Sense and Sensibility

The plot of Sense and Sensibility is set around the turn of the 19th century, when the rational Enlightenment thinking that dominated British 18th-century culture (detailed in Immanuel Kant's What is Englightenment?) found itself in competition with an opposite tendency that idealized rugged nature, sentimentality, and spontaneity. Austen dramatizes these opposing traits in her novel, principally in the sister protagonists but also in the minor characters.

The Enlightenment's prioritization of reason over emotion and empirical study over spontaneous action or displays of feeling are evident in Elinor’s character and behavior. Like an Enlightenment-era scientist or empirical philosopher (such as John Locke or David Hume), Elinor closely observes the new people in her life before judging their character and entrusting them with her feelings. While this makes her cautious in love, it also endows her with a deep wisdom and generosity, as she does not take people at face value or let herself be dictated to by stereotypes.

In contrast, Marianne openly rejects any attempts to modify her feelings, viewing this as the corrupting force of society on the individual. She aligns herself with the ideas of the Swiss philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), who prioritized uncultivated nature and instinct over social and cultural conditioning. By the 1790s, when the novel takes place, Marianne’s emotional and sentimental temperament was the fashionable one, especially for young ladies. She is governed by extremes of feeling, moving from thinking that no man on the planet will ever satisfy her to finding all her earthly satisfaction in Willoughby. While other characters in the book, including Mrs. Dashwood and Mrs. Jennings, cherish Marianne’s temperament, Austen mocks it and reveals its dangers. For example, at the beginning of the novel when she is grieving her father, Marianne’s resolution “against ever admitting consolation in future” is hyperbolic and even gains the gloss of insincerity when she is cheered by the prospect of Elinor marrying Edward and moved to ecstasy by Willoughby (6). Thus, the profession of extreme feeling has little to do with the ups and downs of daily life.

Austen also shows the dangers of taking sensibility to its extremes; for example in the illegitimate pregnancy of Eliza Williams or the near-fatal illness of Marianne. While Willoughby seems like a romantic hero, these girls’ passions for him land them in a mundane and often dangerous reality. Austen shows how in a patriarchal society, Willoughby can get away with indulging his excessive feelings and appetites, while girls like Marianne and Eliza cannot. Where the realities of the female body and double standards still apply, girls will be made to suffer disproportionately for unchecked sensibility.