(This conversation will contain spoilers for the current chapters and possibly for future chapters.)

R: The Miss Dashwoods make their way to London with Mrs. Jennings, a three-day journey during which Marianne continues her rude behavior, leaving poor Elinor to pick up the slack, as usual. The second they arrive, Marianne writes a letter, which is revealed to be meant for Mr. Willoughby. This cements the idea in Elinor’s mind that the two must be engaged, for well-brought-up young ladies did not write letters to men to whom they were not attached.

Marianne is all the time expecting Willoughby to show up and is sorely disappointed to have Colonel Brandon arrive instead. She’s so upset that she runs off when she realizes it’s not Willoughby. Marianne’s behavior begins to really concern Elinor as she’s constantly looking for Willoughby when they’re out and expecting a letter or the man himself upon every return to Mrs. Jennings’ house.

S: I am so happy that Colonel Brandon has reappeared in the story! Of course, we do not yet really know what his business was that took him from Barton (despite Mrs. Jennings’s questioning). I was a little surprised at Elinor’s envy of Marianne’s assumed engagement, although I suppose it shouldn’t surprise me. 

R: I’m thrilled that Colonel Brandon is back, but saddened by his wistfulness. He has little hope of Marianne returning his regard. And poor Elinor is stuck in the middle of it all again. She has to be the rock that everyone is anchored to, while no one even realizes that there’s something going on with her.

S: As we move through the chapters I’m quite irritated with both Willoughby and Marianne – Willoughby because he is acting very peculiarly and secretively and Marianne because she is pouty and melancholic. It hurts me as the reader to see her so focused on one person that she cannot simply enjoy the gift of staying in London for a lengthy visit. 

R: They are both completely self-absorbed – Marianne not seeing her own sister’s pain, and Willoughby seems to be intentionally avoiding Marianne, almost like he hopes she’ll give up if he ignores her.

S: And poor Colonel Brandon! His hopes are dashed, it seems, by the assumption that Willoughby and Marianne are engaged. Granted, this rumor began by idle gossip on the part of the Jennings, Palmers, and Middletons, so I’m not sure if it can be trusted. When we discover the formal and rather rude way Willoughby speaks to Elinor and regards Marianne we feel the same sadness and confusion as Elinor and wonder what happened: Were they engaged or not?

R: Willoughby’s cold behavior toward Marianne in public seems to be as much to show others that there was nothing between them as it was to show her. Because of this encounter, Elinor begs Mrs. Jennings to stop telling people that Marianne and Willoughby are engaged, but the older woman persists in thinking that Elinor is just trying to keep it secret.

S: I do like the way Elinor rebukes Mrs. Jennings about her gossip – I’m not sure I’d have the guts to do that. But, it seems rather fruitless to have done so since Mrs. Jennings has convinced herself of the engagement.

R: She convinces the rest of the populace of London, as well!

S: Indeed! And then comes the letter from Willoughby. I can feel Marianne’s and Elinor’s distress over Willoughby’s letter; what a cad! Austen speaks of Elinor’s indignance toward the letter and I have every bit as much as she does. The contents seem to place all the blame on Marianne, that she was setting up for herself fantasies Willoughby had never helped her conjure. Still, good on Marianne for adjuring him to give back all the letters she had written him and the lock of hair she had given him. If he refused to acknowledge what they had she wouldn’t give him any reason to again. 

I will admit to being frustrated with Marianne’s self-centeredness. She assumes she is the only one who has ever experienced such grief or who has been treated badly. Elinor tries to tell Marianne (without telling her) that what she thinks about how Edward feels about her isn’t necessarily true, but Marianne will not listen. When Marianne tries to justify Willoughby’s actions – that hurt my heart even more. 

“I have no patience with him….and I wish with all my soul his wife may plague his heart out.” – Mrs. Jennings

R: Mrs. Jennings certainly makes a fast turnaround in her feelings about Willoughby. She goes from praising him to the heavens to wishing him quite ill, which really shows a lack of character and sense, much as she’s shown throughout the book, but now she adds inconsistency to her negative traits. She has encouraged Marianne in bad behavior and spread damaging gossip about several different characters including Marianne, Elinor, Edward Ferrars and Colonel Brandon.

Marianne is also ignorant of, or ignoring, how poorly she behaved by writing to a man to whom she isn’t related or engaged. She could have ruined her reputation and thus her prospects for marriage, which was, unfortunately, the only goal and expectation of young women of the times. 

S: I don’t think it was right for this to be the only expectation of women. There are many women throughout history who are unable, or do not want, to marry, and so to create a culture that alienates people who do not fit into the box is just silly. We have no idea if Lydia in Acts 16 was married. She was a seller of purple cloth who helped Paul and his companions, and who made her own way in the world (if indeed she wasn’t married). Luke 8 also tells of women who had money and helped Christ and His disciples; some of them were married and some may not have been. 

You know, this section reminded me of the passage in Titus 2:3-5, which says (quoted in the King James Version because, of course, this is what Austen would have read): 

The aged women likewise, that [they be] in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, [To be] discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. 

R: Mrs. Jennings is definitely in contrast to what an older woman should be. She is not at all discreet and seems more interested in gossip than in taking care of the young ladies under her charge. Likewise, Marianne shows herself to be neither sober nor discreet, and treads the line of unchastity in her behavior with Willoughby.

Elinor seems to fit a little into both the older and younger categories. To Mrs. Jennings, she is the younger, but exhibits all of the characteristics that a young woman should have, in spite of Mrs. Jennings’ poor example; and so to Marianne, Elinor embodies what her sister should be striving for. 

S: And yet, despite all of this, Mrs. Jennings does seem to care. The ways in which she tries to cheer up Marianne are extremely amusing and offer insight into the ‘high life’ and the disconnect there seems to be between the upper echelon of London society and ‘real life’. 

In the end, the elder woman voices what the reader may have forgotten – now Colonel Brandon is free to try for Marianne’s hand! But, what of this love child of whom she speaks? Is the child Colonel Brandon’s, and, if so, what is the story? The end of this section leaves me wondering how long Marianne will remain depressed, if Colonel Brandon will try for her hand, if Marianne will accept him if he does, and what will happen with Elinor’s love life?