Jane Austen discussion

Marianne

Marianne was a young girl who did not follow the dictates of decorum that the brittish pride themselves in. Good breeding dictated that one's emotions were always in check. There was no sympathy for emotional outbursts. It drew attention to oneself and reflected badly on one and ruined reputations. This is called Sense. Marianne prescribed to the other, Sensibility. Trees and vista views were made into lucious descriptions and emotions were spilling over all the time. When will I ever cease to regret you? She said as she said goodby to her father's estate. She read poetry. She played the piano with passion. She knew what she wanted out of love at a very young age. She didn't care about how long a person could know another and bragged that she could know someone only a few days as she spoke of Willoughby and her growing feelings for him to her sister. She was prone to great saddness or happiness. She followed Willoughby to London at the first chance she got. She wrote to him several times without an answer. She made herself sick in pinning for him and when he broke her heart she became so ill she almost died. She spoke out her reactions without regarding how they would be recieved in polite company. She loved her family and her sisters. She was in love with love and Willoughby was her first love. She totally gave herself to him without a commitment from him, however emplied. In her illness, she learned a great deal. The dialogue she had with her sister about Willoughby near the end summed up her resolve to change and pursue reading and serious study. She had learned that she caused her own misery. She grew up and had a little less sensibility and more sense like her sister. She even opened her heart to Col Brandon and fell in love with him. She used to call him old and infirm now she called him her husband.

Do you think Lydia Bennet and Marianne would be friends??? They're both so passionate and full of life. Of course Marianne is more accomplished (piano) and loves to read, and she's more polite. But she does pretty much say and show what she's feeling all the time.

I would say Lydia and Marianne have in common that they are careless. But from there they seem to split off -- Lydia chasing adventure and Marianne chasing feeling.

I don't think they would have much in common beyond a certain youthful exuberance. Marianne's passions are often ungovernable, but her conduct is, because Eleanor is able to exert some influence over her. Lydia refuses her sisters' guidance, and her father has pretty much giving up on anything like supervision or discipline. Marianne is also impatient with those who do not feel as she does about poetry and literature - if she was impatient with Edward, she would likely be absolutely intolerate of Lydia's ignorance.

I agree that Marianne probably wouldn't be friends with Lydia. Marianne isn't silly in the way Lydia is, just too apt to give into her passionate nature.

Desiree, I just think in Marianne we see that Marianne became very absorbed in herself in both her happy times and her sorrow. She not only didn't follow the rules of decorum, but she went on to ignore everyone around her. This did include the uncaring (Fanny Dashwood), but unfortunately included Elinor, Mrs. Jennings, & Brandon also. As said above, her sensibility made her impatient and she failed at understanding why we maintain "community" and the necessary social decorum to begin with.

I think that is what makes this novel such an interesting portrait overall. We first have the impression of Elinor as the prim and aloof one, but by the end of the novel she has reached out in several ways to several people and sees that you have to maintain connections even if you are experiencing happiness or heartbreak either.

Marianne is totally ruled my emotion and feelings. Lydia is ruled by having fun and acting silly, I don't think she is anything like Marianne. Marianne I think is much more sensible and mature than Lydia.

I agree. I think Marianne is a highly sensible character who is a bit out of touch with reality and very romantic. Lydia is a highly silly character who thinks of nothing but trivial flirtations.

I also agree that Marianne would be scornful of Lydia's silliness. I don't see Lydia so much as passionate.

Marianne is not one of my favorite characters. I think I relate more to Eleanor and find some of Marianne's behavior, especially towards Colonel Brandon, unpardonable. I also personally see it as such a weakness to make yourself ill over a broken heart. Eleanor is so strong, wise, thoughtful towards others -- she is one of my favorite literary characters ever.

There is much to admire in Marianne; there is little to admire in Lydia. I think Marianne would have seen that in her.

Marianne learns and grows during the course of the novel. Lydia learns nothing.

When Jane wrote S & S, there was a debate in society about the value of being sensible versus sensitive. Marianne's character illustrates one side of that debate.