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Caroline Sutphin
Professor Graham
ENGL 4624
10 September 2015
Colonel Brandon as the Romantic Hero of Sense and Sensibility
A common objection to Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility is that Marianne settles for
Colonel Brandon in an unromantic conclusion to the novel. However, a further examination of
their relationship and its portrayal by Austen shows that a quieter romance is preferable and even
more romantic on a deeper level. Throughout the novel, we see in many examples that drama and
passion do not often lead to successful, enduring romances. Colonel Brandon can be seen as an
appropriately romantic partner for Marianne through his stability, his mysterious and heroic
nature, Marianne’s acknowledged love for him, the solid foundation their romance is built on,
and through Elinor’s judgement.
First, Colonel Brandon’s stability and maturity actually add to him as a love interest
instead of lowering him, as some might argue. He doesn’t have the unpredictable heart of a
young man, which proves to be harmful not only in Willoughby but in Edward Ferrar’s
unfortunate engagement to Lucy Steele. It would be inconsistent to have a lively, young hero
marry Marianne after so many examples of the unreliability of youth. Being a man of his age in
his position in life, Colonel Brandon knows his own heart. His love for Marianne is almost
immediate, and it steadily, consistently grows as he knows her more. Colonel Brandon is
scarcely mentioned without the Austen narrator also including an assurance of his continued
affection. Unlike Willoughby, he never falters in his admiration for her, even when loving her is
detrimental to his own happiness. When Marianne loves someone else and Colonel Brandon
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believes her engaged, his love still stands. He waits for her to grow attached to him with a
patience that is more romantic than any eloquent declaration of devotion. He is unchanging in the
best way possible.
Colonel Brandon is also romantic because of his identity as a mysterious, wounded hero.
In Sense and Sensibility, he has the darkest and most tragic past of all the characters. The
mysterious man has loved and lost in the most cruel way imaginable and doesn’t awake from his
heartbreak until meeting Marianne. These factors add up to a love interest worthy of the most
over-the-top romance. Colonel Brandon is also something of a hero for his young love by rising
to action with little to no encouragement from her. He conveys his history and all his darkest
secrets to Elinor for the sole purpose of lessening Marianne’s suffering, if only by a fraction.
When Marianne is ill, he literally rides off into the country to retrieve her mother, an image that
is so romantic that it’s nearly a cliché. All this considered, Colonel Brandon is more than worthy
of the passionate love the reader expects from Marianne.
At the conclusion of the novel, the conflicts focused on by Austen are resolved; she does
not elaborate on the engagement and marriage of Colonel Brandon and Marianne. The reader
doesn’t see Marianne’s passion for her husband directly, but it is stated. Jane Austen writes,
“Marianne could never love by halves; and her whole heart became, in time, as much devoted to
her husband, as it had once been to Willoughby.” Even though the reader doesn’t get the words
directly from Marianne, this line alone reveals that she loves as passionately as ever but now
with a more deserving subject. If Jane Austen had left out this line, the knowledge of Marianne’s
character should be enough to convince everyone of her perfect happiness with Colonel Brandon.
She does gain more sense by the end of the novel, but she hasn’t changed so much that she could
marry someone she only loved in a lesser way. Marianne is in spirit an open, warm, and
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unfaltering lover; she isn’t the kind of girl who could settle.
In the end, Marianne’s slower attachment to Colonel Brandon creates a foundation for a
lasting love. The two are compatible with each other. They are equally capable socially and
intellectually but have different temperaments. The more reserved nature of Colonel Brandon is
balanced with Marianne’s personality, in a way that Willoughby could never match. Marianne’s
gradual attachment also gives her time to fully learn and understand Colonel Brandon’s
character. With the complete knowledge of all of his merits and shortcomings, the love she feels
is real and complete. Again, this is in contrast to Willoughby, who she knew very little of at the
height of their romance. The time spent building the relationship also prevents the possibility of
mistaking infatuation for love, a fault Marianne seems likely to possess. Marianne and Colonel
Brandon have a mutual respect and admiration for one another that goes much deeper than an
initial attraction.
Additionally, the reader should approve of Colonel Brandon for Marianne because Elinor
approves. Throughout the novel, Elinor is the voice of reason who understands the feelings and
intentions of all the characters around her. The reader relies on her judgement from her
suspicions of Willoughby to her fondness for Mrs. Jennings. Even more than any other character,
Elinor understands Marianne. She believes that Marianne will be happy with Colonel Brandon
and appreciates him for all his merits. Her knowledge of Marianne’s heart is reason enough to
convince the reader that Marianne has no need to hold out for someone else.
Far from being a character anyone could settle for, Colonel Brandon is in many ways the
most romantic man in Sense and Sensibility. His relationship with Marianne stems from respect,
compatibility, and a wholehearted, honest love. While immediate head-over-heels passion seems
like the most romantic love in the moment, an affection that develops slowly is often deeper and
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more likely to endure the test of time. Because of all this, Marianne’s perfect match is Colonel
Brandon; no one else could sufficiently fill the role.