To say that I am pleased with myself would indeed be an understatement. I am extremely pleased with myself!
Yup, I have completed Sense and Sensibility! It was a great, difficult journey with a treacherous winding path (long sentences!), never did I feel I am reading a sugary slop which what these YA writers pass off as a romance. Reading Sense and Sensibility involved much of those grey cells to churn that there were times indeed when I felt I couldn’t continue. But of course, with true grit, perseverance and that never give up spirit so firmly entrenched in a soul as resolute and firm as Yours Truly, Vismay Harani, leaving the book half read, was out of question!!!!!!!!!
Jokes aside, it was indeed a different kind of read, very much different from what I regularly do. You may find me cozying up with the aliens and psychotic killers, but find me reading a novel dealing with the vexation of heart, I would definitely blush! But now, I am indeed intrigued with Jane Austen. I found her extremely astute in her observation of the people belonging to the upper echelon of the society with all the time in the world to stand and stare. Characters splattered across this text possess remarkably different character traits and behavior. From stony lass to bony less, free-spirited mothers to mothers with a strangulating grip, vain men, lazy lords, thoroughly vigorous and animated young lovers to thoroughly wasted lot, this book indeed would be a treat to all those whose appetite is whetted with the study of human behavior.
The story itself is straight forward. We have Elinor (the character I liked the most in the book) – a calm, well-poised, rational girl who faces her share of crisis with fortitude and forbearance, not giving in to her emotions, in short, a girl possessing remarkable ‘Sense’. Indeed of course, in Ms. Austen’s own words, Elinor was a girl possessing ‘…a strength of understanding, and coolness of judgment, which qualified her, though only nineteen, to be the counselor, to the advantage of them all…’ On the other hand, we have her sister – Marianne, a girl who strongly indulges in her every emotion – agony, felicity, gloom or hope. In short, a highly concentrated dose of passion is inoculated in her person. Hence she is one with strong ‘Sensibility’. She was ‘…eager in everything: her sorrows, her joys, could have no moderation. She was generous, amiable, interesting: she was everything but prudent…’ The book describes their initial travails and disappointments in love, only to have a very happy ending for all the characters concerned.
If your eyes are not stressed overmuch, I would like to engage them to the sketches of the few very interesting characters and comic (to the otherwise unconcerned objective reader) situations.
First and foremost would be that of Mr. and Mrs. John Dashwood. Mr. John Dashwood is the half brother of Elinor and Margaret. Right in the second chapter, we come to understand their characters greatly and more clearly than anywhere else in the book. The duo, with a strong resemblance of disposition (though the wife is infinitely colder) discusses what Mr. Dashwood should do in respect of the last wish of his father. The reasoning which they involve in is indeed baffling, at the same time, inspite of what he is about to do, soothes the dregs of John’s ‘vain-conscience’. Indeed they are described as strong caricature of each other – cold-hearted and selfish.
Sir John Middleton, on the other hand, a kind-hearted person, can be described by this one statement. ‘Marianne’s performance was highly applauded. Sir John was loud in his admiration at the end of each song, and as loud in his conversation with the others while each song lasted.’ His behavior was similar to that of his wife’s mother Mrs. Jennings and her younger daughter Mrs. Palmer. His wife on the other hand is refined, polished, graceful yet concerned only about her children.
Of course, half of this book centers on Willoughby. Almost the male counterpart of Marianne, he turns out to be a Pandora’s Box in the life of Marianne. Willoughby augments her passions, and they are almost similarly minded. They cannot stand idiots. And in defense of those very idiots, Elinor censures them both, ‘But perhaps the abuse of such people as yourself and Marianne will make amends for the regard of Lady Middleton and her mother. If their praise is censure, your censure may be praise, for they are not more undiscerning, than you prejudiced and unjust.’
The other half would indeed stir around Colonel Brandon and Edward Ferrars. Willoughby had indeed taken a strong dislike of Colonel Brandon, as he says, ‘I have three unanswerable reasons for disliking Colonel Brandon: he threatened me with rain when I wanted it to be fine; he has found fault with the hanging of my curricle, and I cannot persuade him to buy my brown mare.’ But indeed you wouldn’t find a more kinder and respectable heart, for though with only vestiges of previous animation remained inside him, he turned out to be a more pivotal character in Marianne’s life than Willoughby.
Edward Ferrars is a kind of person who always stumbles upon ‘to-be-or-not-to-be’ kind of situations and remains totally indecisive, though of course, he is respectable and a very honorable man. Elinor, who herself is in love with him, defends him by saying, ‘…he is by no means deficient in natural taste, though he has not had the opportunities of improving it.’
A special mention must be made of Lucy Steele, an enterprising lady when it comes to her own interest and extremely jealous of Elinor that she does not let an opportunity go by in slighting her. She of course flatters her way by to skirt out any obstruction in her path!
Robert Ferrars is a vain man. Indeed his story is best described by, ‘….the vanity of one had been so worked on by the flattery of the other, as to lead by degrees to all the rest.’
Mrs. Dashwood, mother of Elinor and Marianne, is a free-spirited woman, always having the interest of her daughters at heart, though allowing them to let their wings flutter freely. Though in disposition, she is strikingly similar to Marianne.
Phew! That was tiring. Now I can return to Aliens for a week or two, before further enterprising to read next of Jane Austen’s novels. It was indeed a pleasurable reading!!!!
Alienman 