by Jane Austen
25. By this time china, which could include porcelain from England or other European countries, had become a standard possession of the wealthy, and even to a degree those of moderate income. This is indicated by the Dashwoods’ having a special set of china just for breakfast. Such sets had become popular: in Northanger Abbey the heroine admires one owned by a family she is visiting. For a picture of a London glass and china shop at the time, see the following page.
26. The dialogue comprising this chapter has always, starting from the first reviews of the novel, been celebrated for its brilliant picture of decency giving way to greed. Its tour de force quality is increased by its consisting almost solely of spoken words, with only the occasional mention of who is speaking. It could be objected, however, that the author, in pursuit of a brilliant effect, has sacrificed realism a little. John Dashwood’s change of mind is thoroughly plausible; its complete accomplishment in the course of a single brief exchange is less so, especially considering the careful, deliberate character he shows throughout the novel. Later in her career, when Jane Austen worked in a slightly more subtle and realistic manner, she might have shown the transformation happening over more than one conversation, perhaps interspersed with some time for the character to reflect on what was said and gradually resolve upon a different course.
27. decision: determination, resolution.
28. indecorous: improper.
A London glass and china shop.
[From The Repository of arts, literature, fashions, manufactures, &c, Vol. I (1809), p. 330]
[List of Illustrations]
VOLUME I, CHAPTER III
1. emotion: agitation, mental distress.
2. Once she and her daughters actually move into a house they can afford she will find many defects in it, in comparison to the grand house she has enjoyed. Mrs. Dashwood’s ignorance and impracticality on money matters will appear at other times.
3. Her benevolence is shown by her wishing this for the sake of his own heart as well as for her own sake. At the same time, her complete trust in the sincerity of his generosity manifests a naive belief about others’ goodness—especially if they proclaim it themselves—that will appear later with more serious consequences.
4. Thus he continues to be externally attentive even as he secretly renounces any financial assistance. This combination will persist in his treatment of his sisters.
5. liberality: generosity.
A barouche; the top can fold down, making it an open carriage.
[From T. Fuller, An Essay on Wheel Carriages (London, 1828), Plate no. 2]
[List of Illustrations]
6. eligibility: desirability, suitableness.
7. The concept of the gentleman was a central one in Jane Austen’s society. It referred both to a social status held by all the male characters of this novel (for more, see note 29) and to moral qualities, such as honor, courtesy, and generosity, that men of this status were supposed to possess—though not all did. The use of “gentlemanlike” here means that Edward does have those qualities.
8. The attraction would have come from the prevailing practice of leaving most of the family fortune to the eldest son.
9. Thus his mother could choose to leave almost all the fortune to other children (Edward is later revealed to have a younger brother in addition to his sister Fanny). This is why a prudent mother, in Mrs. Dashwood’s place, might be reluctant to push for a marriage with Edward.
10. disposition: general mental tendencies or bent. The term had a broader connotation then than it does now.
11. peculiar: particular.
12. person: physical appearance.
13. address: outward demeanor, especially in conversation.
14. manners: outward bearing or characteristics; general mode of behavior. The word, frequently used in Jane Austen to describe people, also had a broader meaning then.
15. understanding: intelligence, intellect.
16. world: high or elite society. The term could also have the present sense of the world in general. Both meanings are probably suggested here.
17. Getting elected to Parliament was considered one of the highest honors for any gentleman and was the aspiration of many, whether from genuine interest in politics or from a wish for prestige and influence. For a contemporary picture of the Speaker of the House of Commons, the most powerful of the two houses of Parliament, see this page.
18. barouche: a carriage seating four people whose top could be folded up or down (for a picture, see this page). It was an expensive and highly fashionable vehicle, which is why Edward’s sister would like to see him driving one. After once riding in a barouche, Jane Austen wrote to her sister, “I liked my solitary elegance, & was ready to laugh all the time, at my being where I was—I could not but feel that I had naturally small right to be parading about London in a Barouche” (May 24, 1813).
19. The two paragraphs describing Edward represent a longer introduction than for any other character in the novel, one that exceeds the introduction for most romantic heroes in Jane Austen. It will soon be supplemented by lengthy speeches or reflections on Edward from Marianne and Elinor. A crucial reason for this is that the plot will consign Edward to a mostly offstage role, preventing the author from presenting his character very fully through his own speech or actions.
20. This last sentence foreshadows later events, in which Robert will end up superseding Edward in more than one way.
21. This exchange highlights a critical difference between Elinor and both her mother and her sister: she makes careful and nuanced distinctions in her reactions to and evaluations of others.
22. attaching: engaging; likely to attract or attach someone.
23. penetration: quickness or keenness of perception.
24. temper: emotional qualities. The term had a broader meaning then.
25. Mrs. Dashwood’s haste in anticipating marriage reflects her own impetuous and imaginative nature, but it also reflects a tendency in this society. Marriage was universally considered a good and was entered into by most people, generally at a fairly young age. Moreover, unmarried men and women were subject to various restrictions preventing frequent intimate contact. Thus even mild displays of friendliness and interest between a man and a woman would inspire speculations about a possible marriage.
26. settled: established in life, especially in marriage.
27. disapprove: disapprove of. The verb was often used in this transitive manner then.
28. want: lack.
29. spirit: ardor, vigor.
30. Marianne shares her mother’s preference for boldness and vigor among men (see above), a common preference at the time.
31. He would have been exposed to music by Marianne, as well as to drawing by Elinor. Music and drawing were two of the principal accomplishments taught to young ladies, with most knowing one or the other. The pattern here, in which one sister draws and the other plays an instrument, was often found, including in Jane Austen’s own family, where she was the musical one and her sister the visual artist. For a picture of a girl of the time engaged in sketching, see the following page.
32. This ideal of a perfect communion of souls will play a powerful role in Marianne’s reactions and behavior during the novel. It is an ideal found in various strands of Romanticism.
33. Reading books aloud was a common practice at the time. Jane Austen refers to it in her letters, including the reading in her family of her own novels. One reason was the high cost of lighting, which meant that in the evening it would often not be possible for everyone in a room to have enough in the way of candles or lamps to see their own book well. Being able to read aloud well was considered a valuable skill, one sometimes included in people’s education.
34. William Cowper (pronounced “Cooper”) was a poet who lived from 1731 to 1800. He was one of Jane Austen’s favorites. His poems celebrate rural life and the beauties of nature in a way that influenced later Romantic poets, though he tended to be less fervent in his enthu
siasm. In Mansfield Park the somewhat Romantic heroine quotes lines from his poems on two different occasions.
35. Marianne’s expression of despair corresponds to the themes of many Romantic works, which evoke grand ideals and experiences that are doomed never to be fulfilled in the world we actually inhabit.
36. She hopes Marianne will not suffer the loss of her husband so early.
The Speaker of the House of Commons.
[From William Pyne, Costume of Great Britain (London, 1804; 1989 reprint), Plate XXXVI]
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VOLUME I, CHAPTER IV
1. in the way of learning: had the opportunity to learn.
2. Taste was a concept and attribute much praised and discussed at the time. According to some theories, though not all, simplicity of taste was a positive quality because it connoted an ability to see clearly and to appreciate what was not artificial or overly elaborate and ornate. The diffidence Elinor describes here will continue to characterize Edward generally.
3. Romantic ideals of taste often emphasized “rapturous delight,” for this fit in both with the emphasis on extreme and exalted emotion and with a particular celebration of art as a source of inspiration and salvation.
4. She can only appreciate and justify Elinor by attributing to her something she considers a virtue—blind partiality—but that Elinor would not regard as virtuous at all.
5. Elinor’s implicit criticism signals one of the persistent differences between her and Marianne, namely the former’s strong striving to be civil toward everyone, regardless of her real opinion, and the latter’s contrasting refusal, inspired by her own ideal of sincerity.
6. “Mind” then referred to a person’s emotional as well as intellectual attributes.
7. Marianne thinks of the praises she has just uttered as being far below her own exalted standard of what constitutes real approval.
8. peculiar: special.
9. She could mean their continuing to grieve together over Mr. Dashwood’s death (with a possible slight ironic criticism of their indulgence in grief), or Mrs. Dashwood may have deliberately engrossed Marianne in order to give Elinor more time with Edward. Elinor’s use of “my mother” to refer to Mrs. Dashwood in front of her own sister, rather than “our mother,” is found throughout Jane Austen. She herself, in her letters to her sister, consistently refers to “my mother,” “my father,” and “my brother.”
10. observation: faculty of observing or noticing.
11. just: exact, accurate.
12. delicate: endowed with fine powers of perception and appreciation. The term, often used as one of praise in Jane Austen, had a stronger and broader connotation than it does today.
13. abilities: mental powers.
14. Much of this speech, especially in its carefully crafted and balanced sentences, echoes the language found in many philosophical writings or essays of the time. As such, however, it seems excessively formal for an intimate conversation between two young people, even by the more formal standards of the language of the time. Other speeches of Elinor will exhibit the same quality, a product of the author’s inclination to make her a representative and mouthpiece of important moral principles.
15. Elinor, while influenced by her heart, does not judge solely by it. One important reason is that she knows that factors other than personal affection often shape marriage decisions. Her intellectual caution in this case will prove to have justification, though not in the exact way she imagines now.
16. independent: independent financially.
17. A mother ambitious for her son, as Mrs. Ferrars was earlier described as being, would wish him to make a financially or socially advantageous marriage. Such a marriage could also help him in his career, since advancement was frequently determined by good connections.
Because most men of Edward’s class derived the bulk of their money from inheritance, the threat of disinheritance by his mother is a formidable one. It is exacerbated by his not having entered fully on a career in which he could earn money (for more on this, see this page). His mother’s opposition would also create a moral barrier, for there was a strong belief in this society, normally shared by a conscientious person like Edward, that while children had the right to choose their mates, their parents retained the right to veto that choice.
18. indispensably necessary: absolutely necessary—the phrase, though redundant in a strict sense, is often found in Jane Austen and in the language of the time.
19. genius: ability or talent, especially in a particular area (such as drawing).
20. prosperous: flourishing.
21. want of spirits: lack of animation or cheerfulness.
22. spoke: indicated, revealed.
23. comfortable: pleasant, satisfactory.
24. views: expectations, intentions.
25. Meaning the prospect and expectation that he will attain a high, or great, social position, and Mrs. Ferrars’s intention that he and his brother will marry women of high rank and fortune.
26. The idea of a woman drawing in a man was common in this society. It reflected the high desirability of marriage for women, for in addition to the personal benefits it might provide in any time and place, marriage then gave a woman higher social status, her one possibility of power and influence as mistress of a household, and greater affluence and financial security than she would probably enjoy on her own. For these reasons many women did everything in their power to catch a husband, and almost all women were subject to suspicion of such designs.
27. It is notable that Mrs. Dashwood does not even endeavor to remain calm. One reason for her resentment at this insinuation is that, as she explains later (this page), she has specifically brought up her daughters not to be the type of women who ensnare men.
28. Meaning a low rent, as well as perhaps other generous terms.
29. gentleman: a man of genteel status. The basic criterion for such a man was owning enough land that he did not have to work (except for supervising his property), or membership in one of the genteel professions (see this page for a discussion of those professions). A lady, or gentlewoman, was someone whose husband, or father if she were unmarried, was a gentleman.
30. consequence: social distinction.
31. Devonshire: a county in the southwestern corner of England (see map). Jane Austen traveled there twice, but otherwise had no connection with the county. As always in her novels she chooses the locations according to what will work best for the plot, rather than because of any supposed characteristics of the people of the region. She never, even while placing her novels in various counties in the southern half of England, hints at any local characteristics, a tendency that reflects the rise of a common upper-class culture throughout England during the eighteenth century. Devonshire was almost certainly chosen here because its great distance from London will hinder the return home of its main characters later in the novel.
32. accommodation: obligingness.
33. A cottage then could mean a house with a number of rooms, as this one has, though it is still much smaller than the grand houses such as Norland that most country gentry inhabited. Landowners would often have smaller houses on their property that they would rent.
34. They both presumably derive their name from the parish. The parish was the basic unit of local government and society in England at this time.
35. connections: relatives.
36. Once again she shows her impulsiveness, even on such an important and irreversible decision as this.
37. continuing: continuing as. “Continue” by itself was often used in the language of the time, in places where a preposition is currently added.
38. His title means he is either a knight or a baronet. Both titles were granted by the king for meritorious service; the difference was that a knighthood lasted only for the lifetime of the recipient, while a baronetcy was handed down to future descendants. Neither title, unlike the higher-ranking title of lord, conferred any privileges beyond the hono
r of being called “Sir” and having one’s wife called “Lady.”
39. Elinor’s agreement shows her willingness for self-sacrifice, a willingness she will need frequently over the course of the novel.
A woman in morning dress with a book.
[From The Repository of arts, literature, fashions, manufactures, &c, Vol. VI (1811), p. 177]
[List of Illustrations]
VOLUME I, CHAPTER V
1. son-in-law: stepson.
2. While giving herself pleasure, her hastiness means that, if these plans were to fall through for some reason, she and her daughters would be left in a difficult position.
3. As his words indicate, part of the reason for Edward’s shock is the great distance from Sussex to Devonshire (see map), and the consequent separation of himself from Elinor. This is why, for Mrs. Dashwood, his state “required no explanation.” But his strong initial exclamation, a contrast to his generally soft-spoken manner, and his concluding question as to which part of Devonshire, something that would make little difference in his separation from Elinor, suggest something more.
4. Exeter is the county seat of Devonshire. For its location, see maps.
5. late: recent.
6. By giving this invitation to Edward in the presence of his sister, Mrs. Dashwood, though relieving her own feelings, is putting him in an awkward position, since he presumably knows his sister disapproves of his interest in Elinor.
7. His genuine vexation indicates some decency in him. At the same time, he does not make any attempt to substitute another form of assistance.
8. At this time transportation by water was considerably cheaper than transportation by land, which had to go by slow horse and wagon. For this reason much of the internal trade of Britain was conducted by sea. In this case, since both Sussex and Devonshire are on the southern coast of England, the route by water is almost the same length as the route by land, making the former far more economical.
