Sense & Sensibility

2004-03-05T17:06:00.000-05:00

My Paper Topic:

I think I'm going to title my paper "Senseless and Infidelity" simply because the whole novel was senseless and almost everyone was cheating on everyone else. I think I'm going to end my novel talking about how Austen never married, yet she decided to write a novel portraying the Victorian age. I think she contradicts herself. I can't wait to be done with my paper. Hopefully I won't bash the book too much.

2004-03-03T11:20:00.000-05:00

Haha, Ellen. Maybe the third daughter actually did something with her life, found a GOOD person to be with, and less to whine and complain about.

2004-03-03T09:41:00.000-05:00

Talk about stupid, this book is ridiculous. I am so mad at both sisters. Anne is prancing around like a two cent whore while Elinor is letting Ed "play" with any girl under the sun. I can't believe Elinor took Ed back, granted he never belonged to her in the first place. Lucy was flaunting the relationship she had with Ed in front of Elinor's face and Elinor just sad and took it. I can't believe Robert sat and married Lucy. Does anyone have any shame? I'm tried of Anne falling out at the littlest mention of disappointing news. I feel like someone could tell her it's going to hail today and she would fall out and get sick. And Brandon was way too nice to that girl. She acted sorta like Lucy and that made me mad. And how come Mrs. Dashwood had three daughters but you only heard about two of them? How old was the third one? I would like to think she had better sense than both her sisters put together, but it seems like everyone had either ADD or was stupid back then.

2004-03-02T22:49:00.000-05:00

Ok, I've found the moral of the story while painfully making myself read it. It actually has two morals. One, keep everyone out of your business. The gossipy aspect of the book annoys me b/c we have enough of it at school to write a series of books, but you don't see Walker students huddled in corners passionately writing about "common" problems today and such. It all really seems stupid. I'd rather watch soap operas. Two, the men portrayed in this book are dogs. I agree with you El about Will treating Anne badly. What's his problem? And I don't know what Ed was thinking. I think Ed decided to try and get the whole ice cream truck for free or something. He makes me angry. The whole book is shady. I'm curious, was middle class life really like this in Austen's time? It all seems like a really bad play.

2004-03-02T11:12:00.000-05:00

My Net was down for a couple days while I was reading this, so I'm dating the posts when I would have posted them, had I had the priviledge of having to have the internet... to have.

Anyway, I think the women in this book need to stop doing what they think is the polite thing to do, ahrem, Elinor, and start doing what the right thing to do for themselves is. It seems to me the reason why all this stuff is happening (i.e. all these political struggles and backstabings) is because they are all so concerned with social...ness. If they would just understand that socializing is a tool, or a means to an end, they could cut the B.S. get motives out in the open, and make all of them happy. I'm getting sick of this book. Austen should cut all the boring menutia out if she wanted to make a moving, influencing piece of work. Otherwise, yeah, I'm the umpteenth person calling it a Soap Opera......ZZzzzZZZzzzzZZZzz

2004-03-01T18:11:00.000-05:00

i'm not sure why nick is reading this either. mebbe it sounded juicy? i dunno - it's certainly turned out like the back made it sound - very soap opera-ish. i do actually like the book though. it's not exactly my primo choice, but it at least captures your interest with the gossipy style. i've given up on edward and willoughby. they stink, but whatever. i can't figure them out. willoughby treats marianne like scum, yet he tries to explain everything to Elinor? and then edward has the decency to feel awkward when with Elinor, yet he still wants to go off and get married with Lucy. my deal is, why did he even feign attraction to Elinor in the first place? his ma had already picked out another chick for him, and he had Lucy, but he still goes and messes with Elinor. shady...very shady.

2004-03-01T11:04:00.000-05:00

I'm "sensing" (get it? oh man, I'm good) that the book is less about feminism in particular, and more about self-independence to anyone. Sort of like how the Black Panthers reached out to oppressed people the world over, I think you can apply this book to any group or individual. For example, are all men this bad? Heavens, no. Ignoring the fact that the expression "Heavens, no." is ridiculous, not all men are this selfish, especially like Will in the treatment of Anne. "S&S" is more like the Bible than a manifesto. It's a bunch of exaggerations that mean something different depending on how you interpret it.

2004-02-27T20:07:00.000-05:00

My internet connection was down for a week and I sorta forgot about this, my bad. I wanted to complain like Tuesday about something, so bare with my half-hearted argument. The book sucks. I'm so tired of seeing the word "sensibility" it doesn't make sense. I think Jane couldn't think of a thing to call her book so she went to a random page and picked out the first two words she saw or something. Also, to go with what Nick said about women being in kitchens a while back, Nick should be in a kitchen. Can you picture it? Nick, why are you reading this book in the first place?

2004-02-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

okay - willoughby is scum and Lucy is worse. She's one of the Miss Steeles, the younger one that's secretly engaged to Edward. The same Edward that is in love (?) with Elinor, of course. Lucy acts like she doesn't know they were a thing, but she rubs it in every chance she gets. She is so mean!! It's like she thrives off of the pain she knows that Elinor must feel, though doesn't express. I don't know, i'm just want her to get hers...mebbe i'm getting too into this, but i can't help but stick up for Elinor.
I think that of the two sisters, Marianne and Elinor, Elinor is the stronger of the two. She has been so supportive for her sister and mom. Plus, she has kept the whole thing with Edward hidden - she even spends time with Lucy because it's the polite/right thing to do. She's a beast, basically. :-)

-ellen

2004-02-23T15:11:00.000-05:00

i agree with you about how crazy the whole rumor about them being gay was. it kinda fits the mood of the book though. everyone is always up in everyone else's business so much its almost funny. Mrs. Jennings is the perfect example of that - no matter what's happening, she knows and has an opinion about it. i don't know if i could stand her for long periods of time. :-)
this book seems like a soap opera.

2004-02-22T18:32:00.000-05:00

good work El

2004-02-21T22:51:00.000-05:00

I was looking over sites trying to find critiques on Austen, and it seems that some people think or rather assume she was gay. One article said something about her sister and her living together for a period of their life, and sleeping in the same bed. I thought that was pretty funny. Where do people get this stuff? Of course, we know they were both unmarried. What difference does it make anyway? I thought that was just something interesting to bring to the table. As for the reading of the book, it is going kinda slow for me. At first, it seemed so exciting until the fam actually moved out. Oh well. Off to more reading.

2004-02-21T11:36:00.000-05:00

well, it seems like Willoughby took control of his relationship with Marianne. He was always influencing her and her family, trying to wind his way in, but then, he up and leaves! and for some reason no one knows why. i understand why Marianne is upset, but why not write to him. oh wait...mebbe because he's not worth her time. :-) no, i'm just playin. I know she's devastated, but for real, how come he isn't writing to her. its like all of the people are desperate to believe that he was forced to leave. Even Elinor, the cautious sister, takes every little scrap of information she can get about Willoughby and gives him the benefit of the doubt. i just don't trust the dude.
then there's the whole Edward Ferrars, or whatever his name is. He is supposedly a thing with Elinor, but when he finally shows up and visits them, he's in a funk. Even Elinor gets kind of miffed because he's so sulky and depressed. But maybe that's just how he is - Marianne kept going on about how he is bland and all. The most interesting part of the visit was Marianne exclaiming over his ring - it had a lock of hair she assumed was Elinor's. I am willing to bet its not - he isn't the sort of guy who'd just take it, which is what Elinor assumed.
So far, the boys in this book are lacking. :-)

2004-02-18T18:57:00.000-05:00

Wha? Did I miss something? Isn't it usually the domineering husband in these relationships? The men in this book need to start taking back the house! Get back in the kitchen womens! Come on John Dashwood! Grow some spine! Show your wife the back of a couple hands!

I feel like I must play devil's advocate here, as the dude reading this book. Everyone knows MacDonald is whipped. ;)

Juuuuuust kidding, the book is getting a tad interesting... by the way this is Nick.

2004-02-18T09:53:00.000-05:00

This is just a general question. Don't we have more than two people reading this book? What happened to the others?

2004-02-16T08:52:00.000-05:00

Okay i am getting into this book. Willoughby's entrance into the book was kinda melodramatic - he swoops in to save Marianne. He's a little too mysterious and "ideal" for Marianne. How can they share the exact opinions on everything? Plus somewhere in there, Elinor found out he had been in love before or mebbe even married. hmm...suspicious. especially considering that he hasn't told Marianne.
i don't know, mebbe i'm being too harsh on him. But he just seems so sneaky - it's like he's trying to command all of Marianne's affection and turn her against Colonel Brandon, possible compitition. Several times he and Marianne start to bash Colonel Brandon, like when the party to the Colonel's family house is canceled. "Elinor then heard Willoughby say, in a low voice to Marianne, "there are some people who cannot bear a party of pleasure. Brandon is one of them. He was afraid of catching cold, I dare say, and invented this trick for getting out of it. I would lay fifty guineas the letter was of his own writing." That would be on page 60, my edition. But yes, i know this is a little long and i don't want to seem like i'm all negative about Willoughby, but i just don't trust him. too shady, i think. :-)

2004-02-15T20:21:00.000-05:00

Let the battle of the sexes begin. It seems for the moment the women in the novel have the upper hand-yes tricky tricky. . .

2004-02-12T17:28:00.000-05:00

hey timara! so glad to have someone to talk to. :-) i agree with you on the Mrs. John Dashwood. Her husband was so easy to wear down. It was like she made him think that all of what she said was his idea. tricky tricky. i like the 3 ladies - mom, elinor, and marianne. i think it's cool that marianne and the mom both recognize that they get in passions very easy. they had to depend on elinor when they left for that devonshire cottage. they seem pretty close.
i thought it was pretty funny that they were welcomed into the Middleton household and the grandmother was there. She sounded like a hoot - after the 3 ladies visited twice, she declares that Colonel Brandon and Marianne are each other's true loves. Then she goes and teases everyone, trying to see who she can make blush. i don't know, she just sounds like a lot of fun.

my favorite quote: Marianne was talking with the mom about Elinor and her beau, Edward. She couldn't believe that Elinor wasn't absolutely torn up about leaving. "Even now her self-command is invariable. When is she dejected or melancholy? When does she try to avoid society, or ppear restless or dissatisfied in it?" (page 38 my version, right before chapter IX)

2004-02-11T20:33:00.000-05:00

Hey guys! This is Timara. Common sense didn't tell me to use my real name, so forgive me. Ok, so Sense and Sensibility is sort of interesting. The beginning is kind of slow, but that was expected. I don't like Mrs. John Dashwood. She's too selfish and snobby for my taste. She just came to the Dashwood house and started taking over. Besides, why was she so stingy with the money anyway? How much money does one child need to live off? Moreover, she's acting like they'll never make another penny in their life. She's complained from the moment she set forth in that house, and the only thing her good for nothing husband does is bend to her will. Where is his backbone? As for the mother, Elinor, and Marianne, let's just say they have to grow on me. This cottage in Devonshire looks like a nice change of scenery. I can't wait to see what happens next.

My favorite quote of the moment: "[Elinor] knew that what Marianne and her mother conjectured one moment, they believed the next -- that with them, to wish was to hope, and to hope was to expect."

2004-02-10T11:26:00.000-05:00

I wonder how the title will play into the novel. Both Sense and Sensibility seem to come from the same vine yet they appear to be in opposition. Does one come before one another? What is the order? Two sides of the track? Filled with both? One sister as opposed to another?

2004-02-09T09:45:00.000-05:00

Well, i'll get things started. here's some stuff from the back of my copy.

this is a "wonderfully entertaining tale of flirtation and folly that revolves around two starkly different sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood." i think the novel is better than it sounds so far, but we'll see. the back goes on to say "while Elinor is thoughtful, considerate, and calm, her younger sister is emotional and wildly romantic. Both are looking for a husband, but neither Elinor's reason nor Marianne's passion can lead them to perfect happiness - MArianne falls for an unscrupulous rascal, and Elinor becomes attached to a man who's already engaged." yee-ha! -ellen

2004-02-09T09:40:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Sense & Sensibility! Go ahead and post something excellent! - Ellen