Book of the Block: Sense and Sensibility

NOV 21, 2024 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT| By Greta Patterson
Hello readers and happy Block 4! I have to be honest with you — I didn’t do much reading this past Block. When you’re reading 120 pages a day for class, it can be hard to find the motivation to read outside of that, so I’m slightly cheating and choosing a Book of the Block that I read for class. With that being said, I loved getting to spend three-and-a-half weeks reading Jane Austen and all of her beautiful works for class. Out of everything that we read, “Sense and Sensibility” was the definite standout and my favorite work of hers so far.

“Sense and Sensibility” was Austen’s first novel, published in 1811 under the anonymous name “By A Lady.” In a time when novels were considered an unserious form of writing compared to poetry, Austen wrote about women in a deeply complex way. 

The story follows the Dashwood family after the death of Mr. Dashwood. Due to misogynistic English law, women could not inherit anything, so Mr. Dashwood’s second wife and three daughters are left with nothing and forced to leave their home as it is passed to Mr. Dashwood’s son from his first marriage, John. John, easily manipulated by his terrible wife, Fanny, fails to honor his promise to his father that he would help his half-sisters. He instead leaves them nothing and forces them out of Norland Park, the family estate.

Right from the beginning, this novel positions economics and power as the catalyst for change. The Dashwood women must create a new life with very little money, an injustice felt by the modern reader. As the Dashwood women move to Barton Cottage, they are poised for change and an upheaval of the life they knew before. 

During their time at Barton Cottage, the women experience love, heartbreak, friendship, sickness and deep emotions. Marianne, the emotional and dramatic sister, must grow to be more logical and reasonable. Elinor, the rational sister, realizes that she has to let herself feel more and not always let her levelheaded nature lead her actions.

Throughout my Jane Austen class, we frequently came back to the question of why Austen is so consistently popular. In my mind, it ultimately came down to her timeless relatability. Despite taking place in 18th-century England during a time of dramatic change, modern readers can see themselves and parts of their lives in each of the characters. Who hasn’t thought they were going to die after a particularly bad breakup with a guy you thought was way cooler than he really was? Who doesn’t see themselves in the gossiping Mrs. Jennings who loves talking about the drama going on around town? There is something deeply universal about the experiences that Austen writes about, illuminating the importance of the everyday.

Call me boring, but I love a happy ending. When everything works out and the yearning finally comes to fruition, that is when I feel the most joy for the characters that I have come to love over the last 300 pages. While some could argue that there is no real love in the novel and that marriage is solely economical, I don’t think that this should discredit the relationships that Marianne and Elinor end up in. By the end, they find themselves in marriages that will bring them joy and security, and what more could we really want?

“Sense and Sensibility” is a beautiful novel that has withstood the test of time. I truly believe that no matter who you are, you can find a piece of yourself in this book and get something out of it. If you’re lucky enough to take Professor Jared Richman’s Jane Austen course, you may just learn truly how spectacular and aware Austen was and is; an author who exists outside of her time and will remain relevant for generations to come.

catalystnewspaper