Ruthless Austen
Fanny upon hearing of Edward's engagement
"In Spite of the improvements and additions which were making the Norland estate, and in spite of its own having once been within some thousand pounds of being obliged to sell out of a loss, nothing gave any symptom of that indigence which he had tried to infer from it; --no poverty of any kind, except of conversation, appeared--but there, the deficiency was considerable." (On Mr. Dashwood's dinner party in London)
Austen’s humor in Sense and Sensibility is scathing, witty, and unapologetically satirical. She employs her sharp satire to critique the insipidity of overdone social decorum as well as employ many awkward and embarrassing moments that weave together a fine plot amongst a well-done caricature of polite society. Unlike Mansfield Park, that proves to be a far more complex comedy, Sense and Sensibility witticisms are far more overt, thus creating a highly entertaining satirical novel.
Embarrassing and Awkward moments, as mentioned above is large part of the humor in Sense and Sensibility. In fact Austen actually creates Mrs. Jennings as an ever-present instigator of embarrassing moments. Though well intentioned, Her teasing of Elinor and Marianne are relentless and she becomes so consumed with the pleasure she even, “she instructs her servant to gather information on the moving of Willoughby and Marianne, then publicizes her findings to the confusion of Marianne.” (Southward 766) She is successful in her amusing endeavors to embarrass them that even Sir Thomas joins, who reveals to strangers Elinor’s possible affection for Edward, which as we already catches that malicious attentions of Lucy Steel.
Along with characters creating embarrassing moments for each other, embarrassing also arise on their own. In the second volume, Edward Ferrars, who has now becomes the evident object of affection for both Elinor and Lucy Steele, seeks to visit Elinor in London, when arriving at Mrs. Jennings’s house, much to his dismay, he finds both Lucy and Elinor creating a highly entertaining love triangle, “It was a very awkward moment; and the countenance of each shewed that it was so. They all looked exceedingly foolish; and Edward seemed to have a s great an inclination to walk out of the room again, as to advance further in it” (Volume 2; Chapter 13). Elinor, of course was the chief laborer of smoothing the social wrinkle over as she invoked civil conversation, but her efforts were reversed when she brings Marianne into the scene. Marianne, though never has intentions to create awkward moments, is another character that encourages many awkward moments, and this is one of them, “…while Marianne was looking with the most speaking tenderness, sometimes at Edward and sometime at Elinor regretting that their delight in each other should be check by Lucy’s unwelcome presence.” As polite conversation continues, Edward asks her about her health, in which she unknowingly humiliates both Edward and Elinor by replying, “…don’t think of my health. Elinor is well, you see. That must be enough for the both of us. “ (Volume 2, Chapter 13)
In addition to spontaneous awkward moments like the work of genius stated above, Austen makes her own literary jabs at her caricatures of the rich, highly elegant characters of great social standing, which though wealthy in material, lack the wealth of a prosperous mind. Near the end of the second volume her descriptions of those characters who lack the moral propriety she highly esteems become aggressively satirical. She becomes ruthless in her caricatures, highlighting any flaw and every flaw. When describing Mrs. Ferrars, Edward’s controlling and greedy mother, she hold no reservations, “Mrs. Ferrars was a little, thin woman…her features small without beauty, and naturally without expression; but a lucky contraction of the brow had rescued her countenance from the distinction of insipidity, by giving it strong characters of pride and ill nature.” (Volume 2, chapter 12) Her descriptions of John Dashwood and his wife are equally as callous, highlighting again up their lack of moral conscience and disregard for anyone but themselves. These caricatures though brutal to the characters themselves are wonderful sources of comedy within the novel.
ane Austen uses ruthless satire, embarrassing moments, and ludicrous characters to create the hilarity so well loved in Sense and Sensibility.
Austen’s humor in Sense and Sensibility is scathing, witty, and unapologetically satirical. She employs her sharp satire to critique the insipidity of overdone social decorum as well as employ many awkward and embarrassing moments that weave together a fine plot amongst a well-done caricature of polite society. Unlike Mansfield Park, that proves to be a far more complex comedy, Sense and Sensibility witticisms are far more overt, thus creating a highly entertaining satirical novel.
Embarrassing and Awkward moments, as mentioned above is large part of the humor in Sense and Sensibility. In fact Austen actually creates Mrs. Jennings as an ever-present instigator of embarrassing moments. Though well intentioned, Her teasing of Elinor and Marianne are relentless and she becomes so consumed with the pleasure she even, “she instructs her servant to gather information on the moving of Willoughby and Marianne, then publicizes her findings to the confusion of Marianne.” (Southward 766) She is successful in her amusing endeavors to embarrass them that even Sir Thomas joins, who reveals to strangers Elinor’s possible affection for Edward, which as we already catches that malicious attentions of Lucy Steel.
Along with characters creating embarrassing moments for each other, embarrassing also arise on their own. In the second volume, Edward Ferrars, who has now becomes the evident object of affection for both Elinor and Lucy Steele, seeks to visit Elinor in London, when arriving at Mrs. Jennings’s house, much to his dismay, he finds both Lucy and Elinor creating a highly entertaining love triangle, “It was a very awkward moment; and the countenance of each shewed that it was so. They all looked exceedingly foolish; and Edward seemed to have a s great an inclination to walk out of the room again, as to advance further in it” (Volume 2; Chapter 13). Elinor, of course was the chief laborer of smoothing the social wrinkle over as she invoked civil conversation, but her efforts were reversed when she brings Marianne into the scene. Marianne, though never has intentions to create awkward moments, is another character that encourages many awkward moments, and this is one of them, “…while Marianne was looking with the most speaking tenderness, sometimes at Edward and sometime at Elinor regretting that their delight in each other should be check by Lucy’s unwelcome presence.” As polite conversation continues, Edward asks her about her health, in which she unknowingly humiliates both Edward and Elinor by replying, “…don’t think of my health. Elinor is well, you see. That must be enough for the both of us. “ (Volume 2, Chapter 13)
In addition to spontaneous awkward moments like the work of genius stated above, Austen makes her own literary jabs at her caricatures of the rich, highly elegant characters of great social standing, which though wealthy in material, lack the wealth of a prosperous mind. Near the end of the second volume her descriptions of those characters who lack the moral propriety she highly esteems become aggressively satirical. She becomes ruthless in her caricatures, highlighting any flaw and every flaw. When describing Mrs. Ferrars, Edward’s controlling and greedy mother, she hold no reservations, “Mrs. Ferrars was a little, thin woman…her features small without beauty, and naturally without expression; but a lucky contraction of the brow had rescued her countenance from the distinction of insipidity, by giving it strong characters of pride and ill nature.” (Volume 2, chapter 12) Her descriptions of John Dashwood and his wife are equally as callous, highlighting again up their lack of moral conscience and disregard for anyone but themselves. These caricatures though brutal to the characters themselves are wonderful sources of comedy within the novel.
ane Austen uses ruthless satire, embarrassing moments, and ludicrous characters to create the hilarity so well loved in Sense and Sensibility.