Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen, is a classic manners
romance that focuses on the plight of noble women when
their men and therefore
sources of income are taken from them. It is a sad and beautiful tale of
the difference between true love and mere heightened sensibilities (feelings)
towards the opposite gender.
When the Dashwoods are forced from their own home after the death of their
father, things look very bleak for them. Four women, one widow (their
mother), two
unmarried and one child, have no real way of making money in this
time, so they have to learn to make do with the little that the law allowed
them to have from the vast inheritance they had while their father was
alive. Mrs. Dashwood's son and his wife inherit almost everything, including
the huge estate that the women were used to living in, and send the Dashwood
ladies off to a mere cottage in the ownership of one of their cousins.
While their mother despairs of being able to marry off her daughters (because
they have no dowry), both unmarried women find what they believe is love on
their own -- in very different ways. The eldest tries to put her mind in
front of her heart and do things in the proper way, while the younger throws
caution to the wind and risks all for love. But despise the other's
methods of carrying on a relationship in the midst of all their trials, and
feels that their way is the
better one. Eventually they must come to
terms with their hearts and answer the question -- how much of your feelings is
it proper to show?
Austen does an incredible job of creating sympathetic characters in a time very
foreign to us now, and describes the plight of the Dashwoods so that even in
modern times this book is relevant and a worthy read. Love is a tricky
business, especially when money is involved, and no book reflects that better
than Sense and Sensibility.