Sense vs. Sensibility

 The first time I read Sense and Sensibility I though, "Huh...isn't that title, like...kind of redundant?" (I was in my teens. Forgive the "like"). In our modern-day language, someone who is "sensible" is thought to have a lot of....well, common sense. 

I didn't get it. 

Probably because the definition of "sensibility" was very different in Austen's day. Understanding this definition is key to understanding the major themes and plot of the novel though so...here we go. 

A Short Lesson on "Sense" and "Sensibility"

The meaning of "sense" hasn't changed much over the last 200 years (the application, however, is an entirely different story, of course!)

Sense: Reason, clear thinking, logic, etc. 

In considering "sense" let's dive into a (very short!) history lesson. Austen wrote Sense and Sensibility on the tail end of an era we now call "The Enlightenment." This was an age that, in a nutshell, highly valued the human mind and the ability of man to reason, deduce, figure out the mysteries of the universe, etc. by LOGIC and REASON! Huzzah! 

[End history lesson]

Of course, every era has its pendulum swingers, those who push against the status-quo. All this focus on the reason, logic, and well, sense, caused some to cry out, "But the mind isn't the only thing that matters!! What about feelings? What about the heart?"

And somewhere along this line of thought, the  “cult of sensibility” was born (Drabble v). 

Sensibility became a fashionable inner "virtue" to cultivate in one's heart and life. One author defines this virtue as a "“sensitivity to life and art” (ApRoberts 361), which we see when Marianne disparages Edward of having any "real taste" when it comes to admiring Elinor's artwork. 

Source for Illustrations

 What Marianne is really saying is that "Sigh. Edward has no sensibility."

However, sensibility as a virtue went beyond proper admiration for good art. It has also been defined as "Moral Sympathy" towards people and events (ApRobert 354).

Elinor and Marianne both process moral sympathy toward others in that they both allow themselves to feel what others feel and are sensitive to the needs and feelings of their family, friends, and, yes, even enemies (keep reading...Lucy Steele, anyone?).

A character that lacks moral sympathy is Mrs. Jennings, who teases the girls about their beaux even when it is obvious that they are uncomfortable and mortified by this type of talk. 

 Sensibility, if cultivated properly, was the ability to genuinely feel, “first for ourselves, and then, with good hope, for others” (ApRoberts 364): the ability to sympathize and empathize by expressing your own emotions first in order to then understand the emotions of others.

Not a bad virtue overall, right? Interestingly, both sisters express sensibility differently throughout the novel. 

Let's Talk about it:

-What are some ways that Marianne shows true sensibility?  
-Even though Elinor is more emotionally reserved, how does she show true sensibility in how she expresses herself and how she interacts with others?

Sources:

ApRoberts, Ruth. “Sense and Sensibility, or Growing Up Dichotomous.”

Nineteenth-Century Fiction. 30. 3 (1975): 351-365. JSTOR. 19 October 2009.

Drabble, Margaret. "Introduction." Sense and Sensibility. By Jane Austen. 1811. London: Signet   Classics, 2008. Print.