Category: In Want of a Good Book

A quick note about this conversation: We watched the movie at the same time and wrote about things that stood out to us or that we felt were interesting choices. It might be helpful to watch the movie just before reading this or read it while watching the movie. 

S: I’m so excited to watch this! It is one of my favourite movies. I remember that one year in high school I watched it four or five times in a row for a few weekends. It was awesome.

R: Oh, wow! That’s impressive! I think I was introduced to this movie in high school or the beginning of college, after my first encounter with the Pride and Prejudice mini-series. I don’t think I’d even read the book yet. The movie made me want to read the rest of the books.

S: One of the reasons I was excited about doing this conversational blog with you is because I have seen a few of the movies but have never wanted to read Austen’s books, so this has been a fun way to foray into her works.

At the beginning of the movie, Fanny’s dismayed, ‘Help them! What do you mean, help them?’ makes me laugh every time. No lie, I tried my hardest to not envision this actress’s face while reading the book, but was unsuccessful; she did such a good job!

R: The first time we see Elinor and Marianne is when Marianne is playing a very sad tune on the pianoforte and Elinor asks her to play something different. She does so, but it is an equally sad song. Elinor says, ‘I meant something less mournful, dearest.’ – One of my favorite lines, even though it’s not in the book.

S: Agreed! A family favourite line of ours is Elinor’s ‘It is the law’ when she’s telling Margaret about needing to move because the house and everything their father had went to their brother. We say it regarding almost anything that we need to do or have to do. 

R: That’s hilarious! 

I forgot how much Fanny’s voice annoys me. 

So many good lines in this that weren’t in the book! But they made it just work so seamlessly with what Austen did write.

S: Yes. I think there is a great understanding of the characters so that all the extra stuff added in doesn’t detract. It is a little more solemn than the book, I feel – not as much wit, perhaps.

R: I agree. This beginning is a little longer, I think, than it was in the book.

S: I do, though, enjoy the imaginings of the conversations Edward and Elinor have when they first meet, and the development of Margaret’s character is fun. That was something in the book I was a little surprised by, that there was so little mention of her.

R: I just looked up the actress, Emilie Francois, and I feel old now. She’s a year older than I am! Only has three acting credits. I thought I recognized her from something else, but I was wrong.

S: That surprises me! 

I’m so glad they left in part of Edward’s exposition on what his family wants him to do. It’s almost as funny in the movie as it is in the book.

One thing that is strange to me is that Mrs. Dashwood doesn’t seem as much like Marianne as she does in the book. I don’t mind how she is portrayed in the movie, but it is different and I like that Elinor is the completely level-headed one in the book.

R: I think there’s still an element there, with her trying to put Elinor and Edward together right from the start. 

The exchange between Marianne and Elinor about Elinor’s feelings about Edward always gave me a giggle, but I don’t think it’s in the book at all, is it?

S: It’s one of the most easily quotable! You know, I don’t think it’s in the book, although it does seem like a conglomeration of a few exchanges. I’ll get my copy.

R: To the Kindle! Oh, it is there! Kate Winslet did an amazing job with her mimicry, which isn’t in the book.

S: You’re right! Ah, the wit. 

The casting in this for everyone was EXCELLENT. (Also, the book is now remaining open next to me for the duration of the film.)

R: Oh! I never realized that Sir John was the same actor that played Sigfried in All Creatures Great and Small, wonderful British adaptation of the book series by James Herriot. 

S: It has been added to my ‘To Read’ list. 

COLONEL BRANDON!!!

R: Eeeeee! I can’t wait!

S: Ooh, foreshadowing from Mrs. Jennings regarding Edward! I never noticed that before.

R: Ah, little sisters.

S: Margaret is so cute!

R: I was thinking more about the murdering aspect when they tell your secrets! Ha! When Margaret hints that Elinor might have a beau whose name starts with an ‘F’. As an older sibling, I can completely understand Elinor’s exasperation with her, and then we learn that it was Marianne who told Margaret in the first place. Definitely grounds for murder. 

I feel like they made Sir John more complicit in the teasing than he was in the book.

S: I would agree with that. We know of his ‘boisterous mirth’, but it doesn’t seem like he teases a lot.

It’s fun to see the way the movie moves some of the information around but still makes it make sense. The story of Colonel Brandon’s heartache moved from the middle of the story to the beginning of the movie. 

R: Yes, I was just thinking that that was quite a bit more exposition than we had at this point in the book.

S: The addition of the atlas and explanation of Edward not visiting them after they’ve moved to Barton Cottage – I don’t mind it because it helps us see the differences in the characters, but I don’t know if it was necessary. What do you think?

R: It was a little more visual than just a letter, but I agree, not truly necessary.

Here comes Willoughby.

S: Meh.

R: Same!

But that exchange between the women is hilarious. 

‘You will care when your nose swells.’

‘You are right. Help me, Elinor.’ Just almost deadpan.

Weird seeing Alan Rickman with light hair. Much more used to him as Snape.

S: That’s really funny, because I’m more used to seeing him as Colonel Brandon, so when I first saw him as Snape I kept thinking, ‘Wait, but he’s Colonel Brandon!’

R: I guess I was more into Harry Potter for a long time, or at least saw those movies more often, and there are eight of them.

Ugh, gag me with a spoon. Willoughby is SO fake!

S: I suppose he is, although in the book he wasn’t quite so charming to me because he and Marianne constantly made fun of others, so I never saw him as fake, only rude.

R: Fair point. They piled on the charm in the movie to the point that it feels insincere, or maybe it only seems that way because we already know his nature. It’s difficult to differentiate.

S: Truth!

R: Oh, my gosh! I love Colonel Brandon’s horse! Gorgeous! I suppose Willoughby’s are pretty, too. 

Oh, so hard to like Charlotte at all considering the actress. Hiss! Umbridge!

S: I just don’t like the character’s giggliness in either the book or movie. 

I said earlier that in high school I would watch Sense and Sensibility over and over. The other movie I would watch over and over was Much Ado About Nothing, so I always see the actress who played Charlotte as the character of Margaret from Much Ado About Nothing. 

R: I’m not familiar with Much Ado About Nothing. It’s funny how we tend to always think of actors in the first thing we saw them in, or what we have seen them in most often, but I agree about Charlotte in general. She was just less unlikable in the book.

So when Lucy joined the party, I remembered one huge change from book to movie – it’s just Lucy, no sister. I don’t think the character even exists.

S: I don’t think she does, which is a disappointment to me because even though I didn’t like the Steele sisters’ characters I did like that Lucy had a sister.

R: Oh, I forgot how quickly the movie jumps from the party going to Colonel Brandon’s estate being interrupted to Willoughby leaving. I feel like the book took a little more time in between, but maybe not.

S: There is a bit more time and it feels like a lot more happens in the book. Willoughby is introduced in Chapter 9 and leaves in Chapter 15 – so much has happened in and between those chapters!

Ugh. Lucy. The only thing that makes the scene when Lucy is explaining to Elinor about her relationship with Edward bearable is Mr. Palmer’s dry humour and Mrs. Palmer’s amazement and excitement at all things. Also, Hugh Laurie will forever be Mr. Palmer in my mind.

R: Indeed!

Hmm, they added a year to Edward and Lucy’s engagement; five years instead of four. I wonder why. 

Ooh, never caught that before. Elinor has one of Edward’s handkerchiefs, which did not happen in the book, and Lucy shows that she has one as well, staking her claim.

S: I guess it makes sense that they replaced Edward’s picture he’d given to Lucy with a handkerchief, but the changing of the amount of time of engagement is odd.

R: Oh, Lucy gives Elinor such a scathing look when Mrs. Jennings teases her about Edward when they’re on their way to John and Fanny’s for a ball.

I don’t think I realized that the Dashwoods were quite that rich. The house is massive!

S: Robert is a snob but more so, I think, in the movie than in the book. I do like the foreshadowing between him and Lucy.

R: I feel like book Robert is more snobby. Movie Robert is…slimy.

This part feels really accelerated, too. When they arrive in London, Marianne immediately writes to Willoughby, and there are several days of waiting and checking for an answer, and then suddenly we’re at the ball and Willoughby is snubbing Marianne, a major plot point. But cramming everything into a movie that’s just over two hours is nearly impossible. That’s one reason the A&E Pride and Prejudice mini-series is my most favoritist. It gave them the time to get nearly everything in.

S: It’s interesting that the gossip that was so prevalent in the book between Marianne and Willoughby moved to Lucy and Robert. 

R: Maybe they were trying to expand their parts a little.

S: I don’t mind it, and it does make sense that Lucy and Robert would act like that.

R: I agree. It was a good way to show Lucy and Robert’s characters with the sort of reduced role for Lucy, but a bigger role for Robert.

S: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Mrs. Jennings rocks! Despite her gossipy nature, she really is a good friend and this is seen well when she rushes home to see how Marianne is doing after the news of Willoughby’s engagement is made public.

The scene between Colonel Brandon and Elinor when he tells her about Beth and Willoughby is so moving and really makes me love both characters even more. 

R: Such a good scene between two phenomenal actors. I don’t remember if Colonel Brandon gave Willoughby that much credit in the book, that he thought Willoughby would have married Marianne if he hadn’t been disowned. They all seem to try to think a little better of him than I think he deserves.

S: I was trying to find if he had in the book, but I think the idea of Willoughby intending to marry Marianne was actually from the discourse between Elinor and Willoughby in Chapter 44.

R: I think you’re right.

Oh, and now for the most awkward scene in the entire story! Lucy, Edward and Elinor in the same room. ‘Engaged elsewhere!’ Ah, the double entendres. So, so awkward! Random aside – I do like Lucy’s coat. Has pretty edging and tassels.

S: And poor Marianne just keeps talking. It is reminiscent of earlier in the book when Margaret reveals to the Jennings family what Marianne had said about Edward and Elinor. 

R: I’m glad we get to see the scene of Fanny finding out about Lucy and Edward. I’m dying laughing!

S: It is rather amusing. 

R: Another amazing emotional scene between Elinor and Marianne when Mrs. Jennings tells them about the engagement between Edward and Lucy.

S: Excellent. I love the scene better in the book, but the movie version was really well done. 

I like Colonel Brandon’s ‘I think not’ when Elinor suggests he tell Edward about his offer. There’s just so much in that statement. You know he doesn’t have an ulterior motive and by this time in the book we know that only Marianne truly knows of what Elinor is suffering, but it’s still amusing. 

R: Oh, me too! I like his earlier line, ‘No doubt,’ as well. 

S: I like the finding of Marianne by Colonel Brandon when she’s sick better in the movie. There’s so much there. The book didn’t really build up the tension as much. 

R: Agreed! Very emotional, but also bookends how Willougby found her at the beginning.

S: Oh, I don’t think I’d noticed that before! (As an aside, the good Colonel doesn’t care about ‘leaving a watermark’.)

The removal scene of the Palmers’ baby and Mrs. Palmer’s freakout is a little much; it’s not nearly as troubling in the book. Also, I do wish they had retained Mrs. Jennings in the following scenes, but I understand why they didn’t. 

R: I’d forgotten that she wasn’t, but it let the focus be more on Colonel Brandon, it seems.

We got some really nice sincere scenes from Mr. Palmer, though, before they left.

I always loved Elinor’s ‘She is out of danger’ line as their mother arrives. The relief is there, but it’s not overdone like Mrs. Palmer getting the baby away was.

S: Another favourite scene of mine is when Colonel Brandon reads to Marianne. The birds twittering, the sunshine, the way he responds when she asks that he not stay away long – so beautiful. The only thing that always weirded me out was that when he tells her he’s leaving he says it almost as one would say it to a child (or maybe that’s just how I hear it, but I’ve always heard it that way). 

R: I suppose it could be taken that way. I saw it more like his being overly solicitous because of her continuing recovery. But it is such a lovely scene. They had to accelerate Marianne beginning to appreciate the colonel, I think, but it worked well for the medium. I do love Marianne’s straw bonnet! So simple and pretty.

S: Their clothes are great. They are so complimentary in not only shape but colours. 

IT’S EDWARD!!! Out of all the scenes, the one when he visits the Dashwoods at Barton Cottage is my top favourite. 

R: It is. I do enjoy the call back to Mrs. Dashwood telling Margaret to talk about the weather if she had nothing better to say. 

S: That is hilarious. 

R: This whole scene is the best in the entire movie. Elinor’s eyes going wide when Edward reveals that it’s Robert who married, not himself. And everyone else giving each other the eye and leaving!

S: Elinor’s reaction and letting all her emotion show is beautiful! Also, I like Marianne sending Margaret up to spy on them. 

R: I love the final scene, but I wish they’d made it clearer that some time had passed. The first time I saw it, I thought both couples had gotten married at the same time. 

And I can’t decide whether I like or not that they left out Willoughby’s exposition and just gave us that one glimpse of his regret.

S: I always thought it was a double wedding, too and was so confused as to why Elinor’s dress was not as pretty as Marianne’s. 

I think I would have liked the added scene of Willoughby talking with Elinor. I don’t think it would have disrupted the flow of the movie. Also, in the book it makes it clear that Willoughby went on to enjoy his life of ease and he had ‘no inconsiderable degree of domestic felicity’, so his regret shot at the end of the movie doesn’t really seem to fit with the book’s ending. 

R: I think other than just leaving us dangling, it was the only way to give us some closure about Willoughby without the scene from the book where he actually explains things to Elinor.

It’s such a good movie, great adaptation, beautiful costumes and scenery. All in all, one of my favorite movies! One I like to watch over and over, though it has been a few years. I can’t wait until we go on to Jane Austen’s other books and more movie adaptations! This was a lot of fun to write.

S: I love the music for the movie! It’s so beautiful. I also like that it was a bright movie. The vibrancy of colours no matter where the characters were gives the feeling of hope throughout, even when you weren’t sure if anything would be resolved. Overall, I think this is one of the best adaptations of a book in cinematic history. 

If you want to join us in January for a new conversation, we’ll be going through Praying with Jane: 31 Days Through the Prayers of Jane Austen, by Rachel Dodge. I reviewed this book here if you want to read a bit about it and am excited to read through it again.

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

S: Let me just say upfront that I was a little unprepared for Austen’s dry, unromantic ending; however, I think I rather liked it. It gave the feeling of ‘Life Moves On and People are Still People’. There was no huge they-all-changed-for-the-better-and-were-happier moment – sisters still acted like sisters, brothers-in-law still acted like brothers-in-law, and Lucy got what she always wanted: money and drama.

R: I hadn’t thought of it quite that way, but you’re right, it’s almost anti-climactic. I thought it was a sweet ending, but it’s very low-key. That is definitely true about Lucy! I can’t imagine that she and Robert were very happy in the long run.

S: I love that we see Marianne desiring to better herself; it’s great to see such growth in a character. I’m sure at this time she never expects to marry at all so the fact that she’s not going to take heartache lying down but instead better herself is commendable. (It is amusing that the reader and Elinor know that her resolve is based on emotion, of which she’s trying to rid herself, but in this case it’s not a bad thing.)

R: Indeed, Marianne definitely seems to have learned from her experience with Willoughby. What Austen wrote about Elinor’s thoughts about this is pretty funny: ‘Elinor honoured her for a plan which originated so nobly as this; though smiling to see the same eager fancy which had been leading her to the extreme of languid indolence and selfish repining, now at work in introducing excess into a scheme of such rational employment and virtuous self-control.’ 

I can’t speak to what it’s like to be truly depressed, but I have often found that when sad or upset, applying myself to some activity – not just something enjoyable, but something beneficial, either to myself or others – goes a long way toward easing those feelings. For me, that might be singing and playing some of my favorite songs, focusing on something I’ve been learning, listening to a podcast or writing. There are many ways to engage our hearts and minds.

S: That is so true! When I’m feeling down I tell myself to just do one productive thing, like wash dishes. After that’s done I tell myself to do another productive thing and so on. Sometimes it only takes a few minutes and I feel better but other days it can take a few hours for me to move out of the doldrums. 

I’m so glad Elinor gives Marianne Willoughby’s message. I think she and the reader see her becoming an adult and able to deal with life as it comes now rather than be carried by her emotions. Of course we see her feel the emotion of hurt all over again after she’s told, but it’s different this time – more controlled and composed.

I think my absolute favourite part of Chapter 47 is when both Marianne and Mrs. Dashwood recognise the folly of their behaviour in dealing with Willoughby and Elinor’s quiet contentedness about it. I’m so glad Mrs. Dashwood appears to have grown as a character as well, for she sees Elinor’s shock and sadness when they hear of Lucy’s marriage to Edward. My heart hurt so much for Elinor – Austen’s short description of how she behaves is extremely telling.

R: One of the best lines in the whole book comes from Marianne when she finally opens up to Elinor, and just before Elinor tells her about Willoughby’s visit. Elinor says, ‘Do you compare your conduct with his?’ And Marianne replies, ‘No. I compare it with what it ought to have been; I compare it with yours.’

While our ultimate model for behavior should be Jesus, it’s natural to look up to others in our lives, especially older siblings. This is something that everyone who has younger brothers and sisters should consider. How is our behavior influencing them? Are we someone who exhibits behavior we would want to see in them?

And contrast that with Lucy’s behavior of selfishness and jealousy. Marianne was foolish; Lucy was deceitful.

S: So true! I think that’s something I’ve become more aware of as I’ve aged. Our behaviour does truly affect others. 

And then we come to Chapter 48. Happy days! Shock! Confusion! Lucy is not married to Edward, but to Robert! How did this happen? Why did this happen? Will Edward want to marry Elinor now? We are unsure, because he just leaves when she runs out of the room, presumably in tears. Where has he gone? Will he come back? What is happening?

R: Poor Elinor! How many times have we said that throughout this book? (It’s 8, I checked!) The recipient of so many others’ secrets while holding her own close to her chest, and now this shock finally oversets her. Who can blame her? But this is one of my favorite moments in the book, when Edward clarifies that it’s his brother that married Lucy, not him.

S: The next chapter happily gives us all the answers, and I am even more convinced that I don’t like Lucy. Her letter to Edward was so flippant, as was her behaviour with Robert. I don’t know how I feel about it. I’m delighted that Edward and Elinor can now marry, but I am also appalled by Lucy’s behaviour. I like that we see more of Edward’s true character now. He gives his opinions more freely, he is more open with everyone, and he befriends Colonel Brandon (which, let’s be honest, isn’t difficult to do – unless you’re Willoughby). 

R: Ah, yes, the final exposition! All is finally revealed and we start to see resolution for the characters. Mrs. Jennings’ letter, coming after everything had happened and relating the shocking events of Lucy’s elopement with Robert, was hilarious.

S: Absolutely! We think of Mrs. Jennings as being the one in the know, so it’s amusing that she is the one who is behind the times. It is nice that Edward is back on good terms with his mother. I know he and Elinor don’t receive nearly the amount of money they would have had he been the sole inheritor, but I suppose some is better than none, and he has a job at Delaford with Colonel Brandon, so all in all they’ll be content.

R: I think the story would have been just as good without the reconciliation with Mrs. Ferrars, but it was an interesting ending for her character. Perhaps she regretted her hasty action of disowning Edward, or perhaps after Robert’s behavior, she realized that what Edward had done wasn’t quite so bad. Favorite line about this: ‘In spite of his being allowed once more to live, however, he did not feel the continuance of his existence secure, till he had revealed his present engagement; for the publication of that circumstance, he feared, might give a sudden turn to his constitution, and carry him off as rapidly as before.’ 

S: Yes! That whole section just made me roll my eyes at the Ferrars family – too funny!

I think Chapter 50 is rather interesting, for Austen, while not excusing anyone’s behaviour, also does not allow for the amount of comeuppance the reader may have expected for Lucy and Willoughby. Willoughby, though saddened by his loss of Marianne, lives a life of self-centeredness with ‘…no inconsiderable degree of domestic felicity’. Lucy ingratiates herself to Mrs. Ferrars’s favour (how did we know that would happen?) and is presumably happy with her status and wealth, though she does have ‘…frequent domestic disagreements…’. Of course Elinor, Marianne, Colonel Brandon, and Edward all end up together at Delaford, and those friends and family at Barton are not forgotten – even ‘…Margaret had reached an age highly suitable for dancing, and not very ineligible for being supposed to have a lover’. (It seems Mrs. Dashwood has learned from her mistakes with Marianne and has given Margarent a little less freedom!). The Dashwoods have happy, albeit true to life, endings! 

R: A very happy ending, indeed! 

S: I am so glad to have finally read Jane Austen’s first novel; it held so many surprises and amusing moments. Her wit and command of the English language is enviable.

R: It was a joy to experience it with you! I can’t wait until we start the next book!

Coming up next, we will be watching the 1995 movie version of Sense and Sensibility and blogging about it!

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

“There is no use in staying here; I must be off.” 

– John Willoughby

S: We start off this section with Edward and Lucy accepting the Colonel’s offer, and with Elinor making a visit to her brother’s. I have a few thoughts on the beginning of this chapter regarding John and Robert. I still feel John Dashwood could have been a good brother, had wealth, and marrying into the family that he did, not enhanced his self-centeredness. Robert, too, really annoys me. He’s so much the opposite of Edward, yet still rather different from his sister and mother. He just seems so disconnected from reality, and doesn’t even really know his brother. 

R: John and Robert are both kind of clueless in their own ways. They are certainly both weak men. And John informs Elinor that Mrs. Ferrars would have found her a far less objectionable wife for Edward than Lucy. I can’t imagine how that made her feel, and I’m sure listening to Robert’s idiodic assessment of his brother’s situation didn’t help any. 

S: When Fanny finally graces Elinor with her presence we are even more convinced that, for some reason, Fanny really doesn’t like Elinor or Marianne. I wonder if it’s because she wants to be a kinder person but doesn’t know how, and Elinor’s sense shames her?

R: You are much kinder toward Fanny than I am! I feel like she has the same sentiment as John (or rather, John expressed her sentiments to Elinor) and Fanny is confused by the way she had previously treated Elinor while thinking that she would have been a far, far superior sister to Lucy. 

I think it’s funny that Elinor is amused that everyone seems convinced that she’s going to be marrying Colonel Brandon.

S: Yes, that is rather amusing! I was excited that the Miss Dashwoods and Mrs. Jennings finally leave London. Mrs. Palmer is as giggly as ever, yet we do see Mr. Palmer a little more at ease in his own home (which, if one is an introvert with a loud wife and mother-in-law, makes so much sense!). I still don’t like the attitude he has toward Charlotte and Mrs. Jennings, but there we are. 

R: I hadn’t thought about Mr. Palmer that way. I often feel that way about coming home after a long visit with people, even those that I enjoy being around.

S: Marianne’s excitement to be back in the country and able to explore and think her thoughts without anyone asking how she feels is one I have felt keenly. Sometimes it’s just nice to be alone and think. I see Marianne becoming more like Elinor in these last few chapters because she takes confidence in no one and enjoys solitude. 

R: I agree, but I think this could be a continuation of her melancholy over Willoughby. Austen writes, ‘Marianne entered the house with a heart swelling with emotion from the consciousness of being only eighty miles from Barton, and not thirty from Combe Magna…she quitted it again…to gain a distant eminence; where, from its Grecian temple, her eye, wandering over a wide tract of country to the southeast, could fondly rest on the farthest ridge of hills in the horizon, and fancy that from their summits Combe Magna might be seen. In such moments of precious, invaluable misery, she rejoiced in tears of agony to be at Cleveland…’ Marianne is happy to be away from London where she might run into Willoughby, but she’s still mourning over what she feels she’s lost.

S: I can see that. She still is only a teenager, after all, and oh, teenage emotions! 

I am surprised that Elinor blinded herself to the seriousness of Marianne’s affliction, but I suppose that might be because she had finally gained a friend in Marianne for the first time and, as she had already lost her love, she didn’t want another bad thing to happen. 

And Poor Colonel Brandon! The reader, of course, has known all along that he loves Marianne and this fear and anxiety in him shows it even more. I do love that Mrs. Jennings takes everything in hand, chooses to stay with Elinor and Marianne, and tries to keep Elinor from false hope of Marianne’s recovery, but also from complete despair. 

R: Mrs. Jennings proves to be a rock; in fact, she shows a level of care we haven’t seen from her thus far. I liked this line: ‘‘Mrs. Jennings…with a kindness of heart which made Elinor really love her, declared her resolution of not stirring from Cleveland as long as Marianne remained ill.’ As annoying as she’s been throughout the book, Mrs. Jennings shows that she really cares about the girls.

S: Finally, as Marianne has reached the point of less, if any, danger, who should enter but Willoughby!

R: I had completely forgotten about this part of the book, so I was surprised when he showed up. Poor Elinor, the unwilling confidant of everyone! 

S: I think we see, too, that Elinor has reached the end of her tether with being a confidant. Her sharp tongue has come out more often as of late. 

I still don’t know how I feel about Willoughby. Although he wants pity, and that makes me not want to pity him, I pity him nonetheless. Because of his choices he can now never have who he truly loved, and is married to a wife he very much dislikes. I’m happy he chose to tell Elinor the truth so she could relay it to Marianne, but his actions have been cowardly and it all goes back to money and not waiting to do things in their proper time. I don’t know if we’ll meet up with him again in the book, but if we do I certainly hope we see him raise his children (if he has any) to make better choices than he did so as to not live with such regret.

I do like that Elinor doesn’t allow him to indulge himself in thoughts of Marianne in her presence. Although he has told her his marriage will be without happiness, she still encourages him to stay true to it. He hears what she says, but I’m not sure he takes it to heart, for his parting words show how much he dislikes, we are able to guess, the Colonel. Strangely, Willoughby is the only one other than Elinor who sees Brandon’s love for Marianne. Is that strange? Perhaps when one is in love with someone it’s easier to see if someone else also loves the one you do.

R: Elinor holds Willoughby’s feet to the fire, for sure! And we get the surprising revelation that Willoughby a) is perhaps not quite the cad we thought (a tiny bit), b) he very much regrets his behavior, and c) he is most certainly receiving his comeuppance. We learn that it was his wife who dictated the final letter Willoughby sent to Marianne, and that while he started out just planning to have a dalliance with Marianne, he did come to truly care for her. And he gains a measure of Elinor’s pity. I can’t say I feel the same. He acted abysmally, both to Marianne and to Eliza. 

S: Finally, Mrs. Dashwood arrives not only to find Marianne out of danger, but to give her version of events. She, apparently, believes now that Colonel Brandon will soon ask for Marianne’s hand (although she has no real proof). Her mother’s ‘natural embellishments’ make me roll my eyes, as does her assertion that she had always seen something in Willoughby’s eyes that was not quite right. I seem to recall that, when Elinor questioned Willoughby, Mrs. Dashwood adamantly reprimanded her. Isn’t it funny how our present emotions colour the past? I find that sometimes I remember things much worse than they really were, or I remember things as much better depending on what mood I’m in. The brain and heart play so many tricks!

R: I’m not too surprised by Mrs. Dashwood’s confidence in Colonel Brandon since he confessed his love for Marianne to her, but I have to wonder if it’s a mother’s blindness to her daughter’s faults that make her believe that Marianne will definitely accept him or mother’s intuition. Based on Marianne’s comments earlier in the book about the Colonel’s ‘advanced age’, I wouldn’t be nearly so certain as Mrs. Dashwood seems to be. We have seen her changing perspectives, but her mother hasn’t.

S: I am excited to see what happens to Marianne and the Colonel, and I so want happiness to come to Elinor as well! I’m excited to only have five more chapters until the end, but I also feel a sense of trepidation. Will Edward break his promise to Lucy and go to Elinor because of love? Will someone else come and sweep Elinor off her feet? Will Marianne accept the Colonel (providing Willoughby and Mrs. Dashwood are both correct in their expectation of the Colonel asking her to marry him)? And, perhaps the most important question of all, where is Margaret?

R: Good questions, all. We shall soon see! Only five chapters left!

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

R: These chapters reveal pretty much everyone’s secrets, which are the cause of much mayhem. 

Mrs. Jennings becomes extra busy because her daughter has her baby, so Elinor and Marianne end up spending a lot of time at the Middletons and with the Steeles. They don’t know that they have had a narrow escape from being invited to stay with their brother and sister-in-law; however, Fanny wriggles out of that by claiming that she’d already planned to invite the Miss Steeles to visit. After all, their sisters can visit any time. Lucy is, of course, over the moon about the opportunity to further her acquaintance with the Ferrars.

S: You know, I regret saying anything positive about Lady Middleton; she really is a snob and extremely self-centered. Just because the Miss Dashwoods don’t dote on her children or offer superfluous compliments to her she doesn’t like them. Even though Mrs. Jennings is loud and a gossip, at least you know who her friends are and she truly doesn’t care about wealth or status.

R: They meet Edward’s younger brother Robert, who proves himself to be without depth, intelligence, or a lick of sense. He also loves the sound of his own voice.

S: I had an inkling that the man they had met at the jeweler’s was Robert! I so enjoyed the moment when, after Robert’s lengthy estimation of how wonderful cottages are, Elinor refused to contradict him because ‘…she did not think he deserved the compliment of rational opposition’. 

How I feel for Elinor and Marianne! Their sister-in-law would much rather be hostess to two women she hardly knows than have her husband’s sisters stay with them. I find myself feeling a bit of pity for Fanny to have grown up in such an unkind environment, but I admit it is difficult to feel that pity for long.

R: Then, all is revealed! Or mostly. While staying with Mr. and Mrs. Dashwood, Lucy’s sister tells her secret to Fanny, sending her into hysterics, which sends Lucy into hysterics. Mrs. Jennings learns all of this second-hand and conveys it to Elinor, who maintains her composure, and yet again, must keep her own feelings to herself while she relays the information to Marianne. 

Elinor is a model of self-control even as she finally reveals her feelings about Edward and everything that has happened. Marianne finally shows some sense in following interactions when the subject comes up.

S: I really enjoyed the line, ‘Marianne was quite subdued’. We’ve had the most emotional soliloquy from Elinor, explaining that she felt more deeply than she was ever able to admit, finally giving her sister a glimpse into her soul. From her reaction, it seems that Marianne is growing up. Yes, she’s still rather self-focused, but she rallys her emotions and refuses to let Elinor go it alone. I’m beginning to admire Marianne’s tenacity as well as Elinor’s kindness.

R: This chapter clearly shows the contrast between Elinor’s self-control and Marianne’s lack thereof thus far. It made me wonder if Jane Austen was really portraying a contrast of two extremes – too emotional and not emotional enough. Was Elinor really better off keeping everything bottled up? It’s just as bad for us to keep all of our feelings to ourselves.

S: Agreed! That’s a great observation. It’s difficult sometimes to know where the line is.

R: There are more revelations, primarily of Edward’s stalwartness. Despite being disowned by his mother, he is determined to keep his promises to Lucy. And she seems equally committed to him despite the reduction of his circumstances, though she certainly takes every opportunity to crow to Elinor about his steadfastness. Edward’s inheritance is passed to his younger brother, and Edward will seek a position as a clergyman where he and Lucy will likely have to live on a pittance. The Jane Austen Society of North America has some information here about how priests in the Anglican church received their positions. (There are spoilers in the link, if you haven’t read the book before).

I do admire Edward’s faithfulness, despite the unworthiness of its recipient. I can only imagine Lucy being as petty and jealous as a priest’s wife if any woman dared look crosswise at Edward.

S: I’m so disappointed. I find it rather amusing, actually, that we are told both Lucy and Edward ask the other if they just want to call it off, but both are determined to stick it out. It’s akin to asking someone what they want to do, and the conversation goes back and forth and neither person ends up happy. And Lucy! How awful must it be to be a person who feels she must hurt people at every turn!

John Dashwood is rather a pragmatic man. Henpecked, but pragmatic. He sees the dire situation in which Edward could end up. I think John could have been a good man, had not social climbing consumed his thoughts and had he not married a nasty woman. (And still, he thinks Elinor will end up with the Colonel! Of course, we don’t know what will happen, but it makes me shake my head every time because the reader knows the Colonel has eyes only for Marianne.)

Again and again the blows to Elinor just keep coming. Miss Steele reveals Lucy’s childish behaviour (and her own) when she tells Elinor of Lucy and Edward’s conversation. Colonel Brandon, bless him!, desires Elinor to give Edward the news that there is a place for him should he desire. I love how he lets Elinor know that the marriage cannot take place soon, for I think the Colonel guesses more about Elinor than she or anyone else realises. (It’s so nice to have a truly good character!)

R: This scene shows Colonel Brandon’s amazing goodness. Even though he barely knows Edward, he’s willing to hand over this position, very close to or on his own estate. What if Edward turns out to be a terrible neighbor?

S: Mrs. Jennings is hilarious! Even though my heart hurts for Elinor (and even though now Edward believes that she and the Colonel are to marry) the miscommunication between herself and Mrs. Jennings is one that at least both can laugh about. 

R: That whole time Elinor and Mrs. Jennings were talking across each other was hilarious. It was a good thing they sorted it out and Elinor got a promise from Mrs. Jennings not to spread it around.

Fortuitously, Edward shows up just as Elinor is sitting down to write him a letter to share the good news, so she is able to tell him in person, another awkward situation for her, but Edward is immensely grateful. He goes off to thank the colonel straightaway.

S: I’ll be interested to see how this all gets resolved. Will Elinor actually marry the Colonel as everyone thinks she will, or will the Colonel propose to Marianne? Will Elinor end up the quintessential ‘Old Maid’? (I certainly hope not!) We have ten chapters left so I’m hoping some of these questions will be answered and that at least one of the Miss Dashwoods will end up with a happy ending!

Readers, we may be posting our next few blogs a little more often so that we can wrap up this book before the end of the year and take a hiatus over the holidays.

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

R: We finally get a massive revelation in this chapter, about both Colonel Brandon and Willoughby, because it turns out they are connected, and in the worst possible way. Colonel Brandon has had the care of a young lady, the illegitimate daughter of his childhood love (not his own daughter as most supposed), and this young lady was seduced and impregnated by Willoughby. Colonel Brandon decides to reveal all of this to Elinor in hopes of easing Marianne’s heart over the loss of a man who turns out to be a right cad.

S: Chapter 31 is by far the most informative and heart-wrenching chapter yet! No wonder Colonel Brandon is so melancholy – what a sad life he has led so far. Thinking back to when we first met Willoughby, I have even less esteem for him now and more frustration at his character and his outspoken harsh words against Colonel Brandon. He appears to me extremely foolish, not only in his conduct, but also with his speech. Before, I could believe as Marianne could, that he was just young and carefree, even if he is a cad, but now he appears to me an angry, cruel, selfish human. (Are those words strong enough?) 

I love how Austen creates a sweet bond between Colonel Brandon and Elinor, but it seems to be one only of friendship and mutual respect at this juncture. 

Also, Marianne needs to calm down. Mrs. Jennings, although desperately interested in gossip, truly does, it seems, want to ease Marianne’s mind, and Colonel Brandon hopes to do the same. I appreciated Austen reminding the reader that Marianne is so caught up in herself that she is unable to see that, despite some people being rough around the edges, they really do care about her. She instead assumes people act a certain way because that’s how she would act toward them if the roles were reversed. She has a lot of growing up to do and I hope we see that.

Despite this, Marianne finally becomes civil with Colonel Brandon! Mrs. Jennings’s assumption that Elinor and Colonel Brandon now have a thing just makes me roll my eyes. Then, as if life weren’t difficult enough for the Miss Dashwoods, enter the Steele sisters. (Shudder.) I had almost forgotten about them, so to meet them again at this point in time is vexing. I cannot imagine how Elinor was able to keep her temper with Lucy’s snide asides to her and Miss Steele’s insistence that they see Marianne. My favourite line came after Mrs. Jennings’s comment about the Dashwood sisters remaining a long time in London: ‘Lucy was silenced.’ I mean, Mrs. Jennings has no clue what’s going on, but the reader does and that line is delicious. 

It does bother me that it appears no one is getting what they want or need: Marianne needs the comfort of home and her mother, whilst Elinor needs to not run into Edward (which could happen at any of the parties they may attend). But, they are honouring their mother, so I can’t really fault them.

R: When Elinor tells Colonel Brandon’s story to Marianne I was surprised that it softened her toward the colonel, though she is still quiet and melancholy and has another fit of high emotion when she learns that Willoughby has married Miss Grey. Mrs. Dashwood decides that it would be better for Marianne to not be at Barton Cottage where she and Willoughby had so much time together, so the Miss Dashwoods stay in London as their brother and sister-in-law, the Middletons and the Miss Steeles arrive. Lucy immediately tries to ingratiate herself to Elinor again, while Marianne continues to avoid as much socialization as she can. Elinor once more faces the brunt of everyone’s feelings about Willoughby, but she bears it with equanimity in order to protect her sister.

S: It appears that everyone, except Elinor, expects her and Colonel Brandon to marry! You remember the old adage, ‘You have one mouth and two ears for a reason’? Well, most of these characters could do with that reminder, especially her brother. Elinor is perfectly aware that the Dashwoods have more money than he tries to convince her of, and his speech, while attempting to remain subtle, reminds the reader that he and Fanny are all about themselves and their wealth and their status.

R: He’s so set on convincing Elinor that he and Fanny are in dire straits and can’t do anything to help their sisters. It really emphasizes their selfishness.

‘He [John Dashwood] had just compunction enough for having done nothing for his sisters himself, to be exceedingly anxious that everybody else should do a great deal; and an offer from Colonel Brandon, or a legacy from Mrs. Jennings, was the easiest means of atoning for his own neglect.’

And neglect it was. In a society where young, unmarried ladies are forced to rely on their family’s goodwill until they’re married, John Dashwood’s neglect of taking care of his sisters is particularly egregious. Yes, they had their mother, but she was as much at the mercy of the laws of inheritance as her daughters.

S: But Edward! We don’t know how Elinor feels about the news that his mother is trying to set him up with someone, but it does seem a gloomy prospect for the Miss Dashwoods. I’d like to have Edward speak to Elinor and explain himself, because right now he is in a bit of a pickle and has annoyed me quite thoroughly.

R: All of the different threads of the story start to come together. The Dashwoods meet the Middletons (and like them very much) and Mrs. Jennings (only John Dashwood likes her) and invite all of them as well as the Steeles, Colonel Brandon and the frightening Mrs. Ferrars to their house for a dinner. They also invite the Miss Steeles to stay at the house for a week. Lucy is beside herself with nerves and excitement at the opportunity to meet Mrs. Ferrars, who is also at the dinner, and ingratiate herself with the family, which she is able to do because Mrs. Ferrars and Fanny Dashwood treat Elinor very badly based on their assumption that she and Edward feel for each other. Uncharacteristically, Elinor feels a little mean pleasure at their ‘graciousness so misapplied’.

S: Again with the not communicating! If only Marianne had been more sober-minded that Elinor might have told her about Edward’s and Lucy’s engagement! (I say being tricked and harassed trumps making a promise of being a secret keeper, but I digress.) If only she might have been able to tell someone how Lucy treats her! I’m happy she was able to tell Lucy that she had no pity for her (again, I’m not sure I would have had the guts to do something like that), and that she saw the foolishness, and found amusing the way, in which Mrs. Ferrars treated her. Truly, she is a heroine.

R: Ooh, Lucy shows up after the dinner party to twist the knife in Elinor’s back, only to be interrupted by the untimely arrival of Edward Ferrars. He is so incredibly embarrassed, and Lucy so determined to keep up the pretense of secrecy, that Elinor ends up carrying all the conversation. After a while, she leaves them (why???) to bring Marianne down, who manages to only make things more awkward for Edward and Elinor. She makes a comment about Edward’s character that almost seems to show knowledge of all the circumstances, but certainly explains why he’s maintained this secret engagement with Lucy for four years:

‘And I really believe he HAS the most delicate conscience in the world; the most scrupulous in performing every engagement, however minute, and however it may make against his interest or pleasure. He is the most fearful of giving pain, of wounding expectation, and the most incapable of being selfish, of any body I ever saw.’

I have to wonder what Lucy thought of this proclamation. 

S: I’m just throwing this out there: I dislike Lucy’s character. I can understand how a person with very little means would want to make sure her secret engagement remained secret, but she treats Elinor abominably and does not endear herself to me. The scene when Edward visits Elinor and is then caught in an awkward mess is amusing, but also frustrating. Marianne is such a romantic that she doesn’t notice the room’s atmosphere or her sister’s countenance, nor does she notice Lucy’s rude glances and sharp words. I want to take Edward by the shoulders and shout, ‘Come on, man! Stand up for yourself and quit being pushed around!’ but, I know that his fear of making the wrong choice and of disappointing one’s parents (not to mention being worried that you may never have a fortune again if you step one toe out of line) is real. 

In all, I don’t have nearly as many questions as I have before except, ‘How will this all be resolved?!’

(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?