If you are looking for the beginning of the study on Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility then you can go HERE for a brief introduction. At the bottom of the introduction you will find the links to each section of the study guide as it becomes available. If you would like to see the growing list of book studies available for free on this site you can go HERE. Enjoy!
Virtues/Vices/Great Ideas: (Find them in the Text)
Happiness, Temperance, Indulgence
Grammar Questions: (The Information of the Text)
To what did Mrs. Dashwood attribute Edward’s being “not in spirits?”
What did Marianne consider to be the minimum income necessary for basic happiness?
What did Edward tease Marianne about concerning what she would do if she had the riches to do it?
According to Edward, what produces shyness?
What did Edward do when Marianne attempted to leave him alone with Elinor at breakfast?
What personal item of Edward’s did Marianne notice and ask him about?
What did Edward do “as if he were bent only on self-mortification?”
What did Mrs. Dashwood say would make Edward a “happier man?”
What profession did Edward say he would prefer to pursue if his mother would allow it?
How did Elinor attempt to deal with her feelings about Edward and his leaving?
Describe Mr. and Mrs. Palmer’s relationship.
Logic Questions: (Interpreting, Comparing/Contrasting, Reasoning)
Given the wider context of the conversation, what is ironic about Marianne’s rebuke of Elinor for saying “wealth has much to do” with happiness?
What are some things we could infer about Edward from the way he teases Elinor and Marianne about what they would do with their riches (if they had them)?
Why might the repeated emphasis upon Marianne’s view that “no one can ever be in love more than once in their life” be important to the story?
What might we infer about Elinor from her admission, “I have frequently detected myself in such kind of mistakes” concerning people’s character?
Marianne said, “But I thought it was right, Elinor,...to be guided wholly by the opinion of other people. I thought our judgments were given us merely to be subservient to those of our neighbours. This has always been your doctrine, I am sure.” Consider Elinor’s response to her. What distinction is Elinor making about these matters which Marianne does not seem able (or willing) to understand?
Why do you think Edward will not allow himself to be alone with Elinor?
What theory do you think best accounts for Edward’s ring “with a plait of hair in the centre?”
What is humorous about Sir John’s statement to the Dashwood’s and Edward, “You must drink tea with us to-night…for we shall be quite alone – and to-morrow you must absolutely dine with us, for we shall be a large party?”
Why might Edward be so determined to leave Barton Cottage when he seems to really desire to stay?
Why do you think Edward was not interested in any of the professions his mother and sister wished him to pursue?
Compare and contrast how Marianne and Elinor deal with their feelings when they are upset. What are some significant facts about the differences? Whose approach do you think is better and why?
Marianne complained about “the rent of this cottage” being acquired “on very hard terms” if they are to be forced to constantly dine with the Middleton’s whenever either of them have guests. To this Elinor replied, “The alteration is not in them, if their parties are grown tedious and dull. We must look for the change elsewhere.” What did Elinor mean?
Rhetoric Questions: (The Analysis of Ideas in the Text)
Edward said, “I wish as well as every body else to be perfectly happy; but like every body else it must be in my own way. Greatness will not make me so.” Offer a definition for the idea of “happiness.” Do you think it is true that everyone wants to be happy? Do you think it is true that happiness is something that can only be achieved by pursuing one's own way or is the means toward happiness actually the same for everyone? Explain your reasoning carefully.
Continuing to think about happiness, Marianne chided Elinor for saying “wealth has much to do with it.” She further stated, “money can only give happiness where there is nothing else to give it. Beyond a competence, it can afford no real satisfaction.” Would you say that money and material possessions are necessary for a person to have happiness? Why or why not?
Chapter 18 has a great discussion about the practice of describing landscapes. What seems to be the difference between Edward’s and Marianne’s way of describing things? Do you think one kind of description is better than the other? Is one perhaps more suited for certain purposes and the other for different purposes? How much of what one feels when they look at something should make it into their description of what they see when describing it for the sake of other people? Finally, what is the value in being able to accurately describe a scene to someone else? What is an occasion where this skill would be useful/helpful?
Theological Analysis: (Sola Scriptura)
Consider the concept of an English gentleman, a man who has enough land, and tenants who work that land, which generates enough income that he does need to have a profession/job of his own. Read 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15. Do you think this Scripture applies to the English Gentleman? If so, how? If not, why not?