compare and contrast between Elinor and Marianne

Name                  :        Gohil Hetalba I.

Std                       :        M.A. I        Sem :          II

Roll No.              :        08

Topic                   :        Compare and contrast between  Elinor and Marianne

Papers                :        The Romantic Literature

Submitted To     :        Dr. Dilip Barad

                                      Department of English M.K. Bhavnagar

University

v    Introduction :

Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775 at the parsonage house of Steventon in Hampshire. Her father, George Austen. Who was a reactor in the parish was fellow at Oxford and Scholar.

Jane Austen had five brother and one sister. Her eldest brother was James well read in English literature. He could also write well. Jane was influenced by him in her reading habits. Edward, her second brother, was adopted by a wealthy relative in kent. Although Jane was Sekparated from him in childhood. The spent happy time together later in her life. Her third brother, Henary become a clergyman. He helped Jane to publish her novels. Francis and Charles, her two younger brothers, were sailors. Who served in the Great War. They both rose to the rank of Admirals and Jane was proud of them. Cassandra, her only sister, was Jane's Favorite sibling. She was sensible and calm but not as cheerful as Jane. The sisters shared a fine rapport.

More than half her life Jane Austen spent in Steventon Parsonage. This countryside upon the hills of North Hants "with broad and leafy hedgrows, beanth which grew the primrose, the anemone and the wild hydeinth" inspired Jane to write three of her novels.

In 1816 Jane Austen's health began to fail. She remained cheerful to the end. On the morning of July 18, 1817 she breathed her last breath, after uttering the worlds "Nothing but death".

George Eliot refers to Jane Austen as "The greatest artist that has ever written" Tennyson and Macaulay consider as equal to Shakespeare.

Jane Austen was one of the greatest women novelists during the nineteenth century. She was one of the supreme artists in fiction. Her main works are sense and sensibility, pride and prejudice, Mansfield park, Emma North anger Abbey, and persuasion. In the opinion of W.L. Cross, "She is one of the sincerest examples in our literature of art for art's sake".

Sense & Sensibility is satirical in tone and here in a subdued ironical tone. Jane Austen ridicules sentimentalist Elinor represents sense and her sister Marianne stands for sensibility. The satire is mostly directed against sensibility and sentimentality depicted in the character of Marianne. Jane Austen also ridicules the selfishness and worldly wisdom of Mrs. John Dashwood and the henpecked nature of John Dashwood. The style is forcefully ironical and the dialogues through which the comedy is represented are satirical.

In Jane Austen's sense and sensibility the two main characters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood represent sense and sensibility, respectively. Webster's Dictionary defines sense as practical intelligence reasonable thought; something sensible or reasonable Elinor Dashwood fits into the definition of word perfectly. She is down to Earth sensible practical and rational. The dictionary defines sensibility as capacity for being affected emotionally or intellectually Marianne Dashwood fits into this definition quite well. She is ruled by her emotion and has delicate and sensitive feelings. As sister, the two girls are very close and sometimes very much alike, but more than not, as different as night and day.

Elinor Dashwood is the eldest of the two sisters. She fits the common stereotype of the eldest being the practical and rational sibling. She doesn't often let her emotion show and often has to make up for Marianne's shortcomings, caused by her overactive, emotions, Marianne is a very emotional girl. Who has a dramatic opinion on everything. She lets her emotion and her heart lead her, instead of her mind upon living their dear home Noreland Marianne exclaims "oh! Happy house could you know what I suffer in now viewing you form whence perhaps I may view you no more". Although Elinor is also saddened at having to leave Noraland. She quietly keeps it to herself. While her sister bursts forth a sorrowful good bye.

The flighty emotionally of Marianne can be instantly seen upon the arrival of John Willoughby. She instantly falls in love with him and becomes obsessed with everything that has anything to do with him. She has no qualms about expressing the fact that she very much enjoys spending time with him for she "abhors all concealment where no real disgrace could attend unreserved". Her heart lessly laughs at the affections of Colonel Brandon to which Elinor responds that he" is a sensibleman; and sense will always have attractions for [her]. Here we see a sharp contrast between the two sisters. Marianne widly loves the charming and handsome Willoughby, while Elinor likes the sensible, quiet colonel Brandon.

So in love is Marianne that abandons all her common sense, when Willoughby offers her a horse. She immediately accepts, not talking into the ownership of a horse. And even when the sensible Elinor points out the complications of accepting such a gift, Marianne is "most unwilling to comprehend all the unhappy truths which attend the affair".

When Willoughby suddenly and abruptly leaves the Dashwoods heartbroken and shows her sorrowful emotions quite freely. Being the emotional girl that she is "Marianne in all probability not merely giving way to violent sorrow as a relief, but feeding and encouraging it as a duty". She mopes around, doesn’t eat much, and cries a lot. She thinks it would be "very inexcusable had she been able to sleep at all the first night after parting from Willoughby. Not only does she feel genuine sorrow on Willoughby’s departure but she also thinks it's her duty to feel that way.

Marianne knows how much her sisters like Edward Ferrar. But Elinor acts differently around him than Marianne acts around Willoughby’s. She remains composed and keeps her thoughts and feelings to herself. She notices that when Edward comes to visit at Barton he is not himself, but she says nothing and doesn't obsess and worry over it as Marianne would. And when Edward must take his leave of them. Elinor remains calm and unemotional she busies herself with other matters and doesn't shut herself off form the family. But Marianne doesn't understand her sister lack of concern for "Such behavior as this, so exactly the reverse of her own. Appeared no more meritorious to Marianne than her own appeared no more meritorious to Marianne than her own had seemed faulty to her".

Elinor again shows her calm rationality. When she hears of Edward's secret engagement to Lucy steels she is angry and saddened but quietly listens to all that Lucy tells her regarding the engagement. Afterword’s, she carefully considers all that Lucy has told her, and she Endeavour’s to discover more by engaging Lucy in private conversation once again. Elinor cleverly and colorfully extract from Lucy the information extracts from Lucy the information. She wants to know. Unlike Marianne she doesn’t fly to into a passion over the matter but ponders in her heart all that she has recently learned.

Marianne can't stand Mrs. Jennings but when Mrs. Jennings invites the Dashwood sisters to town with her Marianne immediately declares. She will go and that she can easily put up with the woman. However her only desire and goal is to be closer to Willoughby. Elinor cannot ignore the "rapture of delightful expectation which fills the whole soul and beams in the eyes of Marianne. Marianne is very much excited about seeing Willoughby and doesn't try to hide it. But tremens is her grief when Willoughby ignores her and the acts as if he had never any affection for her. His cold-hearted note to her breaks her heart and for many weeks. She is sick with grief she, somewhat selfishly, refuses to participate in various affairs with Elinor and is sad and down trodden she doesn't leave the house for several weeks, both she has no desire to seek amusement and because she doesn’t want to accidently run into Willoughby. So sensitive is she that she wallows in her grief for a long period of time before beginning to return to herself.

When Elinor and Marianne meet Mrs. Ferrars she is quite rude to Elinor and very nice and polite to Lucy Steele. But Elinor refused to be bothered by it, for it is not in "Mrs Fearrars power to distress her by it and the difference of her manners to the Miss Steeles only amuses her". However, Marianne will not stand for this and she honorably defends her sister against the subtle remarks against her. "Urged by a strong impulse of affectionate Sensibility, she moved.... to her sister's chair... and said' Dear, dear Elinor don't mind them. Don't let them make you unhappy'. At which point she bursts into tears. If their roles had been reversed, Elinor would have sensibly defended her sister by steering the conversation to another point, instead of retorting back and then becoming overwhelmed with emotion. This is a perfect example of how the two sisters are so different. While Elinor bears the criticism silently and calmly, her sister must react passionately.

Fanny is quite distressed by the news that her brother Edward is going to Marry Lucy. Being related to her, Elinor sees it her duty to go and see how she is doing, even though she can't stand the woman. This is typical, practical Elinor, dutifully doing what is right. Marianne, however who is "not contended with absolutely refusing to go herself, is very urgent to prevent her sister's going at all". Marianne doesn't see the point of visiting a women whom she despises be she relative or not. Again Marianne is following her emotions and sensibilities rather than her duties and common sense.

At Cleveland, Marianne again abandons her sense by walking around in the damp and cold and then sitting around in wet clothes and shoes it’s a result,    she becomes quite ill. Elinor is very worried about her, but keeps her head and dutifully attends to her sister night and day. While Marianne is ill, Willoughby unexpectedly shows up. He tells Elinor all the particulars of why he broke Marianne's heart and how much he regrets what he had to do. He begs forgiveness and asks Elinor to tell Marianne the whole story. Elinor doesn't cry for her sister, as Marianne would have done, but she does feel a little more compassionate for Willoughby.

At the End of the novel, there are two instances when the sisters reverse rolls, when Marianne acts as Elinor would and vice versa. Upon finally returning home to Barton, Marianne tells Elinor that she is finally at peace with herself and can move on and forget Willoughby. After hearing what Willoughby told Elinor, she can finally leave the past behind and forgive him for what he did. This is the kind of sensible action that we would normally see in Elinor. But just as we see a little sense in Marianne, we also see a little sensibility in Elinor. She had been struggling for quite some time with the distress of Edward's engagement to Lucy. But Edward visits Barton and informs the Dashwood that Lucy has married his brother Robert & that he is no longer engaged. So incredibly happy is Elinor, that she runs out of the room, "and as soon as the door closed, bursts into tears of joy, which at first she thought would never cease". This is just as Marianne would react in such a situation. This proves that though the two sisters are very much different in their thoughts and actions, they are also very much the same.

Marianne Dashwood is a sensitive emotional and compassionate girl. Elinor Dashwood is a practical, rational, and sensible girl. These two sisters each have their own personalities, all their own. As a result, the two girls are good complements to each other. Elinor's sense balance Marianne's sensibility. And while Marianne will always be the sister with the strong sense, they will always have a little bit of the other sister in themselves.

v    Conclusion :

Emily Bronte points out that in Miss Austen's work one should not expect, "Anything like warmth or enthusiasm, anything energetic and poignant" Jane Austen chose a limited background for her novels. Her novels would be recognized as 'domestic' or 'tea-table' novels. There are no adventures in her books, no abstract ideas, no romantic reveries no death scenes. She lived through the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars but no shadow of their storm is allowed to confuse the firm bright clarity of her vision.

Cross says' 'She was a realist. She gave a new to the novel an art and a style, which it once had held, particularly in fielding, but which it had since lost'.

'Jane Austen's realistic English drawing-rooms, like the unfurnished ante chambers of French classical  dram are theatrics in which elemental human folly and inconsistency play out their eternal comedy. Thackeray painted on a vast canvas but his range of characters is small. He always respects his characters. Jane Austen does not repeat her characters. Jane Austen's good women, Anne Eliot Elinor Dashwood, price, are all different. In her six novels, not even a single character is repeated.

Jane Austen hits at the essential. Her characters are universal types. Miss Bates represents the type of all bores, Mrs. Eliton the type of all undisciplined romantics. In sense and sensibility. She satires’ too much of sensibility in the character of John Dashwood. She satirises hen pecked husbands and in the character of his wife she finds nothing but contempt for selfishness.

The character of Jane Austen are minutely portrayed and accurately described. She has been endowed with the one essential gift of the novelist, the power to create living characters. Her characters are not type but individuals. Her male figures are of soft temper but her female characters are almost perfect. She creates living characters both male and female and draws them in their private aspect.