Maharaja
Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University Bhavnagar
Smt. S. B. Guardy
Department of English
Written by: Poojaba Jadeja
Roll No.: 22
Year: 2014, semester: 2
Paper: The Romantic Literature
Topic: "'Sense and Sensibility' as today's serial"
'Sense and Sensibility' as today’s serial
Today, serials become most popular art
of our society. Serials are stand for entertainment, refreshment and delight of
common human beings.
Jane Austen was one of the supreme
artists in fiction. “Sense and Sensibility” is a famous novel by her. Because
of its characteristics, we can connect this novel with today’s serials. As
serials are the most popular program for television, the novel “Sense and
Sensibility” can be compared with serials.
“Sense and Sensibility” has many
elements which are similar to serials. With that comparison we can easily
comment on the culture of England of Victorian age and Jane Austen’s way of
presentation of such an English culture and feminine world in her novel. Some
characteristics which are similar to the serials are given below.
Feminine world:
Generally, serials are for women, most
of the viewers are women. In the serial we can find easily that the story is about
women and focus is on women. It always related with the life of women.
“Sense and Sensibility” is a novel
about two women characters. It is said about Jane Austen that, ‘The stories at
all events are told from a women’s point of view.’ In the novel, general feminine world is
described. Most of the characters are women and the stories of female
characters are glorified more than male characters.
Not only in characterisation but also
in story element, plot, themes, events, we can find that the novel is full of
female and related to feminine world. Major characters are female. The story is
about the three Dashwood sisters and their mother. They are Miss Elinor
Dashwood, Marianne Dashwood, and Margaret Dashwood. Their life, their suffering
from economic problems, their love, and feelings are described well in the
novel.
In the novel theme is of ‘marriage’,
which is very common, feminine subject. Women characters, like Mrs. Jennings
are always matching pairs between any lady and man. The struggle of choosing or
getting life partner is also written in the novel. The novel also ends with
marriage of the two Dashwood sisters Elinor and Marianne.
As the title suggests “Sense and
Sensibility”, the novel also describes the sensible feelings of females and
their sufferings because of this sensibility, very soft feelings. With this
novel author Jane Austen make satire on sensible nature of women through the
character of Marianne. That’s way novel is on women’s world. And there is a
monopoly of females and marginalization of male characters and other issues.
Theme:
Today, serials are made for getting
popularity, so, the director chooses the theme of the serial which is more
emotional and heart-touching. In the serials, real society is reflected which
people can find in their surroundings. Like today’s serials, Jane Austen
describes real world. In the novel, story is realistic, common and regular so
that readers can also feel that emotions.
Theme of the novel is of love and
marriage. Other subjects are economic stability, love, romance, break-ups;
family relations are mentioned in the novel. As a serial, ‘Sense and
sensibility’ has theme of love and romance. Because of the romantic scenes of
major characters serial becomes popular. Because of that theme, the story becomes
very common like daily serials.
As a common theme, the characters of
the novel are neither of with very high morality nor very low estate, and they
have no great adventures. Because of the realistic theme, a picnic, dance,
party, amateur theatricals, or at the most an elopement are describes in the
novel. These events we can also find in our nowadays serials.
In the theme of the novel, we find
lack of passion. The novel does not present stormy passions and high tragedy of
emotional life, but only primarily concerned with the comedy of domestic life.
High issues are absent in the novel.
Even there is scarcely any feeling for
external nature in this novel and there is little passion in the picture of life
in the story. Any social problem is not raised in the novel. All stories in the
novel turn on personal relationships between friends, between parents and
children, between men and women in love.
The ordinary commonplace incidents and
day to-day life-experiences become theme of this novel.
Jane Austen lived through the French
revolution and the Napoleonic wars, but no shadow of this storm is allowed to
confuse the firm bright clarity of her novels, no abstract ideas, no death
scenes.
The novel is written in very light
mood. Theme is well-selected that the novel can delight the viewers or readers.
Serials are always presented with light issues, they are for entertaining the
viewers, so, the director intentionally does not put any high or serious,
thoughtful issues. And if he will put issues like that, simple – common people
cannot enjoy it. Same way there is not any political issues or social problems
are described and the novel also does not deal with philosophical ideas and it
can also not try to give any high moral message. That’s way, without
philosophical and moral ideas, political and social issues, the novel becomes
very simple as serials, and common female viewers can easily enjoy this for
purpose of entertainment.
Characters:
Characters are very important feature
in narrating story. In the serials, the director has to expand the story, so he
creates different stories of different characters. We can find numbers of
characters and stories of those characters in the serials.
In the novel ‘Sense and Sensibility’,
numbers of character are portrayed. Story is of Dashwood family, but their
relatives are also characterised in the novel. Serials are ‘for women’ and ‘on
women’; at the same manner we also feel that ‘Sense and Sensibility’ is a
serial because of its female characters and feminine world.
It is said that, “two men are never
left together in Jane Austen’s novels, there are always ladies present. The
stories at all events are told from a woman’s point of view.”
We always find different characters
with different nature in the serials. Some characters have negative attitude
and some characters are good. In this novel also, there is a different nature
of women characters are presented.
As title suggest, ‘Sense and
Sensibility’ the story is of two sister of different nature. Elinor-the eldest
sister is very practical and realistic. Another sister Marianne is very
emotional and sentimental woman.
There are also characters of negative
attitudes in the novel like Mrs. Fenny, who is very selfish and powerful women.
She did not want to give enough money to Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters. Mrs.
Jennings is like marriage burro that always goes on matching pairs and makes
absurd jocks. And Lucy, who is very selfish and jealous woman in the novel.
With presenting variety of characters, the writer shows different nature of
women and human nature in society.
In the serial all characters are
interrelated and the story is about one family and their relatives. (Generally
story is of mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.) Because of that connectivity,
viewers can see the serial as one story with different stories. Harmony is
created because of that inter-relation of characters.
In ‘Sense and Sensibility’, the
characters are interrelated. Like Edward, who is brother of Mrs. Fenny, married
with Elinor, who is sister-in law of Mrs. Fenny John Dashwood! That’s way many
interrelations are created in the novel.
The characters of Jane Austen are
minutely portrayed and accurately described. All the characters are live. All
the characters are not types but individuals. Male characters have certain
softness for temper, but female characters are almost perfect. Jane Austen
infuses in characters life and vitality, so that they ever remain fresh alive
and active in her world. Time does not wither them. They are universal, she
does not repeat them. Her heroines are touched with the comic point of view.
They are with essential human nature.
Plot:
Serials are always very long
narration. The director is going on expanding the story. Same way, ‘Sense and
Sensibility’ is also long novel written in three volumes. Because of the long narratives
and expansion, serials have not any single story or major plot. But the
structure of the serial is made by many stories and many events.
In the novel, ‘Sense and Sensibility’
like popular serials, there is not a single story or plot but many subplots are
there. There is not unity of time, place and action in the novel. It is a long
narration so; unity of time is not followed. Because of so much sub plots unity
of action is broken. Different stories of different characters are described,
so, viewers do not feel any one plot of major story.
Unity of place is totally absent in
the novel. In the novel, three sisters and their mother Mrs. Dashwood lived at
Norland Park at the beginning. After some time, they went to live Mr. Middleton
at Barton. They also visited London. Thus, their journeys of different places
are there in the novel.
In this novel, regular events are
taking place. The novel is about the domestic elements of women society. It
would be recognised as ‘domestic’ or ‘the tea-table’ novel, because of the plot
of so much domestic life. The story of two sisters and their nature and
feelings are described. Marianne’s love with Willoughby and break-up with him,
then marriage with Colonel Brandon is one of the major stories of the novel.
Same manner, Elinor’s and Edward’s love story, their departure, Edward’s
engagement with Lucy and Elinor’s suffering from that secret and at last
Elinor’s marriage with Edward is another part of story.
Though there are not unities. Still,
plot is constructed with great skill. Plot is simple but pervasive, and all the
incidents that are introduced have their particular meaning. Stories are
meticulously integrated, not a character, not an episode but makes it necessary
contribution to the development the plot.
Conclusion:
The purpose of the serials are to
delight and entertain viewers, not arouse tension but make audience
tension-free and give enjoyment. ‘Sense and Sensibility’ is also like today’s
serial, delight reader in light mood, entertain reader with simple domestic
story. And make tension-free with happy endings and pleasurable love stories.
With these characteristics and
elements, one can prove that ‘Sense and Sensibility’ is like today’s serial.
Sir Walter Scott writes about Jane
Austen that,
“That young lady had a talent for
describing the involvements, feelings and characters of ordinary life...”
Perhaps, because of the novel ‘Sense and
Sensibility’ Jane Austen is called as ‘pure novelist’ and remembered even today.
