty that he thinks deserves some pity from Elinor. He also makes it his own personal duty to ensure the marriage between Elinor and Colonel Brandon, and argues that perhaps Mrs. Jennings will leave the girls some of her fortune when she dies. Not only does he constantly bring the conversation back to the topic of money and how much different people are worth, but he also uses this discussion with his sister to reassure himself that he is not in the wrong. This culture of selfishness is present among many of the characters, especially those in wealthy families, encourages people like Mr. Dashwood to clear their own conscious without actually repenting for their immoral actions or feeling any remorse towards people they (should) care about.

Elinor’s conversation with Willoughby in which he shares his true feelings and motivations with her, reminded me a lot of the way Mr. Dashwood behaved earlier. Willoughby comes to Elinor and unsurprisingly tells her that he only agreed to marry Miss Grey because he needed her money. He explains that, as Jeff put it, what he values most is money, and he has already sacrificed domestic happiness for the sake of a luxurious lifestyle. Willoughby is not concerned with morality but wealth, and he mirrors Mr. Dashwood in selfishly going to see Marianne only to make himself feel better. He leaves once he feels that he has made up for his wrongdoings with his confession, but he does not actually seem like he regrets his decisions. Although he does seem to feel guilty for the way his actions have broken Marianne’s heart, he only comes to see her for his own satisfaction so that he can move on with his wealthy life with a manipulative woman who he does not love. He says, “What I felt on hearing that your sister was dying—and dying too believing me the greatest villain upon earth, scorning, hating me in her latest moments—for how could I tell what horrid projects might not have been imputed?—One person I was sure would represent me as capable of anything—What I felt was dreadful!” (308). Again, Willoughby does not express so much concern that Marianne is dying but more so that she might die and still have hateful feelings towards himself. He cares about how he will feel after she dies, and wants to make himself feel better by confessing to Elinor. Once he knows that she is not actually dying and he has explained himself, he feels satisfied and leaves. Willoughby and Mr. Dashwood are two key examples of the way society has conditioned people to value material goods and personal satisfaction over morality and virtue. I agree with Jeff that Austen was critiquing the system as well as the attitudes at the time.  

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Sense>Sensibility

Emily Segal

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Griffin Ferre: Willoughby or Won’toughby?

As we’ve gone through this books, I think for me the most interesting part has been the development of John Willoughby as a character, or rather, how the other characters view him.  His appearance and rescue of Marianne first set the novel in motion and then his disappearance provided a main complication in the plot. And now, the revelation that he really does love Marianne but married Miss Grey just because she had more money seems to bring the novel to a close.

I think a key scene is when Willoughby arrives and talks to Elinor about Marianne. He says, “I mean to offer some kind of explanation, some kind of apology for the past...though I have always been a blockhead, I have not always been a rascal, to obtain something like forgiveness from Ma-from your sister” (298).  Before this point it seemed like Willoughby was really starting to become the villain of the novel but then Austen opens him up and gives him some more depth as a character. 

It seems like the fact that he was gone allowed the other characters the opportunity to direct all their frustrations toward him without him having the chance to defend himself. So it seems like a lack of communication has played a key role here.

Also, Willoughby admits that, “I have, by raising myself to affluence, lost everything that could make it a blessing” (299). I think this is significant too because a main burden on all the characters, most significantly, Edward, Elinor, Robert, and Lucy, is that of trying to accrue more wealth through marriage. But here, Austen seems to be making a commentary on that practice by showing how Willoughby is not happy as a result of that and so perhaps the characters should shift their priorities.

In her post, Lauren mentioned that she would be angry if a guy chose money over her.  I certainly agree that it’s messed up to do that, but I actually got the sense that Willoughby didn’t have a lot of choice and would have way rather married Marianne than Miss Grey.  At least to me, it seemed like more of a commentary on society and that Willoughby was another victim of that.

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Too Fairy-Tale of an ending?

Lauren Mott

Most of the Tumblr posts so far have focused on the change in Elinor and Marianne’s characters and how this change brought them the romantic achievements they sought after in the first place. I think Sally described it perfectly when she said “The fairytale type of closure cannot be achieved without Elinor and Marianne breaking their prototypes.” (Sally) Elinor’s diversion from sense to more sensibility allows her Edward’s hand after Lucy left him for Robert, and Marianne’s move from sensibility to more sense sees her falling for Colonel Brandon after she allowed herself to forgive Willoughby.

However, I thought that those changes, while necessary to drive home the theme of Austen’s novel, were very predictable given the messages and tones we had received from Austen throughout her novel. Elinor’s stark sense never allowed her to get close to Edward, and Marianne’s drastic sensibility left her decimated at Willoughby’s departure. It seems only logical to me that Elinor would have to gain some sensibility to find love in Edward, and Marianne would have to adopt some sense to find a healthy relationship in Colonel Brandon. What fascinated me in the conclusion of the novel was the seemingly unprecedented changing of Willoughby and Edward that allowed for this happy ending.

It was not until after Elinor had delivered Willoughby’s message to Marianne and she found it in her heart to forgive him as she saw that he had left her for money, not for love. First, that seems so backwards to me, I think I would have been angrier to hear that I was not as important as money to the man who “loved” me than if he had told me that he simply had fallen for someone else… But I digress. To me, Willoughby’s confession of regret and love to Elinor seemed completely uncharacteristic. This is a man who does not care at all for social proprieties and who left Marianne with barely any explanation and zero regard. His coming back after all this time seems out of place, and I can’t say I really understand it.

In the same way I don’t understand Edward and his affections at all. After the news of his engagement to Lucy became public knowledge and his mother threatened to disown him and strip him of his birthright, Edward still clung to her and refused to break off their engagement, even though he himself confessed to Elinor that his engagement to Lucy in the first place was made in foolishness. “Lucy appeared everything that was amiable and obliging. She was pretty too – at least I thought so then” (Edward, pg 377). He claims that he recognizes his engagement to Lucy as no more than a childhood crush, however he clings to her even if he is to lose everything by doing so. This makes absolutely no sense to me. She then drops him for Robert when Robert is to receive the inheritance with no regret, and in a letter no less. Edward proposes immediately to Elinor, which she exuberantly accepts, another thing that baffles me. This man was just barely engaged to another woman for whom he gave up his entire inheritance, one would think she would be at least a tad more cautious.

All in all, while the ending of the book was perfect to serve Austen’s theme of moral moderation on a silver platter, it left me questioning the motives of several characters. Maybe I just still don’t understand the 18th century relationship dynamic.

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Destiny's Child

Jess Gaffney

In the conclusion of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility there are two passages particularly which stuck out to me as both involving Austen referencing the meaning behind the destiny of the characters in the end of the novel.  Both of these passages show what Austen is hinting as in terms of fate’s hand in society.

The first passage is as follows:

“Their resemblance in good principles and good sense, in disposition and manner of thinking, would probably have been sufficient to unite them in friendship, without any other attraction; but their being in love with two sisters, and two sisters fond of each other, made that mutual regard inevitable and immediate, which might otherwise have waited the effect of time and judgment” (Austen 344).

In this first passage, Austen describes the similarities between Edward and Colonel Brandon in which she states that their mutual affection and meeting would have occurred despite their love interest in the Dashwood sisters.  This also hints at the fact that Austen is saying that their meeting would have occurred regardless of the rest of the novel due to their characters obtaining compatible personalities.

A second passage where Austen brings up the unavoidable events in the conclusion include when she states that “Marianne could never love by halves; and her whole heart became, in time, as much devoted to her husband, as it had once been to Willoughby” (Austen 352).  I found this passage to be particularly interesting because not only does it hint to the inevitable fate of Marianne as a character but it also speaks about the idea of love and marriage as it was portrayed in 1811.  In this passage, we see that Marianne accepts Colonel Brandon’s love for her and that she adjusts her own heart in order to let his love in and be just as happy with Colonel Brandon as she would have been married to Willoughby.  This implies that Marianne is not affected by who she actually marries which lends a hand to the notion that the conclusion of this novel includes events which are solely destiny’s offspring.

Austen is trying to argue that culture of society plays a huge and important role in the community and in individual’s lives because etiquette and social behavior directly affected the lives of men and women.  A change in fashion or a single rude comment could change the whole dynamic of society and the value of one’s reputation.  In this sense, Austen might be alluding to the fact that no matter how hard you try to break out of the status quo, your fate has already been dictated by society’s standards.

Is Austen hinting at us as readers that society dictates everything and that we have no control over our changing our fate?  Or is she just simply ending her novel with a stereotypical romantic ending where everyone lives happily ever after?  I think that the former stands true however, due to the romantic nature of this novel, it is somewhat difficult to see if this ending was creating for audience’s purposes and pleasure or for truly reflecting the inevitable fate of every trapped individual in society at the time.

I agree with what Jack referenced about a balance between Elinor and Marianne’s personalities seems to be the most flattering personality to the reader.  I also think that Austen encourages society to live a balanced life in terms of realism and fantasy due to both sisters ending the novel in happy arrangements.  Since both sisters seem to have the same happy ending, and therefore the same fate, Austen is again illustrating that their shared personalities is the way to live a happy and successful life in society.

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A Seesaw - Sense and Sensibility

Jack Adolfson

As I mentioned in my first post, Jane Austen introduces a dichotomy between “sense” and “sensibility” in the first volume of her novel.  Specifically, Austen does this by contrasting the behaviors of both Elinor and her younger sister, Marianne.  Elinor is first described as a rational and practical individual, possessing a ”strength of understanding” and a  “coolness of judgment” (Austen 8).  On the other hand, Marianne is constantly demonstrating that she is impulsive and excessively passionate.

Then, this brought up several questions regarding how one should go about living his or her life.  Should we tend toward the side of the spectrum that represents sense?  Or should we use Marianne as the ideal model for success and happiness?  From our previous class discussion, it seems as though the answer is not very clear; however, we all agree that too much sense or too much sensibility can be detrimental.  Ultimately, as Anna points out, one needs to find a balance between “rationality” and “emotions.”  

In the last volume of the novel, we see both Elinor and Marianne experience a transformation to a certain extent.  Elinor finally learns how to express her feelings when Edward proposes to her – “she was oppressed, she was overcome by her own felicity” (Austen 338).  Meanwhile, Marianne is able to “overcome an affection formed so late in life” and eventually makes the practical choice to marry Colonel Brandon (Austen 352).  Clearly, we see these characters become more moderate and as a result, they are rewarded for it with successful marriages.

Furthermore, money and the pursuit of wealth relates to this idea of finding balance in one’s life. Specifically, money acts as a corrupting force that can interfere with this balance, as it can force an individual to tip to one of side of the seesaw.  In the case of John Willoughby, we come to learn that he actually loves Marianne far more than his current wife; however, “in order to avoid a comparative poverty which her affection and her society would have deprived of all its horrors” (Austen 299), Edward decides that he cannot marry Marianne.  In this sense, money is an entity that forces individuals to suppress their feelings of love.  The fact that Elinor marries Edward in the end suggests that she was able to overcome this barrier because she accepts a life of modesty on a small plot of land in the country.  I agree with Anna her when she states that Elinor is able to find balance in her life by succumbing to her emotions.  It’s an interesting twist because Elinor is regarded as the character with the most sense; therefore, one would expect her to be the most concerned about her financial security.  However, in the end, Elinor seems to disregard this concern.    

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Development - Tiffany Goncalves

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Balance

Anna Zimmerman

From the title of the novel itself, Austen sets up a tension between two emotional extremes: sense and sensibility. As many of my classmates have pointed out in class and their Tumblr posts, the events in Marianne and Elinor’s lives indicate that neither of their extreme attitudes pay off in the end. As Sally observes, it is in breaking from their molds that they are able to achieve happiness. She points to Elinor’s observation of Marianne that she changes “excess into a scheme of such rational employment and virtuous self control” (320). Sally herself comments that “this sense of control and calmness contrasts with Marianne’s immediate depression and blind pursuance of her selfish lover,” and that Marianne wants to change to become more like Elinor. Her transformation allows her to move beyond Willoughby and she ends up happily married to Colonel Brandon. Elinor also shows a shift from sense to sensibility. She allows herself to show more tender emotions toward her mother and toward Edward (her uncontrollable joy when he returns at the end), and she eventually marries him. For the two sisters, we see that striking a balance between sense and sensibility allows them to achieve happiness.

At the beginning of the novel, we discussed how both Edward and Willoughby seem to embody the main trait of the sister they are paired with. As the novel closes, one exhibits an effective balance while the other shifts too far in the other direction. Edward shows more sensibility and emotion in the third volume. His relationship with and engagement to Lucy is based more in sensibility and emotion than it is in sense; in the end, she leaves him for a very sensible reason – inheritance and financial stability. However, he is able to be with Elinor because he is emotionally open: “his heart was now open to Elinor, all its weakness, all its errors confessed (337). Edward is able to move to the middle of the spectrum, and benefits from it. On the other hand, Willoughby moves from sensibility to utilitarian sense without any regard for Marianne’s feelings. His abandonment of Marianne is based in a sensible concern – financial stability – but his utter lack of emotion and prioritization of sense leaves him an unhappy villain. He confesses to Elinor that “my affection for Marianne, my thorough conviction of her attachment to me – it was all insufficient to outweigh the dread of poverty, or to get the better of those false ideas of the necessity of riches” (301-302). His use of words like “necessity” and his disregard for Marianne’s feelings suggests a new imbalance toward reckless sense. In the end, Willoughby ends up unhappy and emotionally unfulfilled.

Austen’s three success stories show that balance between rationality and emotions is key.

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Broken Prototype

-Sally Xie

The volume three of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility gives readers a happy ending that both Elinor and Marianne marry to their lovers and start a joyful life afterwards. The fairytale type of closure cannot be achieved without Elinor and Marianne breaking their prototypes.

Recalling the introduction of these two heroines in the beginning, Elinor emphasizes reason and prudence since she “possessed a strength of understanding, and coolness of judgement” (8). On the other hand, Marianne is sensible and emotions since “her sorrows, her joys, could have no moderation” (8). Cautiously hiding her emotions and affections for Edward, Elinor approaches her lover with constraint of proper conducts and effects from other companions in the community. This similar carefulness never shows up in Marianne’s manners and concerns while she is chasing after Willoughby. Corrupting her emotions and health conditions, the abrupt change of Willoughby hurts Marianne deeply, from which we can see her extreme mentality and sensibility.

As we see that the different personalities of Elinor and Marianne rarely grant them a good pay off, the two heroines, who experience hard times through their relationship, learn to gradually break their prototypes and have a more balanced characteristics.

After slightly recovering from her illness, Marianne is no longer sunk into the great sorrow caused by Willoughby’s deception and coldness. Elinor finds her changes “excess into a scheme of such rational employment and virtuous self-control” (320). The sense of control and calmness contrasts with Marianne’s immediate depression and blind pursuance of her selfish lover. Then the novel continues with her reflection and “serious recollection” (322). Regretting her imprudence and sufferings, Marianne apologizes for her “self-destruction” and neglect of duties. When she refers to a desire of transforming into a person, who is more resemble to Elinor, and who consides others more, Marianne is no longer the emotional and imprudent younger sister that we met at the first sight. Similarly, we see some clues that Elinor’s perfect conducts and proper codes are broken when dealing with Edward. Though she moves to her mother’s place, Elinor grows “impatient for some tidings of Edward” (328). When the servant Thomas seems to be the only source of information about Edward, Elinor ask him endless questions to get desirable news. Even though Thomas gives explicit and direct answer that Lucy has married to Edward, Elinor continues her lines of enquiry and still “wished to hear more” when “Thomas’s intelligence seemed over” (330). Mrs. Dashwood sooner finds out that she “had been misled by the careful, and considerate attention of her daughter” to believe that Elinor’s attachment to Edward can be easily calmed down and erased off. As Mrs. Dashwood realizes that she may have Elinor “suffering almost as much, certainly with less self-provocation, and greater fortitude,” we can see Elinor’s sensibility and tenderness through her mother (331). When Edward discloses the fact that Lucy actually marries to Robert, Elinor runs out of the room and “burst in to tears of joy, which at first she thought would never cease” (335). The extreme emotions illustrates her sensibility and strong emotions, as similar as Marianne’s.

Regarding the reason for the change of these two female characters, I agree with Brian’s option that “Austen allows her to say something that challenges the model of her time” in this novel (Brian). Desiring for a society that is “governed more by sincerity” as Brian pointed out, Austin uses the transformation of heroines to exemplify a better form of sincerity which seeks a balance between sense and sensibility.