Summer breezes, wildflowers, and long walks spell a need for Jane Austen's romance, wit, longing, and triumphs. I am growing more and more fond of her writings and work as I read them-or watch them on the screen. After reading 'Pride and Prejudice' earlier this summer, I knew I needed to continue diving into her classics. And 'Sense and Sensibility' blew me away more than I expected.
It follows the life between two sisters, Marianne and Elinor, as they navigate Regency society and have people-good and bad- thrown at them since the taking of their home forces them to a cottage near relatives. Marianne has such a sweet spirit, but one that's lost by her blunt speeches and flaring emotions that she cannot hide easy. Whereas Elinor Dashwood, feels and sees much but wraps the storms of emotion inside her. Each sister then found themselves wrapped in follies of romance. One of quick similar passion and the other a slow tense friendship, but both so well as each sister grew so much. And not only with romance did Elinor and Marianne grow, but their own relations and circumstances constantly begged from them much and strained their own judgement. The beauty of the story was realized by me as I felt so light at the end and heavy as I realized that-yes, indeed, life requires us to change and grow in ways that may be hard. Not everyday is like picking flowers from the earth, but sometimes like being atop a horse pounding the ground, your lungs barely able to keep you alive under the crush of air. Or life.
Mrs. Jennings has also secured her place in my heart of being one of the most hilarious, caring, and robust characters to have ever crossed the page. Edward, Willoughby, Colonel Brandon, too, each of them, have garnered a place deep within me. (But it may be too risky for me to pick which man I prefer. I will declare my favorite Austen hero once, and only once, I have read them all!;)
From the countryside to London, Austen took me so many places. She had me see many estates, balls, dresses, dining rooms of laughter, and beds covered in sobbing tears, rolling emerald hills and drenching rain. I read heartache and heartbreak, joy and pain and love and laughter. And near the end, a sudden twist I had not expected completely had me fall to the floor in disbelief, for it rocked all I thought I knew of Elinor's character and Willoughby's. Each part was drawn from experience, observation, imagination, and the author's undeniable wit and morals.
That being said, 'Sense and Sensibility' is a classic that endeared my heart more to peaceful rain, gentle control, harsh reality, and love that can wrap family and conquer all stacked against it.
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