Jane Austen"s Treatment of Passion in Sense and Sensibility

Jane Austen"s Treatment of Passion in Sense and Sensibility

  Although Jane Austen"s novels are criticized for having an absence of passion, Sense and Sensibility is an exception. Marianne is endowed with passion and an altogether lack of prudence. It seems that Jane Austen wants to warn of the danger of passion by Marianne"s falling in love with the villainous rogue, Willoughby. But often her vitality goes beyond the boundary of the author"s intention, and she becomes a central figure, being attractive as well as sympathetic, beyond Elinor"s role. Jane Austen creates several devices to prevent the story from becoming sentimental and romantic. Jane Austen narrates her story mainly through Elinor"s consciousness when Marianne encounters a moment of crisis. She also introduces a technique of a story within a story in Brandon"s narration of the two Elizas. Willoughby"s uncertain characterization, including his self accusation, and the hastened but ambivalent ending of Marianne"s marriage to Brandon are the manifestation of Jane Austen"s ambiguous treatment of passion. Despite her attempts, however, Marianne"s attraction is too much to be a model of penance. Thus, Jane Austen neither dealt with passion as the main subject matter nor created a passionate heroine with considerate attractiveness again in her later novels.