"Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen

I decided to continue my Jane Austen kick and read (or reread) all of Austen's novels.  I've recently read and blogged about "Pride and Prejudice" and "Northanger Abbey".

I tackled "Sense and Sensibility" next.  I had read it before, but not for probably a decade.  I've also seen several adaptations of "Sense and Sensibility" (my favorite is this one: Sense & Sensibility (Special Edition) ). Right now is a particularly good time to enjoy "Sense and Sensibility" as it's the novel's birthday.  The Jane Austen House Museum is currently celebrating the 200th anniversary of the publication of "Sense and Sensibility".

With Jane Austen novels, I know what to expect and I'm never disappointed.  I really enjoyed revisiting "Sense and Sensibility".  The novel is a story of parallels and we see how two very different sisters (Elinor and Marianne) cope with very similar circumstances.  There are many other parallels that are created in the novel, so that the story almost becomes a complicated set of mirrors with each event and character reflecting or echoing something else.  Because of this construction, the reader is constantly making comparisons and drawing conclusions.  No one exists as a stand-alone entity and no judgements are made on their own.  Instead we are invited to compare characters and events, and everything is judged in context or compared in reference to each other.  Indeed, sometimes we are shown how different things are, and sometimes this system shows surprising similarities.

If you're not familiar with the story line of "Sense and Sensibility", it's pretty standard Jane Austen stuff.  Two sisters fall in love (obviously not with each other), complications arise, and eventually they're both happily married (much to the delight of their mother). 

For me, "Sense and Sensibility" is not the most romantic of Austen's love stories.  I find far more satisfaction, for example, in the eventual union of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy in "Pride and Prejudice".  However, the novel itself is a great literary creation.  It is subtle, carefully and beautifully crafted, clever, historically informative, and ultimately entertaining to read.

Austen's other novels are "Emma", "Mansfield Park", and "Persuasion".  In addition she wrote some shorter works (many of them pre-date her novels and are collectively known as her "Juvenelia"), some unfinished fiction, and many letters.  I'll read and write about more of Austen's works soon.