Sense & Sensibility - Jane Austen

As Georgia Oakley's film of Sense and Sensibility is released, Book In looks at Jane Austen's novel. It was the first that she published, but already her genius for satire, social comedy and the extraordinarily subtle expression of human relationships is evident from the first page. Marianne has sensibility, and throws herself at life; unimpressed with the worthy but pedestrian Colonel Brandon, she is thrilled by the arrival of Willoughby, who leaves her house during a rainstorm "to make himself more interesting". Elinor has sense; she watches her sister fly too close to the sun, and is there for her when she falls, all the while quietly waiting for the shy but suitable Edward Ferrers to become available. The relationship between the two sisters is at the heart of the novel, and mirrors Jane's own relationship with Cassandra. Rupert and Charlie look at the book through the prism both of the current film and also Ang Lee's masterful 1995 version, with Emma Thompson's Oscar winning script.