Sense and Sensibility

Elinor Dashwood, the primary protagonist, is 19 at the beginning of the novel. She is bright, observant and possesses an unfashionable “coolness of judgement” which causes her to assess situations before launching into action (5). Physically, Elinor has “a delicate complexion, regular features, and a remarkably pretty figure” (54). The classical correctness of her beauty embodies her measured, rational personality. Further emphasizing this quality, Elinor’s particular talent and hobby is drawing, an art that uses the most rational of the sensory organs, the eye, and relies upon a measure of objectivity. Her acute observational skills translate to her study of character, and she is guided by her empirical findings of people over time rather than by first impressions. She understands that characters can be mixed and nuanced, finding nobility in Colonel Brandon when Marianne dismisses him as an aged bachelor and seeing strong feeling and appeal in Willoughby even when his conduct is villainous. Austen’s use of free indirect discourse, which mirrors Elinor’s perceptions acutely, enables the reader to join her on her discovery of self and world and gives her primacy over Marianne, who is observed from an