I was going to write a long post about marriage in the novel to finish things off, but I'm going to leave it to someone else to succinctly state. As Molly pointed out in the comments Monday, "Elinor has a sensibility-based marriage and Marianne has a sense-based one. In both cases they felt somewhat out-of-character, but they're a logical progression of the arc of the novel, as Elinor and Marianne start at the extremes and need to adjust towards the middle to find happiness."
What did you all think about the ending and the novel as a whole? Share any last thoughts you have about Austen's first novel in the comments!
And a big thank you to everyone who read along with me and shared such wonderful insight into the novel — I knew this would be more fun with a lot of people participating. Check back tomorrow for a reading schedule for April's book: Pride and Prejudice.
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I got way ahead of myself reading this one and finished it a week and a half ago, hence my absence on these comments sections...
ReplyDeleteI love how Elinor ends up in this novel, but I find it ridiculous that Austen thought there was no need to narrate the proposal. It may be that we have an inaccurate sense of Austen as a romance writer these days, but sometimes it seems like she neglects the romance to a comical extent. Still, Elinor running out of the room weeping is an awfully good moment.