理智与情感的读书报告

Reading report

Sense and sensibility

The book I have read named Sense and Sensibility, which was written by Jean Austen. Jean, a women writer, was rare at seventeenth century. People knew her from a book, which was written by her nephew fifty years later, about her life. Then her works was gradually highly praised by many people and had a great influence on the following centuries.

The novel is about the daughters of Miss Dashwoods. After theur father dies, the family estate passes to their elder brother John and the girls and their mother lead a difficult life. The story happened in the end of nineteenth century. It was a story about Miss Dash woods seeking for love and finally living a happy marriage. The novel follows the sisters to their new home, where the romantic stories happen in two of the girls. And make a evident contrast in their characters. Elinor, who was the sister, was a girl of sense. While her sister—Marianne was a girl of sensibility. Einor understood the world by sense. And her sister understood the world by sensibility or sentimentality. Through the event in the novel, Elinor and Marianne find a balance between sense and sensibility.

First I want to talk about the writing skills of this novel---irony. Here is an example in which Austen describes the first impression created by the arrival of the Miss Steels at Barton Park:

The young ladies arrived: their appearance was by no means ungentle or unfashionable. Their dress was very smart, their manners very civil, they were delighted with the house, and in raptures with the furniture, and they happened to be so doatingly fond of children that Lady Middleton’s good opinion was engaged in their favor before they had been an hour at the Park. She declared them to be very agreeable girls indeed, which for her ladyship was enthusiastic admiration.

How can we make of Miss Steels? Are we simply thought highly of them as Miss Middleton? They were first thought to be pleasant, clever, well-mannered girl. Yet Austen is in fact using a sharp ironic wit to highlight their shortcomings.

It is that first phrase “their appearance was by no means ungentle or unfashionable” that begin to reveal. Why has Austen choose to use double negative here? Why not just say “their appearance was ungentle or unfashionable”. The same

as following the descript able words “delighted” ,“in raptures”, “doatingly fond”. If we were doubt that this was an intended ironically the observations of Elinor assured us that it was so: “Elinor well knew that the sweetest girls in the world were to be meet with in every part of England, under every possible variation of term, face, temper and understanding.

Another example He was not an ill-disposed young man, unless to be rather cold-hearted and rather selfish is to be ill-disposed: but he was, in general, well respected; for he conducted himself with propriety in the discharge of his ordinary duties.

Second, I want to talk about the differences and similarities between Elinor and Marianne. The central differences between the two sisters are the ability of control. The differences between these two sisters are seen throughout the novel. They have the same experience. Both of them believe themselves to be engaged to men and both find themselves abandoned by these men in favor of another. This similarity of experience serves only to emphasize the differences their two characters. Actually Austen intended to make differences between in many chapters. For example, chapter 1 stresses the Elinor’s sense of control: her feeling was strong: but she knew how to govern them. Marianne was shown to be in many ways similar to her sister. But they have one important difference “her sorrow, her joy, could have no moderation. This difference between the two women is most clearly drawn in the way each is shown to deal with the discovery of their lovers’ cheat.

When Elinor hears from Lucy that she is engaged to Edward she only turns towards her, “in silent amazement”. The only description of her face is the phrase “her complexion varied”. Her control is remarkable.

We are told, “She stood firm in incredulity and felt no danger of an hysterical fit, or a swoon.”Austen emphasizes that it is self-control which distinguishes Elinor’s reaction. Her heroine speaks “cautiously”and “with a calmness of manner, which tolerably well concealed her surprise and solicitude”. Austen tells us that Elinor was shocked, confounded” yet it is not until she is alone that she is “at liberty to think and be wretched”. As readers we can’t see this wretchedness. When we see Elinor again,