Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility was first published on October 30th, 1811 by British publisher Thomas Egerton, Military Library of Whitehall, London. The year 1811was an important one in history — the first of the time period officially recognized as the Regency Era.
George, Prince of Wales became prince regent in February of 1811 due to the perceived insanity of his father King George III. Even though the Regency Era has been commonly understood to have extended between the years 1795 and 1837, the regency period officially began with the Prince of Wales regency start in 1811 and it lasted until 1820 at the death of King George III.
The Regency Era is notably recognized for culture and refinement, for music and theatre, for art and a wonderful wealth of literature. But it was also a time rampant with poverty and the growth of slums in populated areas. Unemployment was at a crisis level during the Regency Era and the slums became notorious for violence, gambling, prostitution and other vices. It was an era with wars, industrial strikes and riots.
Yet despite all of the world events raging around her, Jane Austen wrote of the quiet daily life of young women trying to find their own place of happiness and security in their small worlds and within the strict parameters imposed on them by society.
Jane Austen left a skillfully-wrought portrait for us of the retired day to day life for a landed gentry family presented through deeply memorable storylines.
We don’t hear much about the wars that must have impacted Austen’s life, other than the excitement of Elizabeth Bennet's sisters at nearby soldier camps - but the events surrounding Jane Austen and her family certainly trickled down to influence plots, characters and the background of her novels.
As you settle in to rereading - or maybe reading for the first time - Sense and Sensibility, open your mind to the big picture surrounding Elinor and Marianne’s story. What differences did their personalties represent? How had the Romantic Era of literature (1800 - 1840) affected the creation of their personalities?
It’s interesting to note that when Sense and Sensibility was published:
Jane Austen was 36
William Wordsworth was 41
Lord Byron was 23
John Keats was 16
There is much in this Jane Austen work that plays on Romantic ideas of the day in skillful character development and the well-crafted conversations that take place.
Who is more representative of the Romantic Movement — Elinor or Marianne… and which is you?
There is much to discuss in Jane Austen’s first-published novel, Sense and Sensibility — it’s a good one! We will meet to discuss this much-loved work on January 25, 2025 over an early Winter Book Breakfast.
On every formal visit a child ought to be of the party, by way of provision for discourse.
Sense and Sensibility
