“Sense and Sensibility”

• Sense – natural understanding and intelligence (Oxford English Dictionary) - Elinor

• Sensibility – The quality of being easily and strongly affected by emotional influences (Oxford English Dictionary) – Marianne

Quotes that I enjoyed from the book:

“The more I know of the world the more I am convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!” – Marianne

“… and yet there is something so amiable in the prejudices of a young mind, that one is sorry to see them give way to the reception of more general opinions.” – Colonel Brandon

“At my time of life opinions are tolerably fixed. It is not likely that I should now see or hear anything to change them.”

“‘She know her own worth too well for false shame,” replied Edward. ‘Shyness is only the effect of a sense of inferiority in some way or another. If I could persuade myself that my manners were not perfectly easy and graceful, I should not be shy.’” – Edward

“My illness, I well knew, had been entirely brought on by myself by such negligence of my own health, as I had felt, even at the time, to be wrong. Had I died, it would have been self-destructionn. I did not know my danger till the danger was removed; but with such feelings as these reflections gave me, I wonder at my recovery, – wonder that the eagerness of my desire to live, to have time for atonement to my God,a nd to you all, did not kill me at once. ” – Marianne

Before reading the book I thought myself more like Elinor, the “sensibility”, but after reviewing quotes that were memorable to me it looks like I’m more of a “Marianne!” I feel like I “think” more like Marianne. However,  where she is more outwardly dramatic and vocal I tend to hold in my emotions and keep my thoughts to myself like Elinor. By superficial behaviors are quite contradictory to who I feel like I truly am (how people view me as being patient and calm when my mind is actually going a mile-a-minute!). It’s no wonder that I get frustrated when I feel like people don’t understand me! lol So my outward demeanor = Elinor, inner workings = Marianne.

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