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“Can the soul really be satisfied with such polite affections? To love is to burn, to be on fire, all full of passion . . . ”
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Read: Jane Austen (1775-1817) : Sense and Sensibility (you might want to buy the book!)
Brief Lecture:
Sense and Sensibility is is the quintessential British novel. Its author, Jane Austen, is one of England's greatest and best-loved writers. Her six novels, which have been read and enjoyed by people of all ages, have been translated into at least 35 languages, and adapted for television, cinema, and stage. The characters Austen created are as vivid for us today as they were for the first readers in 19th century Britain. The main setting of each book includes the country houses of the southern part of England that Austen knew well. The stories are told with humor, sparkling wit, and a profound understanding of the human heart and mind.
One aspect of the English literary tradition, sensibility, evolved from Romanticism. Sensibility was the prevailing attitude during 19th century England in which people relied on their feelings as guides of truth, rather than reason or law. Some of the attributes of sensibility include: benevolence, sympathy, and sentimentality.
One of the pioneers of English literary tradition was Sir Geoffrey Chaucer who preceded Austen by more than 500 years. In the British tradition, writers began their stories by talking about the village or hamlet wherein the story took place. Like Chaucer, authors like the Bronte sisters, George Eliot, and Jane Austen told stories that were inspired by the people and places they encountered, and usually included a moral or lesson to be learned by the story's end. Chaucer drew his inspiration from many of the great writers of ancient literature, especially the Greeks. In a similar fashion, Jane Austen alludes to Shakespeare and other noted predecessors.
Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant star in a film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. If you have a chance, please try to see it this semester as it will increase your appreciation and understanding of the novel.
When you have finished the novel, you may go on to Quiz 2, and then go on to the Frankenstein Lecture. Please check the schedule to determine when Paper One will be due.