Classic Chronicles #1 - Sense and Sensibility | Meeting the Dashwoods
Recapping my thoughts and feelings about Volume One, first half!
Hello and welcome to the first ever recap of my reading project for 2025! As updated in my previous post (link here if you’ve missed it), I have set myself a target of reading at least 6 classics which already exists in my shelf and my first pick (sort of inadvertently) is Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen!
I am reading the Penguin Clothbound edition which I thrifted off Bookchor a few years ago but I cannot find a similar listing so here’s another edition link. Also, here’s a link for the free version on Project Gutenberg.
The book starts off with introducing the Dashwoods of Norland Park whose father passes away and leaves the estate and inheritance to his first-born son of his first wife, leaving his second wife and her three daughters with little to themselves, except for the kindness of their half-brother and his somewhat avaricious wife Fanny. After a few clashes of temperament with Fanny, the Dashwood women decide to take up an offer to relocate to Barton Cottage and depart from Norland with mixed feelings.
Elinor is the oldest sister, and she is clear headed, frank and while “her feelings were strong, she knew how to govern them which was something her mother was yet to learn and which one of her sisters had resolved never to be taught”. Marianne is the second sister, who is sensible but “eager in everything, her sorrows and joys could have no moderation”. Margaret, the youngest one, “had imbibed a good deal of Marianne’s romance without having much of her sense”. Elinor develops a relationship with Fanny’s brother Edward but in private ruminates whether it can be anything more than a friendship.
At Barton Cottage, they meet the jovial Sir Middleton, his aloof wife, his mother-in-law the exuberant Mrs. Jennings and their reserved friend Colonel Brandon. Marianne quickly earns the affections of Colonel Brandon and scoffs at the thought of being interested in an old bachelor (he’s 35) who in her eyes has no taste in music or art. She instead meets Willoughby in a regency-era meet-cute and is almost instantly infatuated by him. Elinor cautions Marianne to guard her feelings and restrain herself in front of society and also thinks Willoughby “says too much on what he thought on every occasion, without attention to people or circumstances”. She also strikes up a friendship with Colonel Brandon, at first sympathizing with him for his one-sided affections for Marianne.
Their taste was strikingly alike. The same books, the same passages were idolized by each—or if any difference appeared, any objection arose, it lasted no longer than till the force of her arguments and the brightness of her eyes could be displayed. He acquiesced in all her decisions, caught all her enthusiasm; and long before his visit concluded, they conversed with the familiarity of a long-established acquaintance.
Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
Firstly, I just marvel at the way Ms. Austen manages to clearly convey each character’s traits with just a few sentences. Everything I had to know at that moment of the Dashwood sisters was clear to me, and when I was typing this out, I just could not see the point of spending more words than what the author perfectly painted. Elinor is clearly the head of the family from the first chapter and acts as a cautioner, a counsellor, a voice of reason for the more erratic and emotional Mrs. Dashwood and Marianne. From that moment on, Elinor became the lens through which I view everyone else in this book. The biggest example of this is how she describes Willoughby, and her judgement has gone a long way towards my (slightly) cold feelings towards him.
Contrasting personalities aside, the book also paints about the rules of the time with the Dashwood sisters and mother being left at the small kindnesses which their half-brother eventually withdraws. The offer to go to Barton Hall comes at an opportune moment and even there, Willoughby quicky seems to take up the “man of the house” vibes. Elinor is sort of like the family minder, forever keeping her errant sister in check and admonishing her for any overt displays of affection towards Willoughby in full view of society.
Meeting each of the Dashwoods is very much the main essence of the first half of Book 1 and I thoroughly enjoyed making their acquaintance. Already I have a few judgements and assumptions about a few characters but I will reserve those for my upcoming posts, when hopefully I am proved right upon further reading.
Within the title itself, it is pretty clear that Elinor is the character potrayal of “sense” and Marianne (and Mrs. Dashwood) are more of the “sensibility” side of things. I guess it remains to be seen which side will prevail as we delve further into the book!
Coming up soon-ish with the next post, as I finish Book 1 of this tome. Until then, happy reading!