Sense and Sensibility:
A Tale of Two Sisters
Julia Wilker
April 2016
Table of Contents
Context Page:
Summary of the novel, author, historical information, and the movie based
on the book, Sense and Sensibility.
Genre: Author
Diary Entry written by Jane Austen.
Genre: Historical Context
A series of five Instagram posts by a middle to upper class women in the
1800’s.
Genre: Literary Element
A series of five haikus written in Marianne’s perspective about Willoughby
leaving her heartbroken.
Genre: Literary Element
A Dear Abby column written by Elinor under the pseudonym Baffled in
Barton writing about Mr. Edward Ferrars already being engaged to Miss
Lucy Steele.
Footnotes:
A description of each genre and why each genre was chosen.
Works Cited Page:
All of the sources used to make this project.
In 1811, Jane Austen released her novel Sense and Sensibility to the world under the
pseudonym, A Lady. It soon became known for its look into how patriarchy is unjust to women
and shows just how narcissist the men are in her novels.
Jane Austen grew up in a quiet village to a large family and the daughter of a clergy man.
Jane Austen grew up surrounded by her family. Once all of her brothers went off to get married
she remained a home with her mother. Jane Austen never got married herself but she did receive
one proposal in which she turned down. Jane Austen was then surrounded by her family and her
nieces and nephews and lived a generally happy life. Her father died in the early 1800’s leaving
her mother, only sister, and her at home. Her brothers then continued to support them with their
financial needs and a home to live in. Jane Austen died in her early forties from what people
thought was Addison’s disease.
The novel Sense and Sensibility was set in an English countryside in the early nineteenth
century. The setting was thought to be inspired by Jane Austen’s home itself but no one knows
truly if this I the case. In this time many women got engaged due to arranged marriages by the
families and as the social class got higher the less suitable partners there were for the ladies.
Since Elinor and Marianne were of a middle social class they had been able to find their own
partners at the Barton Cottage. This time period it was also popular for women to not own their
own property and the male was seen as the ruler of the house and the women rarely spoke out.
Jane Austen’s novel called out these privileges of the men. This was also the time of the reign of
Queen Victoria starting the fashion trend craze for elaborate dresses and lavish homes and
parties. The women in the novel do seem to have a lot of engagements with their friends and
family and do seem to show that they are very social.
The novel itself shows a stark difference from other novels of its era. One of them being
that female authors weren’t always taken as serious writers in their time. Elinor and Marianne
were the daughters of Henry Dashwood. They have another sister who isn’t much mentioned in
the book named Margaret Dashwood. The story does not focus on her because she is said to be
too young to be married. The girl’s father hen dies leaving them with little money. The
daughter’s half-brother Mr. John Dashwood and his wife help out the young girls and their
mother with giving them a small fortune hoping to help them out. The girls then receive and
invitation to live in a small cottage on the estate of their family member Sir John and his wife
Lady Middleton. There Marianne finds her future husband though it is not who she thinks it is.
Elinor had an acquaintance back at the estate of Mr. John Dashwood and then had to leave him.
She was heartbroken to find out that he had already been engaged the whole time. Elinor finds
some peace with a surprising ending and the two girls both end up engaged to a young man
suited just for them.
Since the novel has gotten so much attention it was turned into a movie in 1995 with the
actors Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson staring as Elinor and Marianne. The movie, which is
set in 1811, stays true to the book and shows the meaning of sense and sensibility.
August 22, 1801
Dear Diary,
Today was a great day! I had so much fun with all of my brothers and my sister! I woke up this
morning with a smile on my face knowing that all of my family was going to be here in just a few hours. I sped
through breakfast and some of my morning chores including making my bed, doing the dishes, and hanging up some
of the drying laundry. Then after the morning flew by my family finally walked through the white door! I was
so excited to see my nieces and nephews.
As I sat their waiting for my nephews and nieces and the rest of my family, something occurred to me.
It occurred that I will never have any family to call my own. I have only received one marriage proposal from
an acquaintance and I respectfully denied. The only reason I denied was because I was so caught up in my never
ending work writing my novels. It makes me unhappy to think that I might never have the sound of little
pattering feet running around my home as I write my books, and giving me inspiration!
The only thing that keeps this thought from making me too blue is what I have accomplished in the
short time that I have been on this great Earth! I have already published several books. Sure, no one knows
that I wrote my novels because I wrote them under a pseudonym, but one day I will get recognized!
My brothers are also all independent but my mother, sister, and I all depend on my father who is the
head priest at the local church. All of my brothers have been married and have children. I adore all of their
children and I love to spoil my little nieces and nephews! They are just too cute with their little fingers and
noses!
This afternoon over tea my mother told me that she read my book. She said that I have quite a talent
for writing. But she also told me that my writing can come off as quite vivacious! I knew that I could be quite
high- spirited but I never thought that it could be that bad that even my mother would comment on my writing.
Although I don’t know why I have become so outraged because I want my novels to seem like they have an
outspoken feel to it and maybe people will even see my point as to why I write that way!
And lastly I want to write that I am very fortunate in many ways, including that my family is large
and prosperous and very healthy. Not everyone in this day is so lucky as to have a large family be healthy and
full of joy all the time. I am very happy that my life has not seen tragedy and I hope that I the years to come
I never see it myself.
Sincerely, yours truly,
Alice_Grace
678
Breakfast with my favorite family members!
#Blessed
NellieAbney
765
What’s is better than singing with my
besties? #music #singing
EmiliaAbrahm
5467
Rowboat ride with my best companion,
Ralph! #mybestfriend
Sitting all alone
Anger as I sit in pain
Waiting Willoughby
How dare he do that?
Did he not think of my heart!
He left! no warning
He stood there smiling
And came out with the dreadful news
Shock washed over me
Abigail Van Buren
September 22nd, 1812
DEAR ABBY: I am in love with this man named David*. He
and I met through my brother’s wife. We spent a lot of time
together at my family home and we were even thought to be
engaged by my family. One day we decided to move to a
personal estate a while away. He seemed very heartbroken to see
me leave.
Later he came and visited us at our new estate names
Barton Cottage and was wearing a ring so I asked him what the
ring was and told me it was his sister’s. He seemed in low spirits
but I thought nothing of it.
After he left my uncle announced that some of his relatives
were coming to visit us and him. I went on a walk with
Elizabeth*, one of his family members, and she asked me about
David’s mother. I was very surprised at the question seeing as
that I had no relations to his mother. Elizabeth then explained
that she was engaged to Mr. David! All this time David had
been engaged. For four years they were engaged and David said
not one word about it to me. They didn’t tell anyone because
they are afraid of what their family will think.
I was genuinely confused because David had always
seemed like he loved me. The feelings that he showed couldn’t
have been fake could they? – Baffled in Barton
DEAR BAFFLED: This may seem like worst case scenario
for any woman or man. Not every likes to find out that their
beloved in already engaged to another man.
Not every family approves of their son or brother’s
engagement so it has to be kept secret. And you said yourself
that they didn’t tell their family so it shouldn’t be a matter for
the friends either. David must have a reason for not telling
anyone including yourself.
And for the question of real feelings, maybe they weren’t
the feelings of a lover, but the feelings of a friend or sisterly
bond.
Only time will tell where this situation will go. Do not
think nasty thoughts of Mr. David’s fiancée and being negative.
Be happy for Mr. David and go out and be happy!
Sincerely,
Abigail Van Buren
Footnotes
Genre One: Diary Entry
I got the idea to do this genre when I was researching Jane Austen. Multiple places said that her
life did not have much tragedy and that she was surrounded by her family almost every day. That
gave me the idea to write a diary entry of what a normal day in Jane Austen’s life wound have
looked like. Also Jane Austen began writing at a very young age and it was normal for her to
write all of the time.
Genre Two: Instagram Posts
When researching the era when this novel was written it was clear that the social system was
ruled by the middle to upper class families who lived on large estates and had many friends.
Young women were usually married off for social importance and money and rarely due to
actually being in love with the person. I got the idea to do a series of five Instagram posts so that
a person would know what the average day looks like to a middle class women around the age of
seventeen or eighteen.
Genre Three: Haikus
When reading the novel Sense and Sensibility it was clearly shown that Marianne was in obvious
distress over the fact that Mr. John Willoughby had left her for no apparent reason. It gave me
the idea to do a series of three haikus that could show how Marianne was feeling when
Willoughby left her with no notice.
Genre Four: Dear Abby
Soon after Mr. Willoughby left Marianne, Elinor found out that her “love” Mr. Edward Ferrars
had been engaged the whole time that she thought they had been in love. She was confused and
didn’t know what to do or what to think. That gave me the idea to do a Dear Abby column
because when a person writes to Abigail van Buren they usually are having some sort of trouble
and need some help solving it. I wrote in the perspective of Elinor on her troubles with Edward
and his fiancée.