211 Year-Old Question: Are you Sense or Sensibility?

October 30, 2022, marks the 211th anniversary of the publication of Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen’s first published novel. To help us celebrate, find these treats around the web.

Our friends at JaneAusten.co.uk is all knowledgeable with their “Ten things you might not know about Sense and Sensibility” quiz. Truly, imagine only £9,545.90 if published in 2022!

We’ve all wondered whether we are an Elinor or a Marianne. Some of us identify strictly as a Margaret. But we have the Carterhaugh School (founded by Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman, where they “teach creative souls how to re-enchant their lives through folklore and fairy tales.”) to thank for this discerning post on the question. (An oldie but goodie)

An oft-Googled fact: Elinor is aged 19 in the book, while Marianne is aged 16-17, as they come of age in the novel. Younger sister, Margaret is aged 13. (DO NOT start with me about Emma Thompson’s age when she played Elinor!) (But for those wondering, Dame Emma Thompson was 36 when she played Elinor, and Kate Winslet was nineteen in relation to Marianne’s sixteen.)

A sequel! Author Emma Tennant gained 2.5 stars for her try at the next phase of life for the Dashwood sisters, now Mrs. Brandon and Mrs. Ferrars. The GoodReads summary says it all: A sequel to Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility”, this is the correspondence between the married Dashwood sisters – Mrs Brandon and Mrs Edward Ferrars. Passion, in the shape of the charming seducer Willoughby, makes an appearance, together with perennial themes of money and social embarrassment.” Take your chances and let us know if it works out!

Finally, you can find a large variety of writings about Sense and Sensibility from the JASNA national 2011 AGM.

Happy 211th S&S!

 




Nikki Willoughby
October 29, 2022