The Annotated Sense and Sensibility

by Jane Austen

  39. A post chaise is a carriage rented to travel post. It seats three people, so Dr. Davies would have been able to take two companions.

  40. Shillings were one of the three basic monetary units in Britain then: they were worth twelve pence, and twenty of them made a pound. Dr. Davies’s paying more suggests it was only his presence that allowed the Miss Steeles to come by this means. He may have been traveling post anyway, which would be standard for someone of his social rank (see next note), and have invited Anne and Lucy to join him.

  41. Dr. Davies would not be a medical man, who were usually called physicians or surgeons or apothecaries, depending on their status and skills, but a doctor of divinity, i.e., a clergyman—Miss Steele later speaks of his new clerical living, or position, and his ability to hire a curate (this page). Clergy who had earned an advanced degree received this title. Most lacked it, for it was not needed for ordination; of the various clergy in Jane Austen the only other doctor is Dr. Grant of Mansfield Park. This gave the title prestige, and would have added to Miss Steele’s elation at the idea of a romance between herself and Dr. Davies, who as a clergyman would be a gentleman even if not a doctor.

  42. Lucy suggests they will do that because Elinor wishes to put herself in closer proximity to Edward.

  43. This indicates that Lucy, in contradiction to her first words to Elinor, is not at all pleased with their presence. Her comment about Mrs. Dashwood sparing them was probably made in the hope that Elinor or Mrs. Jennings would speak of their imminent departure.

  44. This line is a good example of the polite lies that Elinor, unlike Marianne, is willing to speak. Marianne hardly has pleasure in seeing anybody, and would have none at all in seeing the Miss Steeles.

  45. Many ailments were described as nervous because human physiology was frequently understood then in terms of nerves (for more, see note 60). Earlier Marianne was described as suffering from “nervous faintness” (this page).

  46. A dressing gown was a robe worn while grooming and preparing to dress, hence the name, or when relaxing privately.

  47. impertinence: offensive inquisitiveness or familiarity.

  VOLUME II, CHAPTER XI

  1. Gray’s was an actual jewelry store of the time. Sackville Street is in Mayfair (close to Piccadilly Circus); see map. Though in the same general part of London, it was far enough from Mrs. Jennings’s residence that they would certainly have taken her carriage, which is why below she speaks of returning for Elinor and Marianne.

  2. Jewelry styles, after remaining fairly stable during the eighteenth century, began to change significantly around 1800. The changes introduced included a variety of new patterns and arrangements, a greater use of classical motifs, and a wider range of stones and colors. This would naturally make people like Elinor or Mrs. Dashwood wish to trade in older pieces for newer ones. This process would not necessarily be a financial hardship, an important consideration for the Dashwoods, since the newer styles tended to employ less expensive materials; thus Mrs. Dashwood’s older pieces probably contained more expensive stones, and that could make the jeweler willing to pay well in order to reset them in a newer style and sell them to customers who still sought finer stones.

  3. London shops were often crowded. At the same time, shops catering to the affluent were spacious and offered chairs to make their customers comfortable (for pictures of such shops, see this page and this page).

  4. quickest succession: shortest wait.

  5. correctness: exactness.

  6. beyond: superior to, greater than.

  7. Toothpicks had long been in existence, and for at least a couple of centuries prior to this toothpick cases had been an accoutrement for the wealthy. In this period cases were made of an endless array of decorative materials and often lined with velvet; their luxurious quality is indicated by their being sold in a jewelry store. The toothpicks themselves could even be made of gold, though many were wooden. Some cases were built in the form of a tube that allowed one to slide the toothpick out when needed. The cases would be attached to one’s clothing by a chain or placed in a pocket.

  8. He did not simply choose one of the existing cases, but designed his own. The need for a special order to make such a case is why the text speaks below of when he will return to pick up his completed case.

  9. “Adorned” refers to his overall attire. It does not necessarily mean he is wearing adornments such as jewelry.

  10. puppyism: conceit, affectation. “Puppy” was a popular term for a foppish man.

  11. This shows an advantage of Marianne’s extreme inwardness.

  12. appointment: assignment. His choice of all three materials shows how fancy a toothpick case he desired.

  13. Both men and women would frequently wear gloves when going outside in any season.

  14. This currently unnamed character will appear again and play an important role in the plot. This episode provides a useful introduction, for he will continue to exhibit the same characteristics he does here.

  15. Exeter Exchange was the leading zoo in London at this time. From the time of the Renaissance many wealthy and titled individuals in Europe had collected animals from around the world; in England, starting in the late Middle Ages, the monarchy had established a collection at the Tower of London, the Tower Menagerie, which had long been open to the public. Its collection was limited, however, and had declined during this period. Exeter Exchange, or Change, was a large building containing a variety of shops and entertainments (at the current location of the Strand Palace Hotel); toward the end of the eighteenth century a small menagerie was installed, and in the years after 1800 it grew to become one of the best zoos in Europe and a leading attraction in London. It contained all the big cats (which had long been the focus of zoos), along with an enormous array of other mammals, birds, and reptiles from all parts of the world. It also had an excellent guidebook to the animals, an innovation at the time. Its main drawback was a very high admission price, but this did not stop many from coming, and money was certainly not an object to someone as wealthy as John Dashwood—at least when he is spending on his child, as opposed to helping his sisters. For a picture of Exeter Exchange, see next page.

  16. John and Fanny Dashwood’s priorities are shown by their visiting the zoo, rather than his sisters, on their first day in London. Exeter Exchange was open every day from 9 to 9 and, being completely indoors, was unaffected by weather, so they easily could have postponed their visit.

  17. bespeak: order.

  18. A seal was used to seal letters closed by stamping on wax. Seals, made of very hard material, would often be fancy and decorated.

  19. This suggests even his belated call on his sisters is motivated partly by a wish to meet Mrs. Jennings, whose wealth makes her worthy of his respect.

  20. mother-in-law’s: stepmother’s.

  21. An ironic statement considering that he, though much more closely related to Elinor’s family and probably wealthier than Sir John, has not been the picture of generosity toward them.

  22. Elinor is a little ashamed because she knows her brother’s enthusiastic delight with their current situation, which is hardly as wonderful as he suggests, stems from his feeling that it helps absolve him of having reneged on his promise to assist them. It is notable that Elinor feels shame rather than resentment: despite her brother’s stinginess, and the harm it has caused her, she would still prefer to think well of him.

  23. Presumably his wife does not wish to see Elinor, because of her strong aversion to any possibility of marriage between Elinor and her brother Edward.

  24. wait on: call upon, visit.

  25. His conduct to his sisters was less warm and affectionate than one might expect, especially after his not having seen them in many months, but still courteous.

  Polito’s Menagerie, Exeter Exchange.

  [From The Repository of arts, literature, fashions, manufactures, &c, Vol. VIII (1812), p. 27]

  [List of Illustrations]

  26. est
ablishment: settlement in life, particularly through marriage.

  27. narrowly: closely, carefully.

  28. He observed him closely because he hoped to discover an affection for Elinor on Colonel Brandon’s part. His doing so indicates how much John Dashwood is focused on specific practical goals during social occasions.

  29. secures: will secure. There are other examples in Jane Austen of this use of the present tense for the future.

  30. His friends would advise him to prefer someone with a greater fortune—at least this is what John Dashwood assumes friends would advise.

  31. fix him: fix his love.

  32. By “all parties” he means his wife and her mother, who wish Elinor to be eliminated as a potential wife for Edward. This is one reason for his eagerness to see her married to Colonel Brandon. His statement shows his obtuseness and insensitivity: not only does he fail to grasp that Elinor is unlikely to base her marital decisions on what would best please his wife and mother, who have never shown any consideration for her, but it also does not occur to him that an allusion to their wishes is an insult to the person he is speaking to, for they welcome Elinor’s marriage with someone else because they do not consider her good enough for Edward.

  33. friends: relatives.

  34. settling: getting married.

  35. in agitation: under consideration or discussion. He hopes, by suggesting the probability of Edward’s marriage, to discourage any hopes of Elinor.

  36. This means she will transfer to him, in a legally binding manner, a sum of money or an estate producing an income of a thousand a year.

  37. Hon. Miss Morton: Honourable Miss Morton. This was a courtesy title granted to the children of viscounts and barons, the two lowest ranks of the nobility, or peerage. Daughters of higher-ranking nobles were called “Lady” plus their full name. Being a child of a noble conferred no legal privilege, but it was a great source of prestige, and someone like John Dashwood or Mrs. Ferrars would be eager to be connected with such a person by marriage.

  38. This is a considerable fortune, one that would yield 1,500 pounds a year in income. Her being an only daughter is one reason for the sum: prevailing inheritance practices usually put a ceiling on the amount that could go to daughters and younger sons, in order to ensure that most of the family fortune went to the eldest son. Her fortune, along with her rank, makes her a very desirable marital choice. In fact, from a social and economic perspective she is far superior to Edward, since he has no title and his fortune, even with Mrs. Ferrars’s promised gift, is smaller than hers, when men’s fortunes were usually considerably larger than women’s. It is possible it is mostly Edward’s family who are considering or discussing the match, not Miss Morton’s family.

  39. plenty: plentiful, abundant.

  40. Banknotes were notes pledging payment of a certain amount; hence they were the equivalent of money. Many banks in England at this time had the right to issue their own notes, which other banks would honor. Two hundred pounds is 40% of the annual income of Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters.

  41. Enclosure of land by large landowners was a prominent practice in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It often meant, as it does here, transferring commons, frequently uncultivated areas available for use by the community, to individual owners. This usually happened as the result of an act of Parliament. The costs of enclosure for those sponsoring it could be high, including the legal and political costs of getting the bill passed and the property surveyed as well as the physical costs of transforming the land by building fences, bridges, or roads, draining and clearing wild areas, and planting new crops. This is what makes it a serious drain on John Dashwood’s resources. Of course, he, like others, could reasonably expect an increase of income in the long run. Enclosure reached its peak during the war with France, when the cutting off of food imports from overseas increased markets and prices for agricultural producers in England.

  42. The further growth of large estates through the purchase of smaller parcels of land—“farm” generally designated a modest parcel—was another trend of the time. John Dashwood speaks of it as a duty because enhancing the family estate, which would be passed on to future generations, was an important imperative among the landowning classes.

  43. This exchange offers a good insight into the psychology of a greedy man. On the one hand, he naturally complains of the costs he has incurred and the impoverishment he has suffered; on the other hand, when asked if he has actually lost money on a deal, he immediately retorts no, both because his concern for money makes him unlikely to have struck a bad bargain and because his pride in his financial acumen makes him reluctant to admit to having made such a bargain, even if that were the case.

  44. It is soon revealed that he was “within some thousand pounds” of being forced to sell at a loss, an enormous sum at the time (this page).

  45. effects: movable property.

  46. His obliviousness appears again, this time with regard to Elinor’s obvious sarcasm.

  47. Greenhouses were popular at the time. Some landowners would have enormous complexes of them. They were often the only means of procuring fresh produce or flowers during the winter, due to the prohibitive cost of transporting such products from overseas. The products of greenhouses, especially flowers, were often seen as a female province, which is probably why he speaks of it as Fanny’s.

  48. Flower gardens had also become increasingly popular in this period, and could be very elaborate. For a picture, see this page.

  49. He may be cutting down the walnut trees for the profit to be made from the wood as well as from landscaping considerations. Walnut wood was valuable because of its frequent use in furniture, and, being also used to make gun stocks, its price had soared during the Napoleonic Wars, which were raging at the time of this novel.

  50. Elaborate landscaping for the purpose of creating attractive views, from various positions, was a major preoccupation of estate owners at this time. The park refers to the lawns and groves of trees surrounding the house. Sloping terrain was highly valued, so much that major work was often done to create or enhance slopes and hills.

  51. Marianne was earlier shown apostrophizing the trees at Norland when they left (this page), so cutting them down would arouse her indignation. Both picturesque and Romantic taste celebrated trees and deplored their disappearance; in Mansfield Park the heroine quotes lines from the poet William Cowper, one of Marianne’s favorites, that lament the cutting down of avenues of trees. Even the clearing away of the old thorns might upset Marianne, since such rough natural features, especially if scattered irregularly in patches, were considered of particular picturesque value. At the same time, some landscaping ideas encouraged cutting down trees in certain places to create better vistas. For a picture of what the leading landscape designer of the time, Humphrey Repton, considers to represent the improvement that can result from clearing a clump of trees, see this page.

  52. John Dashwood continues to raise topics with a specific end in mind, in this case the financial generosity his sisters might expect from Mrs. Jennings.

  53. use: benefit.

  54. speaks: signifies, indicates.

  55. A jointure is a fixed sum paid annually to a widow. It, or more specifically the capital generating it, would normally go to her children, or to other heirs of her husband if they lack children, after she dies.

  56. His statement undoubtedly expresses his own financial practice, which, with his lack of imagination, he automatically extrapolates to everyone else. It also reveals the falsity of his earlier lament of poverty.

  57. Of course, the claim Elinor and her sister have on Mrs. Jennings as her temporary guests is nothing compared to the claim they have on him, their half brother and someone who had promised his father to aid them.

  58. He may be thinking of his own inability, in his eyes, to give something to his sisters, due to the other demands on his income.

  59. Thinness at this time could be considered not simpl
y a sign of bad health, but also unattractive. A figure of moderate proportions, rather than an extremely slender one, was the ideal of beauty.

  60. The eighteenth century witnessed an increasing tendency to explain human physiology and ailments in terms of nerves; this replaced older theories that explained the body and its workings in terms of different humors. A medical book of 1807 proclaimed that “nervous diseases make up two-thirds of the whole with which civilized society is infested” (Thomas Trotter, A View of the Nervous Temperament, p. iv). Similarly, “the enormously influential Edinburgh medical professor, William Cullen, argued … that all disease was strictly speaking ‘nervous,’ i.e., typified by pain mediated through nervous stimuli” (from Roy and Dorothy Porter, In Sickness and in Health: The British Experience 1650–1850, p. 69). One source for this focus on nerves was the increasing interest in various sensations, which had affinities and connections to the cult of sensibility. Marianne’s extreme sensitivity and irritability would make her an ideal candidate for being regarded as suffering from nervous difficulties.

  61. A woman’s beauty is often discussed in Jane Austen in terms of her bloom, which refers particularly to her prime of loveliness and freshness. A contemporary book on beauty (The Mirror of the Graces, 1811), in a chapter on how best to preserve “the bloom of beauty,” compares the progression of a woman’s appearance to the progression of the seasons from spring to winter and the progression of a flower from blossom to decay and death. Thus John Dashwood speaks of the bloom being destroyed forever, and of the tragic shortness of Marianne’s bloom (since it cannot be repeated).