Rereading Sense and Sensibility I was struck by the way it assumes much of eighteenth century thought on morals and propriety. The title should of course alert one to this, but what surprised me was the degree to which the reader is assumed familiar with the ideas, unlike in earlier texts, even those written some time after the publication of Hume’s and Smith’s treatises, e.g. Mackenzie’s novels and contributions to the Lounger and Mirror. This suggests that eighteenth century Scottish philosophical writings on morality had both entered the zeitgeist and remained influential during the early 1800s.
I understood, before, how important a role money plays in the plot, fiscal motives coming into play from the very beginning, but I don’t seem to have noticed, earlier, the extent to which it’s controlled by women - Mrs John Dashwood keeps a very close eye on the distribution of her husband’s income; Mrs Smith’s eventual refusal to fund Willoughby forces him into what appears to be a loveless marriage; and Mrs Ferrars’ views on Edward’s place in society lead to his disinheritance. A happy marriage appears to depend, at least, in part on a degree of financial independence on the part of the husband.
I watched Ang Lee’s adaptation of the book. I was interested in the decision to cut certain characters, as this also cut the scope of the novel, reducing it from a commentary on society generally to a comparison between the two sisters’ attitudes to love. In the film, Elinor comes across as generally good but rather humourless, which is a pity, as she’s the source of several viciously funny commentaries on social interaction; Mrs Jennings is a far less rounded character in the film than she is in the book; and Mrs Dashwood is just not silly enough – with the result that there is little explanation for Marianne’s romanticism.
