This novel
is a comedy of manners, meaning the way people speak and act is humorous - it's
a parody of a certain social class. This book tells the story of Elinor and
Marianne Dashwood who travel about southern England, experiencing love and
heartbreak. In the book, sense refers to good judgement, and sensibility
refers to one's sensitivity and emotion. Elinor is the one with clear
judgement, while Marianne is the emotional one. The question of the story is,
which is more important - to think and act rationally or emotionally? There's
no clear answer, although some say that both are important and the only answer
is to balance them equally.
Pride
& Prejudice (1813)
This novel
tells of a family of five daughters, all looking for the right man to marry,
and one rich young man, Mr. Bingley, who might marry the eldest, named Jane.
This creates a great deal of jealousy among her sisters as well as other men
also looking to marry these girls. The main character is the second eldest,
Elizabeth, who is smart and cautious, and cares more about Jane's happiness
than her own. Meanwhile, Bingley has a friend named Mr. Darcy who is very cold
toward Elizabeth and her family. It's only later she learns why, and realizes
that Mr. Darcy is actually a good man after all.
Mansfield
Park (1814)
This book
tells the story of three sisters, one who married rich, one who married a
minister, and the third who married a soldier, who was wounded and received
such a low pension, he could barely afford to care for his family of nine
children. To help the poor sister, the rich one, Lady Bertram, agrees to raise
their oldest child, Fanny Price, taking the girl to her estate, called
Mansfield Park. It's a bit of a Cinderella situation for Fanny, as no one seems
to like her at all there, apart from one cousin named Edmund. In the end,
everyone at Mansfield Park realizes that Fanny is the only one with real
morals, and give her the respect she deserves.
Emma
(1815)
This story
is another comedy of manners, about a girl who is rich, beautiful, and spoiled.
She thinks she knows everything, and enjoys playing match-maker, playing with
other people's lives, not realizing the damage she could do. As the story
progresses, Emma realizes she doesn't understand people as well as she had
thought, and needs to be more careful and caring. This story is about giving
people second chances, showing they can learn and grow over time.
