WeBuzz
Reader discussion: Sense and Sensibility
Public reader discussion about Sense and Sensibility in the WeRead Catalog by Jane Austen.
Help me choose which "Sense and Sensibility" to get!
By Patient-Valley
Hey!
I’m slowly working through Jane Austen’s novels, but not really in any order. I’m almost done with *Mansfield Park*, and I think my next one will be *Sense and Sensibility*. My whole Austen collection is pretty mismatched (I’m cool with it), but I’m stuck on which edition to go with.
In my current pile, I’ve been trying to match the vibe a bit—so for *Sense and Sensibility* I’m torn between the regular Penguin Classics copy (pic 3), which would fit with *Mansfield Park*, or the fabric-bound Penguin Classics one (pic 4), which would match my *Pride and Prejudice*. The third option would just be me continuing the chaos and picking something totally different, but I don’t really want to go that route.
What do you think?
And sorry to everyone who hates the chaotic collection—I honestly think it’s fun lol.
A detail missing in adaptations of Sense and Sensibility.
By MellowHeron
Honestly, every Jane Austen movie/TV version I’ve seen seems to nudge the story toward a more traditional “romantic” ending than the books do. Like in Sense and Sensibility, both the 1995 and 2008 adaptations make it feel like Elinor and Edward’s marriage happens right after (or not long after) Marianne’s illness stuff and Edward’s proposal. But in the novel it’s different: Elinor and Edward do get engaged, though they’re kind of stuck financially at first. I remember the narrator saying they wait until Mrs. Ferrars and her son are back on good terms, with Elinor helping, and then Edward gets an inheritance of 10,000l. And for Marianne and Colonel Brandon, they don’t marry until three years later. For the other couples, it’s not really spelled out with a clear timeline either, which is why the adaptations feel a little off to me.
Sense and Sensibility Question
By DavidLovesBooks
I was just rewatching *Sense and Sensibility* and a question popped into my head. Sorry if this is super obvious, but why don’t we ever see any of Fanny’s brothers before the main timeline? Like, once John and Fanny move into Norland Park after the father dies.
Wouldn’t they have known about John and Fanny’s wedding and gone to it? I get that Mrs. Dashwood is a second wife, so she’s kind of his step-mother, but since the father was still alive during the marriage, it feels like the brothers should’ve attended too. Am I missing something? Curious what other people think.
New Sense and Sensibility
By focus-rain
I was really excited to hear about Sense and Sensibility with Daisy Edgar-Jones playing Elinor. I loved her as Marianne in Normal People, so I’m rooting for her here too. Elinor still feels like she needs someone with really strong acting chops to pull off all that emotion and the “put on a brave face” part, but I think Daisy can handle it. I’m also curious who they’ll cast for Edward.
What do I need to know before reading Sense and Sensibility?
By careful_bottle
I just finished Wuthering Heights and liked it quite a bit in the end. But when I first picked it up last year, I gave up around the middle because I went in expecting some kind of love story (definitely not that).
Once I realized it was really about deeply messed up people who hate each other and how all their drama and unfinished stuff affects the next generation, I started enjoying it a lot more and could actually appreciate Wuthering Heights.
I didn’t need to look anything up before reading Jane Eyre, but I probably should have done that with Wuthering Heights. I only know the tiny blurb on the back of my copy of Sense and Sensibility, and I’ve never read any Jane Austen at all. Is there anything I should know before I start?
Is it just me or are the new 2024 Penguin Clothbound book covers more durable?
By GoosePoppy24
Last year I grabbed a couple Penguin Clothbound ones—Anna Karenina and Dracula—and I was honestly pretty let down. The covers started looking rough way too fast. I even tried to be extra careful with Dracula and barely touched it, and with Anna Karenina I swear I basically removed what felt like half the cover just from reading it. It’s super annoying, because they’re gorgeous, but why would I pay for a hardback if I’m not even going to recognize what I bought by the time I’m done?
This year I picked up two of the newer editions (Tale of Two Cities and Jane Eyre) where the pattern is printed on the side of the pages too, and so far they’re holding up great. The covers haven’t faded or worn at all with normal use, and I haven’t been as careful as I was before, just to see. They feel way more “real” and like they’ll last.
Am I the only one who had this kind of cover-wear problem, or did they finally make them tougher?
Edit: Okay, I feel kind of dumb—I didn’t realize these two newer ones aren’t Penguin Classics at all, they’re Union Press. Sorry if I got anyone’s hopes up. That said, I actually do like these editions more because they seem more durable and the design works better, so maybe they’re worth a look anyway.
sense and sensibility last chapter spoiler!
By faintLynx
Okay but… why do Robert and Lucy end up with such a happy ending? I swear this has probably been discussed already, but I still feel like it has to be brought up again. How do they get money, special treatment, and everyone’s good opinion when they seem kind of weak-minded? I can understand Edmund and Elinor being fine with how things turned out, but Robert and Lucy just don’t feel like they got any kind of “consequences,” not even in a sneaky way like Lydia and Wickham did. Does anyone else feel that or am I missing something?
Help with chapter 10 of sense and sensibility
By Superuser
Hey, I’m pretty new to reading English, and I can usually get what’s going on in the book, but I’m stuck on two sentences from chapter 10.
I think in the first one, Margaret is basically telling Marianne that Willoughby is going to be at the cottage.
And for the second one, I’m not sure what the writer means—does it mean Marianne looks more impressive because she’s taller? Or is it saying her “shape” isn’t as proper because she’s shorter?
Sorry if these questions are confusing—I’m still figuring things out.
Mark Twain's Review of "Sense and Sensibility
By Mirror_Late
It’s kind of too bad Twain never got around to reading “Northanger Abbey,” because I keep thinking it would’ve fit his vibe a lot better.
And every time I try to read “Pride and Prejudice” or “Sense and Sensibility,” I feel like I’m walking into some super strict religious place—like, I can just about picture how he’d feel there. I’m pretty sure I know what he’d be thinking too, the whole little side-eye and lip curl. Not because he’d be better than anyone—more like everyone else wouldn’t be his kind of people at all.
But then I can’t stop wondering if Austen is too good at what she does. Like, does she mean to make you hate her characters right away? Because she pretty much does it for me. I’m left detesting most of them with no hesitation. Then I catch myself thinking maybe she’s doing it on purpose—push you to the point where you’re supposed to feel that way, and then later she makes you turn around and like them. That would be pretty smart… if that’s what’s happening. I guess I’ll have to look at how the back half goes someday.
Also, everyone praises her “art” like she’s got this sharp touch, and yeah, she does—especially when she’s drawing people who are already disgusting. I’m reading “Sense and Sensibility” again (not even for the first time), and I’ve only gotten through the first chunk. Marianne doesn’t come off likeable to me at all; I don’t think I’d want to be around her in real life. And Elinor and Edward… right now Elinor feels more like a wax figure and Edward more like a shadow, and I can’t see any real reason for their feelings yet.
And then Edward turns out to be especially awful—he’s traded in whatever “harmless” image he had and ends up engaged to Lucy Steele, who honestly sounds like she’s all coarse and ignorant and nasty and selfish, and even the way she talks is just flattering and sneaky. Elinor knows her well, so it makes me ask: are the “nice” sentiments Elinor says supposed to make Lucy look noble and somehow make Elinor seem better in our eyes? Or is it just… not believable?
Willoughby, too, feels openly cruel and kind of criminal. Mrs. Ferrars is just the worst kind of rich woman—mean and offensive. Mr. Dashwood and Fanny are money-obsessed and cold, and they never seem to do anything kind. Robert Ferrars is a snob and plain unpleasant. Even Mr. Palmer comes off coarse and like a bully, but he barely talks, so it’s hard to tell what’s really going on beyond the gross vibe. His wife is coarse and silly. And Lucy’s sister? Also coarse and foolish and just annoying.
Sense and sensibility question
By Paper-Teal83
Does Elinor actually tell Marianne in the book that she already knows about Lucy and Edward being engaged? I know there’s a scene like that in the 95 adaptation, but I can’t seem to find it in the book—could be me missing it.
The Composition of Each Character in Sense and Sensibility
By SceneBundlet
Mrs. Ferrars just gives me the creeps—she feels like pure slime.
sense and sensibility page 2
By sunnyDreams
On page 2 it says something like “his son was sent for him… and Mr. Dashwood recommended, with all the urgency illness could manage, the interest of his mother-in-law and sisters.”
I get the “sisters” part, that’s probably the three daughters. But the “mother-in-law” is what’s throwing me off. I’d think it means Mr. Dashwood’s second wife, Mrs. Dashwood—his wife’s mom would be his mother-in-law, though, so why would the wording be that? It feels kind of vague either way.
I also saw a couple people argue about it: one says Jane Austen means Mrs. John Dashwood’s mother, and another (and even ChatGPT) says it’s actually Mrs. Dashwood. I’m not sure who’s right, and I’m struggling to see which one fits the situation better. Any thoughts?
Sense and Sensibility….
By mistfaint81
I just finished *Sense and Sensibility*, and even though I genuinely loved Austen’s writing style (it’s really hard not to get swept up in it), I did get a little annoyed with how some of the characters were treated.
Lucy, in particular, feels like she gets looked down on by basically everyone, and Elinor is the one who stands out. Elinor is meant to be the sensible one, but she doesn’t exactly give Lucy the benefit of the doubt. Lucy is in a rough spot in life—she’s stuck with almost nothing—and tries to better her situation by aiming for marriage, but Elinor acts like she’s contemptible for it.
And at the same time, Willoughby is pretty open about choosing a rich wife so he can keep up his fancy lifestyle, and somehow Elinor has to stop herself from feeling bad for him physically. It makes me wonder if Austen meant it that way, because it ended up feeling like she was showing something about people’s real values, even if it wasn’t the most comfortable to read.
Overall, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel about Elinor as “the moral compass,” but I do think it works—because it shows how people can cling to status and act superior even when it’s basically just empty. Elinor can be poor and struggling, but she still carries herself like she’s better than everyone else just because of where she was born.
Finally finished reading Sense and Sensibility
By CrimsonPencil
I really wanted to enjoy this one. I love Jane Austen, but this book just felt so slow to me. Elinor’s love interest didn’t really stick with me—maybe because the story seemed way more centered on Marianne’s romance stuff, or maybe that’s just how it felt.
And honestly, the ending seemed kind of rushed too, like there was all this setup and then it was just basically “and then they got married, done.”
What did everyone else think?
Had my first go with Austen by reading "Sense and Sensibility" - my thoughts
By Curious_Pages9
Finally picked up S&S and I honestly didn’t expect it to click for me, but I’m really glad I gave it a go.
I thought it would be one of those “classic” books where you kind of respect it more than you actually enjoy it, like the drama and writing might feel kind of old or stiff. Instead, it totally lived up to the hype for me. It’s the kind of story I like—slow, realistic, lots of conversations and basically nothing happening on the surface, but it still feels so loaded. And the writing is just gorgeous.
What really got me is how much Austen leans on dialogue. It’ll be huge stretches of people talking with hardly any narration, and every little interaction feels layered. Their quirks and the history they bring into the room just shape what they’re really saying. The double meanings and little ironies in what characters trade back and forth are especially sharp. I kept thinking of ch 17 and how Edward and Marianne kind of go around the point without actually meeting it, and then ch 34 at Harley Street where Mrs Ferrars is being nasty to Elinor about her paintings. That moment at the end of the chapter is probably my favorite—Marianne basically snaps, Fanny and everyone reacts, and then everything is wrapped up in like one paragraph. It’s packed.
I also love Austen’s wit. A lot of the chapters feel almost set up like a joke: you get some info in a scene, then someone drops something surprising or sideways at the end. Like that bit with Charlotte and her “type of man” thing in ch 20.
That said, I didn’t love everything. The ending vibe in chapter 46 feels really didactic to me—Austen basically gives this long, on-the-nose speech about Marianne needing to learn to be more like Elinor. I get what she’s doing, especially as a pushback against the super sentimental novels of the time, but it still felt a little flat and too preachy. Also, I’m not totally on board with how much Austen fans seem to adore Elinor. She mostly just… is there. I didn’t really feel like she “did” anything the whole novel, and it seemed like a ton of the book was just other people talking at her while she stays quiet.
And I think the secret about Lucy and Edward’s engagement is another place where it felt undercooked. There’s this big silence around Elinor’s burden, and she doesn’t actually say much until it all spills out later on its own. But it’s hard to make you sit up and notice “silence” when the rest of the cast is constantly getting loud and stealing the spotlight. I kept wishing there were more scenes that underline how hard it is for her, like the Lucy/Edward visit to Berkely Street (ch 35) where Marianne doesn’t even clock what she’s supposed to be seeing. That would’ve made the later reveal to Marianne (ch 37) hit harder.
Same thing with Marianne and Col Brandon—I felt their connection getting teased nonstop, so I was bracing for a proper payoff… and then it just kind of gets settled off-screen in the last few pages. That part disappointed me a lot.
Still though, overall I really loved Austen’s style. I’m planning to try Persuasion next since people say it’s her most mature, deep, and melancholy one.
A defense of Sense and Sensibility: a more realistic Austen novel
By tidebeacon1973
I know Sense and Sensibility isn’t usually everyone’s go-to Austen, and it’s probably not even in most people’s top three. But it’s still tied with Pride and Prejudice for me as my favorite. I was chatting with a friend and it got me thinking about why I like it so much, so I figured I’d throw my thoughts out there and see what people think.
I love Austen, but in a lot of her most popular stuff the characters can slide so far into their “type” that they feel a little hard to believe. I also get why that works for some people though—if you can recognize the archetype right away, you can relate to them, but you don’t feel quite as exposed to Austen’s little digs.
Sense and Sensibility has a lot of the same character “types” as her other novels, but they just feel more grounded. Like Willoughby, for me, is basically the same sort of vibe as Wickham, except he feels more believable. He grew up with money and then just sort of burns through it over time, like a lot of wealthy young guys do. He flirts because it’s easy and he’s bored. Wickham, on the other hand, comes with that more unrealistic backstory and vendetta thing that makes him feel more like a plot device than a person. And he still messes with women even though he’s been taught better, which mostly reads as “he’s bad because he’s bad.”
I also feel like the relationships and personalities hit differently. Elizabeth is the kind of “lively and smart” girl a lot of people want to be, and Jane feels too perfect to be real, so it’s hard for me to buy. Marianne’s storyline feels more like it matches Elizabeth’s kind of personality—more how it would actually go. Elinor, meanwhile, feels like Jane’s goodness but with the brakes on, like she can be kind and still deal with reality. And the love interests aren’t those super irresistible rich young prince types from some of the other books—they’re more like decent, smart men who actually respect Elinor and Marianne for what they are, and they’re financially stable enough to make sense. Even the ending doesn’t come with everything being perfect and handed over, it’s more like they end up happy in a way that fits who they are.
I do wonder if part of it is that some Austen fans treat these books like wish-fulfillment, so when the story is more realistic (and the characters aren’t as shiny or ideal), it doesn’t scratch the same itch. I like Sense and Sensibility specifically because it feels real. Totally fine if others don’t—but I wanted to talk about that side of it.
Who is your favorite Sense and Sensibility character and why?
By wintercarrot
Just finished the book—I'm curious who everyone’s favorite character(s) were?
Sense and Sensibility cover, how shocking!
By VioletMouse64
Definitely Anne and Lucy—just not the right sisters, Tor.
Book Review: 'Sense and Sensibility' by Jane Austen
By redPencil3
So this is the first Austen novel that came out in 1811, which is kind of neat. The story itself is pretty simple (at least compared to what I’ve seen people hype up): you’ve got two main sisters, Elinor and Marianne. And most of the book is basically Marianne’s love life, drama, and heartbreak, while Elinor is more level-headed. Their views on love are very much put on the table, like the whole thing is debating whether love “makes sense” or not.
The title feels pretty accurate too, because it really does show how lacking common sense can be in society. The funniest part is how Austen makes it obvious who’s being foolish without saying it directly. Her stuff is more “manners” than pure romance, so you do expect some judgment and sarcasm, but the wit is still surprising in how it shows up.
I won’t lie—I got a bit bored in the second part, mostly because it kept lingering on Marianne’s heartbreak. But later on it picked up and moved faster, so that helped. Overall though, it does what it promises: romance, wit, sarcasm, and that mix of smart and not-so-smart characters.
One lesson I took from it: don’t be way too harsh about how you judge people in your friends/family circle. In the book, Mrs. Jennings is basically the one Marianne doesn’t like much, but she’s also the one who actually sticks with her and supports her to the end.
**Spoiler-ish, I guess:** I keep thinking Austen was trying to show how similar Willoughby and Edward are in the way they mess things up, but how different the outcomes end up being. Both of them kind of don’t communicate clearly with their partners, so the women are left to guess what’s going on. But Edward’s whole situation somehow ends up working out for Elinor, while Willoughby’s greed ends up hurting Marianne badly. And I’m honestly not sure what would’ve happened with Edward if Lucy hadn’t changed feelings.
Also, Marianne really acts like she’s the most sensible person in her world at the start, but then she ends up being one of the biggest fools for falling for someone like Willoughby so blindly. I always had in my head that Willoughby was supposed to be more of a playboy, based on how he’s described and how he behaves here.
Sense and sensibility
By OtterBroken
I’ve seen folks argue that Marianne has way too much feeling and Elinor has way too much sense. Marianne feels pretty straightforward—she keeps making herself sick and can be kind of annoying and careless for a lot of the book. But I’m not sure if people judge Elinor the same way, or what her “too much sense” would even look like. Like, what problems does she have, and what happens because of it?