Sense and Sensibility

 




-         I personally consider “Sense and Sensibility”, the first novel by Jane Austen, superior to her second one, “Pride and Prejudice”. It depicts very truthfully the temperament, and consequently, behavior and actions of different personalities. It features two heroines who are both likeable and sympathetic. I compared my foolish younger self with Marianne, who acted by impulse and by listening to her heart and not her head. I wish I had been more like Elinor or had someone sensible like Elinor by my side back then - would’ve had saved my heart from being broken so many times.
 
-         In my humble opinion, “Pride and Prejudice” is vastly overrated – it was just one of those romance novels of the time that people read for fun. Why people now consider it classic literature is beyond me. Elizabeth Bennet surely can serve as a model for feminists – so ahead of her time was her thinking and acting. But I also sensed some haughtiness in her: the way she reacted when first learnt about her best friend’s engagement to her formerly rejected suitor. She judged Charlotte so harshly for agreeing to marry Mr. Collins not because she cared about her future happiness, but because she thought her best friend must think and behave according to her standards. And don’t get me started on the plot, which insists she charms practically every man she meets… And Miss Austin’s way of describing meticulously every thought that passes through her characters’ heads, instead of assuming that her readers can figure out for themselves, also bothers me. It makes the novel seem long and boring and frivolous, with characters caring mostly about gossips and balls, marriage and weddings, and not much about other existential and philosophical matters. It must be an easy read for most, but I need more complex plot to entertain and invigorate. 
 
-         Enough ranting about “Pride and Prejudice”, back to “Sense and Sensibility”. In “Sense and Sensibility”, Jane Austen introduces another colorful character in the presence of Lucy Steele. This girl charms not only men, bur everybody around her; not much with beauty and wit, but with the art of pleasing others  and subtle, cunning manipulation (which Mr. Dale Carnegie discovers a century later and writes about it profusely in “How to make Friends and Influence People”.
 
-         There was a surprising and curious twist at the end, which led to inevitable “happy ending” for all parties concerned. It suited the type of narration Miss Austin was going for, so I was left pretty satisfied with how the novel folded up. 
 
-         All in all, I enjoyed reading “Sense and Sensibility” more than “Pride and Prejudice” and think that the former deserves more recognition. Although, it also has limited themes, focusing mostly on relationships between people in a very narrow community. Is a book considered a “classic” only because it’s old and people still read it?

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