Welcome to the World of Jane Austen: Sense and Sensibility
Hi there! Welcome to your study guide for Sense and Sensibility. As part of your OCR A Level "Women in Literature" topic, we are going to look at how Jane Austen uses the stories of two sisters to show us what life was really like for women in the early 1800s. Don't worry if this seems tricky at first—while the language is old-fashioned, the drama is just like a modern-day soap opera!
In this chapter, we’ll explore how women navigated a world where they couldn't have jobs, couldn't inherit much money, and had to rely on marriage to survive. It’s a story about survival, sisterhood, and social rules.
1. Understanding the Title: The Great Tug-of-War
Before we dive in, we need to understand what the title actually means. Austen is setting up a "battle" between two ways of acting.
Sense (The Elinor Approach)
In Austen's time, Sense meant being logical, cautious, and keeping your feelings private. Think of Elinor Dashwood as the person who always checks the weather app before going out and carries a spare umbrella. She follows the social rules to protect herself and her family.
Sensibility (The Marianne Approach)
This is where it gets confusing! In the 1800s, Sensibility didn't mean being "sensible." It meant being highly emotional, sensitive, and passionate. Marianne Dashwood is the sister who "feels all the feels." If she's happy, she’s dancing; if she’s sad, she’s sobbing in the rain. She hates "fake" social rules and wants "true" emotion.
Real-World Analogy: Imagine your friend gets dumped. The "Sense" friend says, "It’s okay, we’ll stay busy and move on." The "Sensibility" friend plays sad music on loop and cries for three days straight. Austen is asking: which one is better for a woman's survival?
Key Takeaway: The novel compares these two traits to see which one helps a woman navigate a judgmental society more successfully.
2. The "Women in Literature" Context: Money and Power
To understand why the sisters are so stressed, we have to look at their Social and Economic Context. In the Regency era, women were almost completely dependent on men.
The Problem of Inheritance (The Entail)
When Mr. Dashwood dies, his estate (Norland Park) goes to his son from a first marriage, John Dashwood. Because of primogeniture (the law where the eldest son gets everything), the Dashwood sisters and their mother are left with almost nothing. They are essentially "evicted" from their own home.
Marriage as a Career
Since women couldn't go out and become lawyers or doctors, marriage was their only "job" option. A "good" marriage wasn't just about love; it was about financial security. If a woman didn't marry well, she might end up living in poverty or relying on the kindness of annoying relatives.
Did you know? At the start of the book, the sisters are looking for "provisions." This isn't just food; it's a way to make sure they have a roof over their heads for the rest of their lives.
Quick Review Box:
- Women had very few legal rights over property.
- Marriage was an economic necessity, not just a romantic choice.
- The "Women in Literature" focus here is on the vulnerability of women in a male-dominated system.
3. Key Characters and What They Represent
When writing your essay, try to think of characters as "symbols" of different social attitudes.
Elinor Dashwood: Represents the stoic woman. She hides her heartbreak over Edward Ferrars to keep her mother and sisters from worrying. She shows that women often had to suffer in silence to maintain social decorum.
Marianne Dashwood: Represents the romantic rebel. She falls for Willoughby because he shares her passion for poetry and music. Her "Sensibility" almost kills her when she gets sick after he leaves her. She shows the danger of being too open in a world that judges women harshly.
Lucy Steele: The "villain" for many readers. However, from a "Women in Literature" perspective, Lucy is a survivor. She is poor and uses her cunning and manipulation to secure a wealthy husband. She shows the "ugly" side of what women had to do to get ahead.
Memory Aid: The 3 M's of Austen
Money: Who has it, who wants it?
Marriage: Who is marrying for love vs. status?
Manners: How do people hide their true feelings to stay polite?
4. Austen’s Writing Style: The Secret Narrator
Austen uses a very clever technique called Free Indirect Discourse. Don't let the name scare you—it's actually quite simple!
What is it? It's when the third-person narrator slips into a character's thoughts without saying "she thought." It’s like the narrator and the character are "mind-melding."
Example: "Elinor was unhappy. Why did Edward have to be so quiet?"
The narrator is telling the story, but we are seeing it through Elinor’s eyes. This is important because it allows us to see the internal lives of women, even when they have to act perfectly "proper" on the outside.
Irony and Satire: Austen often pokes fun at characters who are obsessed with money or status (like Fanny Dashwood). She uses Irony to show the gap between what people say (polite) and what they mean (greedy).
Key Takeaway: Austen’s style lets us peek behind the "mask" of Regency politeness to see the real struggles women faced.
5. Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Thinking the book is just a romance.
While there are weddings at the end, the exam wants you to talk about social structures. Focus on why they need to marry, not just who they like.
Mistake 2: Blaming Marianne for being "too dramatic."
Try to be sympathetic! In the "Women in Literature" context, Marianne’s drama is a protest against a boring, restrictive world. Her "sensibility" is her way of trying to have a voice.
Mistake 3: Forgetting the men.
Characters like Willoughby or Edward are important because they hold the power. How they treat the sisters shows us how much power men had over women’s happiness.
Summary Checklist for Your Essay
1. Did I mention the financial pressure on the Dashwood sisters?
2. Did I compare Sense (Elinor) and Sensibility (Marianne)?
3. Did I use the term Free Indirect Discourse to explain how we know Elinor's thoughts?
4. Did I connect the story to the status of women in the 1800s (lack of inheritance/jobs)?
5. (Advanced) Did I think about how a modern reader might see these women differently than a reader in 1811?
You’ve got this! Sense and Sensibility is all about the "inner strength" of women. Once you see the sisters as two people trying to survive a tough situation, the book becomes much easier to understand.