Thinking Sensibly

Do you think that Jane Austen was a feminist? Jot down the characters from Sense and Sensibility that Austen admires, and those she ridicules. What does this tell you about her values?

Recommend a Read

I am reading some great books at the moment (I have nine on the go!) A list of my good reads from this year (completed) are at the bottom of this blog. If you have read anything of note that you would recommend to your reading friends, or me, leave a comment on this post.

Sense and Sensibility

Which one best defines you? I think I am a healthy balance of both; Jane A would have no doubt admired me greatly!

We will begin by viewing the 1995 film version (directed by Ang Lee) to jog your memory about the events in the novel. Watch out for inaccuracies because these will undo you when it comes to writing about the novel in the weeks to come.

There are lots of resources on the net, not the least of which are listed right here:

Gradesaver
Bookrags
PinkMonkey
Bibliomania

Don't worry so much about the chapter summaries; concentrate on the commentaries and background notes. If you find any other good sites, please let me know.


Read these, make notes and start working on your close analysis of the text itself.

Like Elinor, you are now "at liberty to think and be wretched." p129

Creative Responses - other aspects of text

The use of language is one thing that needs to be considered, but there are many other techniques and strategies that affect the way we read and interpret texts. Consider these:

1. Narrative Viewpoint - 'who' is telling the story.
Narrative point of view works like a camera shot in a film. You are directed to look at things from a particular angle, although the experience is often heightened because you are also sharing the narrator's emotions. We are more likely to be sympathetic to the concerns of the narrator, as we are allowed to get to know them quite well.

If you were writing a creative response consistent with
the style of the original text you would be unlikely to change the
narrative point of view, although you could change the character if
it's first person.

2. Characterisation - the way in which characters are portrayed throughout the text.
Mannerisms, way of speaking, actions and appearance all contribute to the way a reader interprets the texts.