“I am by no means assured of his regard for me.”
Elinor, re: Edward
Sense and Sensibility, v. 1, ch. 4
Elinor favors truth over imagination.
Category Archives: Sense and Sensibility
By no means
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Filed under Elinor, Sense and Sensibility, Uncertainty in love
Imagination vs. truth
Marianne was astonished to find how much the imagination of her mother and herself had outstripped the truth.
Sense and Sensibility, volume 1, chapter 4
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Filed under Imagination, Marriage, Sense and Sensibility, Sense vs. Sensibility
Quiet children
[Lucy Steele] " . . . for my part, I love to see children full of life and spirits; I cannot bear them if they are tame and quiet."
"I confess," replied Elinor, "that while I am at Barton Park, I never think of tame and quiet children with any abhorrence."
Sense and Sensibility, volume 1, chapter 21
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Filed under Children, Elinor, Lucy Steele, Sarcasm, Sense and Sensibility
Polite lies
Marianne was silent; it was impossible for her to say what she did not feel, however trivial the occasion; and upon Elinor therefore the whole task of telling lies when politeness required it, always fell.
Sense and Sensibility, volume 1, chapter 21
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Filed under Elinor, Marianne, On being a lady, Sense and Sensibility, Sense vs. Sensibility
Some kind of sense (but not much)
Elinor soon allowed them credit for some kind of sense . . .
Sense and Sensibility, volume 1, chapter 21
Of the Miss Steeles
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Filed under Elinor, Lucy Steele, On being a lady, Sense and Sensibility
Sir John
Benevolent, philanthropic man! It was painful to him even to keep a third cousin to himself.
Sense and Sensibility, volume 1, chapter 21
Of Sir John Middleton, and his desire to introduce the Miss Dashwoods to the Miss Steeles
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The sweetest girls in the world
Sir John . . . set off directly for the cottage to tell the Miss Dashwoods of the Miss Steeles’ arrival, and to assure them of their being the sweetest girls in the world. From such commendation as this, however, there was not much to be learned; Elinor well knew that the sweetest girls in the world were to be met with in every part of England, under every possible variation of form, face, temper and understanding.
Sense and Sensibility, volume 1, chapter 21
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Filed under Elinor, Hyperbole, Lucy Steele, On being a lady, Sense and Sensibility, Sir John Middleton
The philosophy of a well-bred woman
. . . Lady Middleton resigned herself to the idea of it, with all the philosophy of a well-bred woman, contenting herself with merely giving her husband a gentle reprimand on the subject five or six times every day.
Sense and Sensibility, volume 1, chapter 21
Of Lady Middleton not wanting to receive a visit from the Miss Steeles
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Filed under Lady Middleton, Marriage, Self-deception, Sense and Sensibility
Strange unsuitableness
Elinor . . . had hardly done wondering . . . at the strange unsuitableness which often existed between husband and wife . . .
Sense and Sensibility, volume 1, chapter 21
Of Elinor trying to understand Mr. and Mrs. Palmer
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Constant and painful exertion
"The composure of mind with which I have brought myself at present to consider the matter, the consolation that I have been willing to admit, have been the effect of constant and painful exertion; they did not spring up of themselves; they did not occur to relieve my spirits at first. No, Marianne. Then, if I had not been bound to silence, perhaps nothing could have kept me entirely—not even what I owed to my dearest friends—from openly showing that I was very unhappy."
Sense and Sensibility, volume 3, chapter 1
Elinor to Marianne
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Filed under Elinor, Heartbreak, Self-command, Sense and Sensibility, Sense vs. Sensibility
The Jane Austen Guide to Life: Thoughtful Lessons for the Modern Woman (May, 2012)
A Walk with Jane Austen: A Journey into Adventure, Love, and Faith