Sunday, May 04, 2008

Sense and Sensibility

Book 9/25

Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility

This was the story - the language, the plot, the characters - that I had originally hoped for and expected when I decided to begin reading Ms. Austen's works. While Northanger Abbey was very sweet and an enjoyable read, the lack of character depth and the frequent absence of dialogue was a disappointment. Sense and Sensibility was a complete opposite and had everything I could have hoped for.

Once again, the sweet reasonability and reality of the characters and their challenges and rewards was refreshing. Even though I haven't studied the age or its customs, it was obvious what manners were expected, and what social norms and requirements were expected of men and women of various classes. Ms. Austen took a sweet, simple story of finding one's true love and put it through the twists, turns, and falls that exist in the every day. After my disappointment with Marina's spontaneous love in Mercedes Lackey's The Gates of Sleep, it was a comfort to fall into the misery of Marianne and the troubled mind of Elinor. The two sisters' desires were so simple, and yet both of them suffered horribly in the pursuit of those dreams. They were subjected to a roller coaster that anyone who's experienced rejection or disappointment could sympathize with.

Ms. Austen's characters step out of the real world, and they have simple faults, and they receive rewards that are just - or not. This is the first book I've read where a character who deserved nothing less than tragedy was actually rewarded beyond their original expectations. Lucy is able to manipulate everyone to achieve a goal even higher than what the reader is led to believe she desires. I have to admit, I was angry that such a horrible person could be gifted so, but this often happens in the real world. The reality Ms. Austen captures in the guise of fiction is a revelation after reading so many works of fiction where people are, really, inhuman in their habits or characters. Meanwhile, Elinor has to earn her own happy ending, suffering quietly while Marianne wastes away in her depression. She is the typical older sister, expected to shoulder the burden of protecting and comforting her siblings and promoting their interests ahead of her own.

The story is simply a tale of the sweet reality of love, and every facet that it can capture. Every character has flaws, every character - with, perhaps, the exception of Lucy - learns and changes, and every ending is thoroughly earned. My only true complaint is Marianne's own marriage; there was no dialogue or explanation given for her change of mind. She transformed from someone who ridiculed the very idea of someone being paired with such a man to accepting his hand. It was confusing to see that, and it almost appeared as if she simply gave up and accepted her only option. With how her character had been set up, prior to that, I was disappointed. I wanted to see a full recovery for Marianne, the rebirth of a fiery phoenix from the ashes of regret. The quiet acceptance of, essentially, second place (if he could have even qualified for that position) was a let-down. Yes, he deserved the ending, but it seemed less-than-happy for Marianne. It would have been nice if Ms. Austen had shown the growing affection, or at least dictated the quiet acceptance of an unavoidable fate. It diminished the strong passions of Marianne, and I think that was unfair to her character; she deserved much better.

All in all, though, I loved the book - and I am not a fan of romantic stories. It was refreshing to see genuine love and its trials, though, and I look forward to reading the rest of my collection.
Posted by Andria :: 10:06 AM :: 0 comments

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