Book Reading
Jane Austen (1775-1817)
“Sense and Sensibility”Foreign Language Teaching and Research Pre (April 2010)
information about the writer: An English writer, who first gave the novel its modern character through the treatment of everyday life.Although Austen was widely read in her lifetime, she published her works anonymously.The most urgent preoccupation of her bright, young heroines is courtship and finally marriage.Austen herself never married.Her best-known books include PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1813) and EMMA (1816).Virginia Woolf called Austen \"the most perfect artist among women.\"
Extract: 1.As these considerations occurred to her in painful succeion,she wept for him, more than for herself.Supported by the conviction of having done nothing to merit her present unhappine, and consoled by the belief that Edward had done nothing to forfeit her esteem, she thought she could even now, under the first smart of the heavy blow, command herself enough to guard every suspicion of the truth from her mother and sisters.
2.But it was a matter of great consolation to her, that what brought evil to herself would bring good to her sister; and Elinor, on the other hand, suspecting that it would not be in her power to avoid Edward entirely,
comforted herself by thinking, that though their longer stay would therefore militate against her own happine, it would be better for Marianne than an immediate return into Devonshire.
3.She received the news with resolute composure; made no observation on it, and at first shed no tears; but after a short time they would burst out, and for the rest of the day, she was in a state hardly le pitiable than when she first learnt to expect the event.
My comments: The story in this book concerns two sister, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood Along with their mother and young sister, they were evict from their residence Norland Park after the death of their father, they moved to a country cottage offered by a generous relative with on other choice.
Whereas Elinor is a sensible, rational creature, her younger sister is wildly romantic.I like both of the sisters very much.
Elinor loves Edward not because his status and fortune but his excellent personality.When she heard Edward has engaged with Lucy, Elinor still tries her best to control her emotion and accept the fate.She doesn’t tell anyone about her sadne even her sister and mother just because she doesn’t want to bother them.Later, although Edward is abandoned by his mother and fiancée, Elinor still loves him the same as before.Finally they got married and find their happine.
As a female at that age of England, it is not easy to keep being sane.But Elinor does it, her love for her sister, mother and Edward are so pure and self-giving.Maybe this is one kind of female’s arousal.
In contrast, Marianne just wants to find a husband who is not only
handsome but also gentle and charming.So she is attracted by Willoughby who is dashing and fiery, and she never pays attention to Brandon who loves her deeply just because he is much older than her.Unfortunately, Willoughby marries another girl who is rich, though he has engaged with Marianne.When Marianne is forsaken by Willoughby, she becomes self-abandon and tearful every day, which makes she becomes so silk that she almost lose her life.Finally, under her elder sister’s persuader, Marianne restrains her sensibility and marries Brandon.
Although Marianne does not as sensible as her elder sister, I also appreciate her courage—to love the person she loves and expre the emotion she wants to.
Life is combined with sense and sensibility.Of course it’s never easy too distinguish one from the other .Half sense and half sensibility also is difficult to be balance, most times we just take everything for granted.As for the fact, that’s a king of life.
Sense and Sensibility is absolute worth reading.The foremost of the book is that it still can direct people in the discuion of sense and sensibility, moral and criterion nowadays.It reminds us that choose to be sensible, we will be more mature.
