by Jane Austen
25. The cult of sensibility celebrated souls sensitive and tender enough to have the correct, fully developed feelings and disdained those, perhaps the great majority, who lacked such sensitivity.
26. For Marianne’s reasons for admiring twisted trees, see note 16.
27. Edward’s ready citing of several principles of Marianne, and his reference to their old disputes, suggest how inclined she is to proclaim and debate her doctrines.
28. Many Romantic writings, especially poems, focused on reliving or extolling the experiences and feelings of the past.
29. laid out: spent, expended.
30. Providing annuities to authors was a long-standing tradition among the wealthy, though by this time the practice was lessening and more authors were relying on the marketplace for sustenance.
31. She may mean help provide means for Willoughby to marry her, if she knows or believes that this is the reason he left and has not returned.
32. For Marianne’s views on second attachments, see this page.
33. Elinor’s use of “stedfast” [sic] implies the determined effort Marianne makes to avoid any bending or retreat in her ideas. It also may signal Elinor’s frustration with this quality, which would only be exacerbated by hearing her sister declare that at only seventeen her opinions are fixed.
34. Elinor’s explanation indicates the different meaning of “lively” then, for while it connoted vivacity and animation, it also involved merriness and gaiety. Thus the energetic but serious Marianne is not lively; in contrast, the word is frequently applied to the lighthearted and witty heroine of Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet.
35. set her down as: considered her to be.
36. ingenious: clever, talented, discerning.
37. stupid: slow-witted, dull. The word did not have as harsh a connotation then.
38. Elinor’s admission of her frequent errors in judging others is ironic in a sense, for over the course of the novel her judgments, while far from perfect, prove superior to those of anyone else. Of course, her very acknowledgment of her fallibility, and awareness of the various ways one can be led to misjudge, are critical reasons for her overall accuracy. At numerous points she is shown taking time to arrive at a verdict, after careful observation of others and contemplation of the factors that might shed light on their character and behavior. This contrasts with Marianne’s belief that she can understand Willoughby completely after a brief acquaintance.
39. Elinor’s distinction is one often made by Jane Austen, who shares this attitude. The admirable characters in her novels think and judge for themselves, rather than simply accepting others’ opinions—though these thoughts and judgments are based on generally established moral, religious, or social principles. At the same time, they always display outward courtesy, even when dealing with people they regard with contempt.
40. Elinor’s expressive look is probably sparked by Marianne’s recent behavior with Willoughby, in which she showed particular neglect of others and of her social obligations.
41. low: socially inferior.
42. Edward’s greater comfort among those who are not genteel echoes one of the most popular plays of this time, Oliver Goldsmith’s She Stoops to Conquer (1773). It centers around a young gentleman who can only approach or talk easily to women of a lower station, which leads a young lady to pretend to be a servant to win his love.
43. easy: unembarrassed; free from awkwardness or stiffness.
44. Edward’s reaction signals that Marianne has touched a nerve in calling him “reserved.” The term then had its current connotation of cold or aloof, but it also meant uncommunicative or not open and frank. It is this that probably arouses him, for, as soon revealed, Edward has powerful reasons not to be communicative or frank about his personal affairs.
A London print shop.
[From The Repository of arts, literature, fashions, manufactures, &c, Vol. I (1809), p. 53]
[List of Illustrations]
VOLUME I, CHAPTER XVIII
1. Elinor notices a lesser interest in her as well as a general state of dejection in Edward. The fluctuating character of his affection for her is something she perceived during their earlier time together at Norland, and it now seems to have become more pronounced.
2. Many houses then had a special room for breakfast. The heavy reliance on the sun for heat and light made a room facing south or east more convenient early in the day. In grander ones it could be a dining room used almost solely for that purpose; here, however, one of the parlors apparently serves as the breakfast room, since in the next sentence Edward opens the parlor door to leave.
3. As already mentioned, breakfast time tended to be around ten, so he might still expect to be back in time. It is possible that Elinor, who has remained in the breakfast room, was taking care of the preparations for breakfast: Jane Austen had that task in her household. The servant would have taken the horses to the village—the Dashwoods having no stable, as a wealthier family would have—and Edward will presumably see what place the servant has hired and ensure that the horses are being cared for properly.
4. situation: position, location.
5. The picturesque was a concept that had become very popular at this time. The term first appeared in the early eighteenth century and meant scenery that had the elements of a picture or was fit to be the subject of a picture. A critical inspiration for the concept was the landscapes of the Italian countryside by the seventeenth-century painters Claude Lorrain and Salvator Rosa, whose works were celebrated for presenting an ideally beautiful and poetic vision of nature. The closer actual scenes from nature resembled these paintings, the more likely they were to be called picturesque. In the late eighteenth century the concept grew in popularity and took on further connotations in the hands of certain writers. They identified the picturesque as one of the three main categories of natural beauty, along with the beautiful, used to refer to what was gentle and delicate and harmonious, and the sublime, used to refer to what was vast and overwhelming. The picturesque was used for scenery characterized by irregularity, roughness, and variation, features not fitting into either of the other categories. These ideas had many links with the cult of sensibility and the growing Romanticism of the same period; picturesque scenery was often celebrated for the Romantic emotions it provoked.
6. Marianne had used the very term “bold hills” when describing the view from the room at Allenham (this page).
7. Though Edward begins by admitting his ignorance, along with his want, or lack, of taste, concerning the picturesque, and concludes this speech with the same declaration, his comments reveal a great familiarity with the idea. He recognizes the high value placed on irregularity and ruggedness, and his final words echo the language found in writings of picturesque. The most influential of these writings, William Gilpin’s series of guides to the picturesque beauties of various parts of the British Isles, praises haziness for possibly improving scenes, especially by evoking objects in the background in the manner of paintings by Claude Lorrain (for pictures from one of Gilpin’s works that show his taste for hazy effects and for irregular or rugged features, see this page).
8. comfortable: cheerful, tranquil.
9. neat: well made; attractive but simple.
10. answers: fulfills, satisfies.
11. These natural features were all believed to add to the picturesque quality of a scene.
12. Appreciation of picturesque beauty had become a very popular phenomenon by this time. People not only read many writings extolling and expounding the picturesque, but also traveled to various parts of Britain in quest of picturesque beauty. Many would take something called a Claude glass, a rectangular lens through which they could look out to identify which scenes most closely resembled those found in Claude Lorrain paintings, and then appreciate them for their Claudian qualities. The popularity of these tours sparked, in the year after this novel was published, a satire, The Tour of Dr. Syntax in Search of the Picturesque, about the misadventu
res of the title character during his tour; the book went through numerous editions, and Jane Austen refers to it in a letter (March 5, 1814). For pictures from the book, see this page and this page.
13. Elinor is misunderstanding Edward a little here, for he has just praised the surrounding countryside and called himself indifferent only to what advocates of the picturesque praised as beautiful. Elinor may be less familiar with the specifics of picturesque theory than the other two, and therefore less careful in distinguishing it from a more general love of nature.
14. Marianne’s aversion to repeating what has already been said—something hard to avoid in this case, given the popularity of the picturesque—corresponds to an emphasis in Romanticism on the great importance of originality.
15. prospect: view, scene.
16. The picturesque writer William Gilpin, who wrote an entire book on forest scenery, claimed that only trees that are decayed or blasted in some respect can have true picturesque beauty. For a picture of such a tree from one of his books, see this page.
17. These last natural features all have the appropriate roughness to qualify as picturesque, as do ruined cottages. Writers on the subject in fact wrote much of ruins, celebrating the powerful aesthetic effects they created and seeking out scenes containing them. For an example of this from Gilpin’s work, see picture.
18. Banditti, or bands of robbers, as well as gypsies, beggars, or other outcast groups, were believed to make a scene particularly picturesque. Interest in such groups and in watchtowers, towers stationed to allow people to look out for danger, also fit with the interest in violence and crime in much Romantic literature. In expressing his contrary preferences Edward is criticizing picturesque theory on a point that even its proponents admitted to be problematic: some of what it considered aesthetically pleasing, such as decay or destruction or misery, was not pleasing from a moral perspective.
19. Marianne’s amazement shows her attachment to the principles he criticized. At the same time, his command of the subject makes it difficult for her to respond. This dialogue is one of the few places in which Edward has a chance to reveal his cleverness and independence of mind, since the plot forces him into an absent or tongue-tied role for much of the novel. It thus plays a useful role in showing the reasons for Elinor’s affection for him, including his ability to make her laugh.
20. As seen earlier in the case of Marianne and Willoughby, a woman’s hair could serve as a keepsake for someone close to her.
21. sprung: exploded (to release or loosen the contents). The word continues the metaphor of the mine of raillery or teasing.
22. penetration: perception, discernment (of Elinor’s attachment).
23. Sir John finds a reason for others to join them, no matter what the circumstances. Drinking tea with them would mean coming after dinner.
24. enforced: reaffirmed, urged further.
A traveler falling into the water due to excessive concentration on the picturesque scenery.
[From William Combe, The Tour of Dr. Syntax in Search of the Picturesque (London, 1817; 1903 reprint), p. 68]
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25. Thus Edward shows great delicacy in not wanting to hurt someone else’s feelings, even though in this case Marianne does not seem really hurt. The episode, like Marianne’s mention of the ring, shows the potential danger, even if only a mild one, of speaking without care or discretion.
A gig.
[From G. A. Thrupp, History of Coaches (London, 1877), p. 75]
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VOLUME I, CHAPTER XIX
1. unequal: uneven, fluctuating.
2. The phrasing of the sentence suggests Elinor’s explanation has deficiencies, but it is the best available to her, given her current knowledge. His mother’s opposition to his marriage with Elinor would not necessarily preclude his spending more time with her. His words and actions do not suggest that he always consults her wishes; moreover, her willingness for him to remain idle would presumably keep her from inquiring too closely into his movements. Nor does anything relating to her account for the sense of obligation to leave that he seems to cite repeatedly.
3. candid: favorable, benevolent.
4. service: benefit.
5. This is a sign that Elinor, though generally the voice of wisdom in the novel, is not completely wise or objective. At this stage Edward could be faulted at least as much as Willoughby for his mysterious departure; in fact, Willoughby, by referring specifically to his cousin’s sending him on business to London, was clearer about the obligation forcing him to go than Edward. The main way in which Edward is less blameworthy is that, while paying some attention to Elinor, he has never behaved in a manner clearly indicating his intent to marry her as Willoughby did toward Marianne. Hence his obligation toward Elinor, and her family, is less.
6. independence: financial independence. Edward’s financial dependence does place him in a truly precarious state. The small sum of money that is later identified as all that is legally secured to him, two thousand pounds, would not allow him to live in the genteel manner he is accustomed to (at this point he undoubtedly receives some kind of allowance from his mother for his spending money). It would be even less capable of supporting a family—and Elinor, with only a thousand pounds, is in no position to supply the deficiency. His only other option would be to work, but in any profession it would be a while before he would be likely to earn enough to make a wife and children comfortable.
7. dispositions: plans, arrangements. This was spelled “disposition” in the first edition of the work. The two spellings give different meanings, but either is possible here: in the plural the word would be echoing and reinforcing “designs”; in the singular it would be referring to the general mental character or bent of Mrs. Ferrars.
8. Meaning the duty of obeying one’s parent versus one’s own inclinations.
9. nicety: fastidiousness, scrupulous caution.
10. Edward’s list contains the four professions considered genteel, and therefore what a gentleman could pursue without losing his status.
11. Being a clergyman was not considered smart, or fashionable and prestigious, by many. In Mansfield Park a woman from elite London society declares that the clergy are nothing. She cites the inability to distinguish oneself in the profession; she could add that it did not offer the same possibility of riches as the others.
12. Army officer was the most prestigious of the professions. One reason was that traditionally it was the particular interest of the nobility, who in medieval times had been defined heavily by their military role. Moreover, it was less meritocratic, and thus more socially exclusive, than the navy. Edward’s rejection of it as “too smart” probably plays on the word’s meaning of sharp or severe (in reference to wounds) as well as fashionable.
13. By “the law” he means a barrister, the kind of lawyer who could try cases in court. Attorneys, who took care of property matters and constituted the majority of lawyers, were definitely not genteel.
14. The Inner Temple and Middle Temple were two of the four Inns of Court. Anyone wishing to be a barrister had to attend and pass the requirements of one, and many practicing barristers had chambers, or offices, near or in one of them, for they were congregated around the main courts in London.
15. knowing: stylish, chic.
16. gigs: open carriages pulled by one horse. They were less expensive and prestigious than curricles, but better ones could still allow someone of limited means, as a young lawyer usually would be, to dash around town in relative style—the single horse made them narrow and thus able to advance quickly through the tight spaces and heavy traffic of London. For a picture of a gig, see this page.
17. Really studying the law would involve immersion in some very abstruse matters. He probably means that his family approved of his becoming qualified as a barrister but being one only nominally. Qualifying was easy, for the Inns of Court imposed almost no formal study requirements, but attaining real success
was difficult and usually took years of effort. Since Edward, as the eldest son, would eventually inherit the family estate, the idea could be for him simply to acquire the prestige of being a barrister, as well as perhaps a general familiarity with legal matters, which would be useful for someone in charge of an estate.
18. fashion: social prestige. “Fashion” and “fashionable” were used frequently then to denote the elite sections of society.
19. Aspiring naval officers generally went to sea between eleven and thirteen, or went to the naval academy around the same age.
20. expensive: given to lavish expenditure.
21. red coat: army uniform. Most army uniforms were red, and, being made partly for impressive and fashionable display, added to the prestige of the army.
22. Idleness was often looked on as honorable, or at least not especially dishonorable, in upper-class society. One reason was that the highest-ranking gentlemen were those whose wealthy estates freed them from any regular employment. Many such men would in fact put great effort into managing their estates, or into political activity, but it was not a necessity for them.
23. Oxford and Cambridge, the only two English universities then, had fairly loose academic requirements, and students there, especially the many upper-class ones, would often study very little. For more, see note 9.
24. Columella is the title character of a 1779 novel by Richard Graves. Frustrated with his own idle life, he brings up his sons to a variety of professions.
25. accent: tone.
26. Mrs. Dashwood could be using “state” in the then-current sense of social status or position, which would pair it in some respects with education, or she could be using it in the modern sense of general condition or situation.
