Collideoscope

Sense and Sensibility centers upon two sisters. The eldest, Elinor, is the embodiment of sense. She is rational, composed, never gives her opinion too freely, and always chooses her words wisely. Her younger sister, Marianne, is the polar opposite. She is always effusive with her praise, gives her honest opinion (postive or negative) even when not solicited, and always reacts emotionally--the picture of "sensibility."

In Austen's world of provincial 19th century England, we're treated to gossip of the latest arrivals to town over tea, to leisurely walks in the countryside, to dances and balls, and to soothing music played on the pianoforte. But the steady pace in both sisters' lives is upset when Marianne finds herself deceived by one she loves and Elinor finds herself pining for one promised to another.

Though some of the plot devices and dialogue can seem a shade melodramatic before 21st century eyes, Austen expertly and poignantly captures the concerns, manners and heart of the people of her time--a time where a woman's only chance for advancement and stability was to marry well, a time where the importance of money and class trumped ideas of romantic love. I think one of Austen's distinguishing factors among other writers of her time is that her characters are rarely stock. Even the quintessential "rake", Willoughby, has depth and is almost to be pitied as a victim of his society's obsession with wealth. In the end, each sister becomes tempered by the other's opposite disposition: Marianne learns to rein in her emotional tendencies with a bit of her sister's sense, and Elinor softens with a bit of her sister's sensibility.

I also came away with the ingenious idea that if I were to ever have a male cat that I would name him Willoughby. Since Austen's Willoughby was such a cad, mine could stand to simply be a cat. (har, har)