feat_summary_path: finished_summaries/sparknotes/Sense and Sensibility/section_0_part_0.txt
feat_book_id: Sense and Sensibility.chapters 1-5
feat_summary_id: chapters 1-5
feat_summary: {"name": "Chapters 1-5", "url": "https://web.archive.org/web/20210123003206/https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/sensibility/section1/", "summary": "Old Mr. Dashwood is the owner of a large estate in Sussex called Norland Park. Following the death of his sister, Mr. Dashwood invites his nephew Mr. Henry Dashwood to come live with him at Norland. The younger Mr. Dashwood brings John Dashwood, his son from a previous marriage, as well as the three daughters born to his present wife. John Dashwood is grown and married, and has a four-year-old son, Harry. When Old Mr. Dashwood dies, he leaves his estate to John and little Harry, who had much endeared himself to the old man. But now John's father, Henry Dashwood, is left with no way of supporting his wife and three daughters, and he too dies one year later, leaving only ten thousand pounds for his family. Just before his death, he makes his son John promise to care for his stepmother and three half-sisters. Mr. John Dashwood initially intends to keep his promise and treat his female relatives generously, but his wife Fanny, a narrow-minded and selfish woman, convinces him to leave them only five hundred pounds apiece. Fanny moves into Norland immediately following Mr. Henry Dashwood's death and becomes mistress of the estate, relegating John's stepmother Mrs. Dashwood and half-sisters Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret to the status of mere visitors. Fanny's brother, Edward Ferrars, visits Norland for several weeks and develops a strong attachment to Elinor Dashwood. Edward is the eldest son of a man who died very rich; now his entire fate depends upon his mother's will. Although he is shy and not particularly handsome, he has an open, affectionate heart. His mother and sister want him to distinguish himself and earn prestige, but Edward is a simple man, who longs only for domestic comfort. In her discussions with her mother and her older sister, Marianne Dashwood expresses her disappointment that Edward is not a more striking, artistic, poetic man. She can tell that Elinor has feelings for Edward but becomes frustrated when Elinor concedes only that she \"likes\" and \"esteems\" him; Marianne longs to hear her sister profess her passionate devotion. However, Elinor remains timid because she is still unsure that Edward reciprocates her affection; such things are not usually openly expressed until after the engagement. Six months after Fanny installs herself as mistress at Norland, Mrs. Dashwood receives a letter from her cousin Sir John Middleton, inviting her and her daughters to reside at Barton Cottage on his property in Devonshire. Eager to distance herself from Fanny's rudeness and insensitivity, Mrs. Dashwood immediately accepts the invitation and sends three servants ahead to Barton to prepare the house for their arrival. She informs John and Fanny of their imminent departure and encourages Edward Ferrars to come visit them at Barton. Following Marianne's tearful goodbye to their home at Norland, the family sets out for Barton Cottage.", "analysis": "Commentary The opening pages of Sense and Sensibility are concerned with the laws of inheritance and succession that govern the fate of the Dashwood family property. According to the laws of male primogeniture effective in the mid-nineteenth century, estates went to the closest male descendant of the original owner. Since Old Mr. Dashwood has no sons, his estate is bequeathed to his nephew, Henry Dashwood. Henry, in turn, leaves the estate to his eldest son, John. However, as Austen notes, Henry Dashwood's money was far more vital to his daughters than to his son, because John was already provided for both by his mother's fortune--which he inherited as eldest son--and by the money he received by marrying his own wife. In this case, the money that Mr. Henry Dashwood's late first wife brought to the marriage was settled on their son John, and therefore could not be used to help his second wife or his daughters by that second wife. Since Henry's second wife and their three daughters could not inherit any of the money from that first marriage, they are in much greater need of the money from Old Mr. Dashwood's estate. The opening discussion of money and marriage immediately establishes the important role that ordinary economic concerns will play in Austen's novel. Unlike the authors of Gothic and sentimental novels fashionable in her day, Austen refuses to romanticize; she recognizes that material realities constrain love and marriage. Nonetheless, she allows some of this sentimentality to seep into the novel, and the tension between reasonable economic concerns and overly romantic dreaming will constitute an important theme in the novel. Indeed, this tension is already apparent in the characters of Elinor and Marianne, between the older sister's \"sense\" and the younger sister's \"sensibility,\" the duality which the novel's title refers to. Elinor, age nineteen, is described as having a \"strength of understanding\" and \"coolness of judgment\", as well as the ability to govern and control her feelings. She modestly states that she \"greatly esteems\" Edward Ferrars, a remark typical of her rational, sensible attitude. In contrast, her younger sister Marianne, who more closely resembles their mother, is \"everything but prudent. \" She longs for a man with taste, grace, spirit, and fire in his eyes, and considers her sister cold-hearted in her calm and tempered regard for Edward Ferrars. Their younger sister Margaret, age thirteen, also shares Marianne's excessive romanticism. Elinor thus stands out in her family as the only sensible and rational woman. The sensibility of Marianne and Mrs. Dashwood manifests itself in their excessive mourning over the deaths of the two men, in contrast to Elinor's more silent grief. Not only are they overcome by sadness at the loss of first Old Mr. Dashwood and then Henry, but they then carry on dramatically about having to leave Norland and move to the smaller cottage. Before departing, Marianne wanders the grounds of Norland uttering a histrionic elegy: \"Dear, dear Norland... Oh! happy house... And you, ye well-known trees!\" Elinor, however, experiences a far more subdued depression--though she is leaving behind not just her home but also a man she has grown to deeply care for and admire. The early chapters also display the wry irony for which Austen is so famous as a novelist. She is unsparingly critical of the characters she dislikes, but conveys her criticism with a pointed subtlety, which makes it all the more forceful. For example, in the opening chapter, Austen sketches the character of John Dashwood in three masterful sentences, achieving a biting acerbity: the author begins elliptically with a double negative, only slyly to refute it: \"He was not an ill-disposed young man, unless to be rather cold-hearted and rather selfish is to be ill-disposed...\" She then ends the paragraph by explicitly skewering both John and his wife: \"Mrs. John Dashwood was a strong caricature of himself; more narrow-minded and selfish.\" Austen thus relies on understatement and irony to reveal her feelings towards her more disagreeable characters."}
text: 
  
  The family of Dashwood had long been settled in Sussex.  Their estate
  was large, and their residence was at Norland Park, in the centre of
  their property, where, for many generations, they had lived in so
  respectable a manner as to engage the general good opinion of their
  surrounding acquaintance.  The late owner of this estate was a single
  man, who lived to a very advanced age, and who for many years of his
  life, had a constant companion and housekeeper in his sister.  But her
  death, which happened ten years before his own, produced a great
  alteration in his home; for to supply her loss, he invited and received
  into his house the family of his nephew Mr. Henry Dashwood, the legal
  inheritor of the Norland estate, and the person to whom he intended to
  bequeath it.  In the society of his nephew and niece, and their
  children, the old Gentleman's days were comfortably spent.  His
  attachment to them all increased.  The constant attention of Mr. and
  Mrs. Henry Dashwood to his wishes, which proceeded not merely from
  interest, but from goodness of heart, gave him every degree of solid
  comfort which his age could receive; and the cheerfulness of the
  children added a relish to his existence.
  
  By a former marriage, Mr. Henry Dashwood had one son: by his present
  lady, three daughters.  The son, a steady respectable young man, was
  amply provided for by the fortune of his mother, which had been large,
  and half of which devolved on him on his coming of age.  By his own
  marriage, likewise, which happened soon afterwards, he added to his
  wealth.  To him therefore the succession to the Norland estate was not
  so really important as to his sisters; for their fortune, independent
  of what might arise to them from their father's inheriting that
  property, could be but small.  Their mother had nothing, and their
  father only seven thousand pounds in his own disposal; for the
  remaining moiety of his first wife's fortune was also secured to her
  child, and he had only a life-interest in it.
  
  The old gentleman died: his will was read, and like almost every other
  will, gave as much disappointment as pleasure.  He was neither so
  unjust, nor so ungrateful, as to leave his estate from his nephew;--but
  he left it to him on such terms as destroyed half the value of the
  bequest.  Mr. Dashwood had wished for it more for the sake of his wife
  and daughters than for himself or his son;--but to his son, and his
  son's son, a child of four years old, it was secured, in such a way, as
  to leave to himself no power of providing for those who were most dear
  to him, and who most needed a provision by any charge on the estate, or
  by any sale of its valuable woods.  The whole was tied up for the
  benefit of this child, who, in occasional visits with his father and
  mother at Norland, had so far gained on the affections of his uncle, by
  such attractions as are by no means unusual in children of two or three
  years old; an imperfect articulation, an earnest desire of having his
  own way, many cunning tricks, and a great deal of noise, as to outweigh
  all the value of all the attention which, for years, he had received
  from his niece and her daughters.  He meant not to be unkind, however,
  and, as a mark of his affection for the three girls, he left them a
  thousand pounds a-piece.
  
  Mr. Dashwood's disappointment was, at first, severe; but his temper was
  cheerful and sanguine; and he might reasonably hope to live many years,
  and by living economically, lay by a considerable sum from the produce
  of an estate already large, and capable of almost immediate
  improvement.  But the fortune, which had been so tardy in coming, was
  his only one twelvemonth.  He survived his uncle no longer; and ten
  thousand pounds, including the late legacies, was all that remained for
  his widow and daughters.
  
  His son was sent for as soon as his danger was known, and to him Mr.
  Dashwood recommended, with all the strength and urgency which illness
  could command, the interest of his mother-in-law and sisters.
  
  Mr. John Dashwood had not the strong feelings of the rest of the
  family; but he was affected by a recommendation of such a nature at
  such a time, and he promised to do every thing in his power to make
  them comfortable.  His father was rendered easy by such an assurance,
  and Mr. John Dashwood had then leisure to consider how much there might
  prudently be in his power to do for them.
  
  He was not an ill-disposed young man, unless to be rather cold hearted
  and rather selfish is to be ill-disposed: but he was, in general, well
  respected; for he conducted himself with propriety in the discharge of
  his ordinary duties.  Had he married a more amiable woman, he might
  have been made still more respectable than he was:--he might even have
  been made amiable himself; for he was very young when he married, and
  very fond of his wife.  But Mrs. John Dashwood was a strong caricature
  of himself;--more narrow-minded and selfish.
  
  When he gave his promise to his father, he meditated within himself to
  increase the fortunes of his sisters by the present of a thousand
  pounds a-piece.  He then really thought himself equal to it.  The
  prospect of four thousand a-year, in addition to his present income,
  besides the remaining half of his own mother's fortune, warmed his
  heart, and made him feel capable of generosity.-- "Yes, he would give
  them three thousand pounds: it would be liberal and handsome! It would
  be enough to make them completely easy.  Three thousand pounds! he
  could spare so considerable a sum with little inconvenience."-- He
  thought of it all day long, and for many days successively, and he did
  not repent.
  
  No sooner was his father's funeral over, than Mrs. John Dashwood,
  without sending any notice of her intention to her mother-in-law,
  arrived with her child and their attendants.  No one could dispute her
  right to come; the house was her husband's from the moment of his
  father's decease; but the indelicacy of her conduct was so much the
  greater, and to a woman in Mrs. Dashwood's situation, with only common
  feelings, must have been highly unpleasing;--but in HER mind there was
  a sense of honor so keen, a generosity so romantic, that any offence of
  the kind, by whomsoever given or received, was to her a source of
  immovable disgust.  Mrs. John Dashwood had never been a favourite with
  any of her husband's family; but she had had no opportunity, till the
  present, of shewing them with how little attention to the comfort of
  other people she could act when occasion required it.
  
  So acutely did Mrs. Dashwood feel this ungracious behaviour, and so
  earnestly did she despise her daughter-in-law for it, that, on the
  arrival of the latter, she would have quitted the house for ever, had
  not the entreaty of her eldest girl induced her first to reflect on the
  propriety of going, and her own tender love for all her three children
  determined her afterwards to stay, and for their sakes avoid a breach
  with their brother.
  
  Elinor, this eldest daughter, whose advice was so effectual, possessed
  a strength of understanding, and coolness of judgment, which qualified
  her, though only nineteen, to be the counsellor of her mother, and
  enabled her frequently to counteract, to the advantage of them all,
  that eagerness of mind in Mrs. Dashwood which must generally have led
  to imprudence.  She had an excellent heart;--her disposition was
  affectionate, and her feelings were strong; but she knew how to govern
  them: it was a knowledge which her mother had yet to learn; and which
  one of her sisters had resolved never to be taught.
  
  Marianne's abilities were, in many respects, quite equal to Elinor's.
  She was sensible and clever; but eager in everything: her sorrows, her
  joys, could have no moderation.  She was generous, amiable,
  interesting: she was everything but prudent.  The resemblance between
  her and her mother was strikingly great.
  
  Elinor saw, with concern, the excess of her sister's sensibility; but
  by Mrs. Dashwood it was valued and cherished.  They encouraged each
  other now in the violence of their affliction.  The agony of grief
  which overpowered them at first, was voluntarily renewed, was sought
  for, was created again and again.  They gave themselves up wholly to
  their sorrow, seeking increase of wretchedness in every reflection that
  could afford it, and resolved against ever admitting consolation in
  future.  Elinor, too, was deeply afflicted; but still she could
  struggle, she could exert herself.  She could consult with her brother,
  could receive her sister-in-law on her arrival, and treat her with
  proper attention; and could strive to rouse her mother to similar
  exertion, and encourage her to similar forbearance.
  
  Margaret, the other sister, was a good-humored, well-disposed girl; but
  as she had already imbibed a good deal of Marianne's romance, without
  having much of her sense, she did not, at thirteen, bid fair to equal
  her sisters at a more advanced period of life.
  
  
  
  
  Mrs. John Dashwood now installed herself mistress of Norland; and her
  mother and sisters-in-law were degraded to the condition of visitors.
  As such, however, they were treated by her with quiet civility; and by
  her husband with as much kindness as he could feel towards anybody
  beyond himself, his wife, and their child.  He really pressed them,
  with some earnestness, to consider Norland as their home; and, as no
  plan appeared so eligible to Mrs. Dashwood as remaining there till she
  could accommodate herself with a house in the neighbourhood, his
  invitation was accepted.
  
  A continuance in a place where everything reminded her of former
  delight, was exactly what suited her mind.  In seasons of cheerfulness,
  no temper could be more cheerful than hers, or possess, in a greater
  degree, that sanguine expectation of happiness which is happiness
  itself.  But in sorrow she must be equally carried away by her fancy,
  and as far beyond consolation as in pleasure she was beyond alloy.
  
  Mrs. John Dashwood did not at all approve of what her husband intended
  to do for his sisters.  To take three thousand pounds from the fortune
  of their dear little boy would be impoverishing him to the most
  dreadful degree.  She begged him to think again on the subject.  How
  could he answer it to himself to rob his child, and his only child too,
  of so large a sum?  And what possible claim could the Miss Dashwoods,
  who were related to him only by half blood, which she considered as no
  relationship at all, have on his generosity to so large an amount.  It
  was very well known that no affection was ever supposed to exist
  between the children of any man by different marriages; and why was he
  to ruin himself, and their poor little Harry, by giving away all his
  money to his half sisters?
  
  "It was my father's last request to me," replied her husband, "that I
  should assist his widow and daughters."
  
  "He did not know what he was talking of, I dare say; ten to one but he
  was light-headed at the time.  Had he been in his right senses, he
  could not have thought of such a thing as begging you to give away half
  your fortune from your own child."
  
  "He did not stipulate for any particular sum, my dear Fanny; he only
  requested me, in general terms, to assist them, and make their
  situation more comfortable than it was in his power to do.  Perhaps it
  would have been as well if he had left it wholly to myself.  He could
  hardly suppose I should neglect them.  But as he required the promise,
  I could not do less than give it; at least I thought so at the time.
  The promise, therefore, was given, and must be performed.  Something
  must be done for them whenever they leave Norland and settle in a new
  home."
  
  "Well, then, LET something be done for them; but THAT something need
  not be three thousand pounds.  Consider," she added, "that when the
  money is once parted with, it never can return.  Your sisters will
  marry, and it will be gone for ever.  If, indeed, it could be restored
  to our poor little boy--"
  
  "Why, to be sure," said her husband, very gravely, "that would make
  great difference.  The time may come when Harry will regret that so
  large a sum was parted with.  If he should have a numerous family, for
  instance, it would be a very convenient addition."
  
  "To be sure it would."
  
  "Perhaps, then, it would be better for all parties, if the sum were
  diminished one half.--Five hundred pounds would be a prodigious
  increase to their fortunes!"
  
  "Oh! beyond anything great!  What brother on earth would do half so
  much for his sisters, even if REALLY his sisters!  And as it is--only
  half blood!--But you have such a generous spirit!"
  
  "I would not wish to do any thing mean," he replied.  "One had rather,
  on such occasions, do too much than too little.  No one, at least, can
  think I have not done enough for them: even themselves, they can hardly
  expect more."
  
  "There is no knowing what THEY may expect," said the lady, "but we are
  not to think of their expectations: the question is, what you can
  afford to do."
  
  "Certainly--and I think I may afford to give them five hundred pounds
  a-piece.  As it is, without any addition of mine, they will each have
  about three thousand pounds on their mother's death--a very comfortable
  fortune for any young woman."
  
  "To be sure it is; and, indeed, it strikes me that they can want no
  addition at all.  They will have ten thousand pounds divided amongst
  them.  If they marry, they will be sure of doing well, and if they do
  not, they may all live very comfortably together on the interest of ten
  thousand pounds."
  
  "That is very true, and, therefore, I do not know whether, upon the
  whole, it would not be more advisable to do something for their mother
  while she lives, rather than for them--something of the annuity kind I
  mean.--My sisters would feel the good effects of it as well as herself.
  A hundred a year would make them all perfectly comfortable."
  
  His wife hesitated a little, however, in giving her consent to this
  plan.
  
  "To be sure," said she, "it is better than parting with fifteen hundred
  pounds at once.  But, then, if Mrs. Dashwood should live fifteen years
  we shall be completely taken in."
  
  "Fifteen years! my dear Fanny; her life cannot be worth half that
  purchase."
  
  "Certainly not; but if you observe, people always live for ever when
  there is an annuity to be paid them; and she is very stout and healthy,
  and hardly forty.  An annuity is a very serious business; it comes over
  and over every year, and there is no getting rid of it.  You are not
  aware of what you are doing.  I have known a great deal of the trouble
  of annuities; for my mother was clogged with the payment of three to
  old superannuated servants by my father's will, and it is amazing how
  disagreeable she found it.  Twice every year these annuities were to be
  paid; and then there was the trouble of getting it to them; and then
  one of them was said to have died, and afterwards it turned out to be
  no such thing.  My mother was quite sick of it.  Her income was not her
  own, she said, with such perpetual claims on it; and it was the more
  unkind in my father, because, otherwise, the money would have been
  entirely at my mother's disposal, without any restriction whatever.  It
  has given me such an abhorrence of annuities, that I am sure I would
  not pin myself down to the payment of one for all the world."
  
  "It is certainly an unpleasant thing," replied Mr. Dashwood, "to have
  those kind of yearly drains on one's income.  One's fortune, as your
  mother justly says, is NOT one's own.  To be tied down to the regular
  payment of such a sum, on every rent day, is by no means desirable: it
  takes away one's independence."
  
  "Undoubtedly; and after all you have no thanks for it.  They think
  themselves secure, you do no more than what is expected, and it raises
  no gratitude at all.  If I were you, whatever I did should be done at
  my own discretion entirely.  I would not bind myself to allow them any
  thing yearly.  It may be very inconvenient some years to spare a
  hundred, or even fifty pounds from our own expenses."
  
  "I believe you are right, my love; it will be better that there should
  be no annuity in the case; whatever I may give them occasionally will
  be of far greater assistance than a yearly allowance, because they
  would only enlarge their style of living if they felt sure of a larger
  income, and would not be sixpence the richer for it at the end of the
  year.  It will certainly be much the best way.  A present of fifty
  pounds, now and then, will prevent their ever being distressed for
  money, and will, I think, be amply discharging my promise to my father."
  
  "To be sure it will.  Indeed, to say the truth, I am convinced within
  myself that your father had no idea of your giving them any money at
  all.  The assistance he thought of, I dare say, was only such as might
  be reasonably expected of you; for instance, such as looking out for a
  comfortable small house for them, helping them to move their things,
  and sending them presents of fish and game, and so forth, whenever they
  are in season.  I'll lay my life that he meant nothing farther; indeed,
  it would be very strange and unreasonable if he did.  Do but consider,
  my dear Mr. Dashwood, how excessively comfortable your mother-in-law
  and her daughters may live on the interest of seven thousand pounds,
  besides the thousand pounds belonging to each of the girls, which
  brings them in fifty pounds a year a-piece, and, of course, they will
  pay their mother for their board out of it.  Altogether, they will have
  five hundred a-year amongst them, and what on earth can four women want
  for more than that?--They will live so cheap! Their housekeeping will
  be nothing at all.  They will have no carriage, no horses, and hardly
  any servants; they will keep no company, and can have no expenses of
  any kind!  Only conceive how comfortable they will be!  Five hundred a
  year! I am sure I cannot imagine how they will spend half of it; and as
  to your giving them more, it is quite absurd to think of it.  They will
  be much more able to give YOU something."
  
  "Upon my word," said Mr. Dashwood, "I believe you are perfectly right.
  My father certainly could mean nothing more by his request to me than
  what you say.  I clearly understand it now, and I will strictly fulfil
  my engagement by such acts of assistance and kindness to them as you
  have described.  When my mother removes into another house my services
  shall be readily given to accommodate her as far as I can.  Some little
  present of furniture too may be acceptable then."
  
  "Certainly," returned Mrs. John Dashwood.  "But, however, ONE thing
  must be considered.  When your father and mother moved to Norland,
  though the furniture of Stanhill was sold, all the china, plate, and
  linen was saved, and is now left to your mother.  Her house will
  therefore be almost completely fitted up as soon as she takes it."
  
  "That is a material consideration undoubtedly.  A valuable legacy
  indeed! And yet some of the plate would have been a very pleasant
  addition to our own stock here."
  
  "Yes; and the set of breakfast china is twice as handsome as what
  belongs to this house.  A great deal too handsome, in my opinion, for
  any place THEY can ever afford to live in.  But, however, so it is.
  Your father thought only of THEM.  And I must say this: that you owe no
  particular gratitude to him, nor attention to his wishes; for we very
  well know that if he could, he would have left almost everything in the
  world to THEM."
  
  This argument was irresistible.  It gave to his intentions whatever of
  decision was wanting before; and he finally resolved, that it would be
  absolutely unnecessary, if not highly indecorous, to do more for the
  widow and children of his father, than such kind of neighbourly acts as
  his own wife pointed out.
  
  
  
  
  Mrs. Dashwood remained at Norland several months; not from any
  disinclination to move when the sight of every well known spot ceased
  to raise the violent emotion which it produced for a while; for when
  her spirits began to revive, and her mind became capable of some other
  exertion than that of heightening its affliction by melancholy
  remembrances, she was impatient to be gone, and indefatigable in her
  inquiries for a suitable dwelling in the neighbourhood of Norland; for
  to remove far from that beloved spot was impossible.  But she could
  hear of no situation that at once answered her notions of comfort and
  ease, and suited the prudence of her eldest daughter, whose steadier
  judgment rejected several houses as too large for their income, which
  her mother would have approved.
  
  Mrs. Dashwood had been informed by her husband of the solemn promise on
  the part of his son in their favour, which gave comfort to his last
  earthly reflections.  She doubted the sincerity of this assurance no
  more than he had doubted it himself, and she thought of it for her
  daughters' sake with satisfaction, though as for herself she was
  persuaded that a much smaller provision than 7000L would support her in
  affluence.  For their brother's sake, too, for the sake of his own
  heart, she rejoiced; and she reproached herself for being unjust to his
  merit before, in believing him incapable of generosity.  His attentive
  behaviour to herself and his sisters convinced her that their welfare
  was dear to him, and, for a long time, she firmly relied on the
  liberality of his intentions.
  
  The contempt which she had, very early in their acquaintance, felt for
  her daughter-in-law, was very much increased by the farther knowledge
  of her character, which half a year's residence in her family afforded;
  and perhaps in spite of every consideration of politeness or maternal
  affection on the side of the former, the two ladies might have found it
  impossible to have lived together so long, had not a particular
  circumstance occurred to give still greater eligibility, according to
  the opinions of Mrs. Dashwood, to her daughters' continuance at Norland.
  
  This circumstance was a growing attachment between her eldest girl and
  the brother of Mrs. John Dashwood, a gentleman-like and pleasing young
  man, who was introduced to their acquaintance soon after his sister's
  establishment at Norland, and who had since spent the greatest part of
  his time there.
  
  Some mothers might have encouraged the intimacy from motives of
  interest, for Edward Ferrars was the eldest son of a man who had died
  very rich; and some might have repressed it from motives of prudence,
  for, except a trifling sum, the whole of his fortune depended on the
  will of his mother.  But Mrs. Dashwood was alike uninfluenced by either
  consideration.  It was enough for her that he appeared to be amiable,
  that he loved her daughter, and that Elinor returned the partiality.
  It was contrary to every doctrine of hers that difference of fortune
  should keep any couple asunder who were attracted by resemblance of
  disposition; and that Elinor's merit should not be acknowledged by
  every one who knew her, was to her comprehension impossible.
  
  Edward Ferrars was not recommended to their good opinion by any
  peculiar graces of person or address.  He was not handsome, and his
  manners required intimacy to make them pleasing.  He was too diffident
  to do justice to himself; but when his natural shyness was overcome,
  his behaviour gave every indication of an open, affectionate heart.
  His understanding was good, and his education had given it solid
  improvement.  But he was neither fitted by abilities nor disposition to
  answer the wishes of his mother and sister, who longed to see him
  distinguished--as--they hardly knew what.  They wanted him to make a
  fine figure in the world in some manner or other.  His mother wished to
  interest him in political concerns, to get him into parliament, or to
  see him connected with some of the great men of the day.  Mrs. John
  Dashwood wished it likewise; but in the mean while, till one of these
  superior blessings could be attained, it would have quieted her
  ambition to see him driving a barouche.  But Edward had no turn for
  great men or barouches.  All his wishes centered in domestic comfort
  and the quiet of private life.  Fortunately he had a younger brother
  who was more promising.
  
  Edward had been staying several weeks in the house before he engaged
  much of Mrs. Dashwood's attention; for she was, at that time, in such
  affliction as rendered her careless of surrounding objects.  She saw
  only that he was quiet and unobtrusive, and she liked him for it.  He
  did not disturb the wretchedness of her mind by ill-timed conversation.
  She was first called to observe and approve him farther, by a
  reflection which Elinor chanced one day to make on the difference
  between him and his sister.  It was a contrast which recommended him
  most forcibly to her mother.
  
  "It is enough," said she; "to say that he is unlike Fanny is enough.
  It implies everything amiable.  I love him already."
  
  "I think you will like him," said Elinor, "when you know more of him."
  
  "Like him!" replied her mother with a smile.  "I feel no sentiment of
  approbation inferior to love."
  
  "You may esteem him."
  
  "I have never yet known what it was to separate esteem and love."
  
  Mrs. Dashwood now took pains to get acquainted with him.  Her manners
  were attaching, and soon banished his reserve.  She speedily
  comprehended all his merits; the persuasion of his regard for Elinor
  perhaps assisted her penetration; but she really felt assured of his
  worth: and even that quietness of manner, which militated against all
  her established ideas of what a young man's address ought to be, was no
  longer uninteresting when she knew his heart to be warm and his temper
  affectionate.
  
  No sooner did she perceive any symptom of love in his behaviour to
  Elinor, than she considered their serious attachment as certain, and
  looked forward to their marriage as rapidly approaching.
  
  "In a few months, my dear Marianne." said she, "Elinor will, in all
  probability be settled for life.  We shall miss her; but SHE will be
  happy."
  
  "Oh! Mama, how shall we do without her?"
  
  "My love, it will be scarcely a separation.  We shall live within a few
  miles of each other, and shall meet every day of our lives.  You will
  gain a brother, a real, affectionate brother.  I have the highest
  opinion in the world of Edward's heart.  But you look grave, Marianne;
  do you disapprove your sister's choice?"
  
  "Perhaps," said Marianne, "I may consider it with some surprise.
  Edward is very amiable, and I love him tenderly.  But yet--he is not
  the kind of young man--there is something wanting--his figure is not
  striking; it has none of that grace which I should expect in the man
  who could seriously attach my sister.  His eyes want all that spirit,
  that fire, which at once announce virtue and intelligence.  And besides
  all this, I am afraid, Mama, he has no real taste.  Music seems
  scarcely to attract him, and though he admires Elinor's drawings very
  much, it is not the admiration of a person who can understand their
  worth.  It is evident, in spite of his frequent attention to her while
  she draws, that in fact he knows nothing of the matter.  He admires as
  a lover, not as a connoisseur.  To satisfy me, those characters must be
  united.  I could not be happy with a man whose taste did not in every
  point coincide with my own.  He must enter into all my feelings; the
  same books, the same music must charm us both.  Oh! mama, how
  spiritless, how tame was Edward's manner in reading to us last night!
  I felt for my sister most severely.  Yet she bore it with so much
  composure, she seemed scarcely to notice it.  I could hardly keep my
  seat.  To hear those beautiful lines which have frequently almost
  driven me wild, pronounced with such impenetrable calmness, such
  dreadful indifference!"
  
  "He would certainly have done more justice to simple and elegant prose.
  I thought so at the time; but you WOULD give him Cowper."
  
  "Nay, Mama, if he is not to be animated by Cowper!--but we must allow
  for difference of taste.  Elinor has not my feelings, and therefore she
  may overlook it, and be happy with him.  But it would have broke MY
  heart, had I loved him, to hear him read with so little sensibility.
  Mama, the more I know of the world, the more am I convinced that I
  shall never see a man whom I can really love.  I require so much!  He
  must have all Edward's virtues, and his person and manners must
  ornament his goodness with every possible charm."
  
  "Remember, my love, that you are not seventeen.  It is yet too early in
  life to despair of such a happiness.  Why should you be less fortunate
  than your mother?  In one circumstance only, my Marianne, may your
  destiny be different from hers!"
  
  
  
  
  "What a pity it is, Elinor," said Marianne, "that Edward should have no
  taste for drawing."
  
  "No taste for drawing!" replied Elinor, "why should you think so? He
  does not draw himself, indeed, but he has great pleasure in seeing the
  performances of other people, and I assure you he is by no means
  deficient in natural taste, though he has not had opportunities of
  improving it.  Had he ever been in the way of learning, I think he
  would have drawn very well.  He distrusts his own judgment in such
  matters so much, that he is always unwilling to give his opinion on any
  picture; but he has an innate propriety and simplicity of taste, which
  in general direct him perfectly right."
  
  Marianne was afraid of offending, and said no more on the subject; but
  the kind of approbation which Elinor described as excited in him by the
  drawings of other people, was very far from that rapturous delight,
  which, in her opinion, could alone be called taste.  Yet, though
  smiling within herself at the mistake, she honoured her sister for that
  blind partiality to Edward which produced it.
  
  "I hope, Marianne," continued Elinor, "you do not consider him as
  deficient in general taste.  Indeed, I think I may say that you cannot,
  for your behaviour to him is perfectly cordial, and if THAT were your
  opinion, I am sure you could never be civil to him."
  
  Marianne hardly knew what to say.  She would not wound the feelings of
  her sister on any account, and yet to say what she did not believe was
  impossible.  At length she replied:
  
  "Do not be offended, Elinor, if my praise of him is not in every thing
  equal to your sense of his merits.  I have not had so many
  opportunities of estimating the minuter propensities of his mind, his
  inclinations and tastes, as you have; but I have the highest opinion in
  the world of his goodness and sense.  I think him every thing that is
  worthy and amiable."
  
  "I am sure," replied Elinor, with a smile, "that his dearest friends
  could not be dissatisfied with such commendation as that.  I do not
  perceive how you could express yourself more warmly."
  
  Marianne was rejoiced to find her sister so easily pleased.
  
  "Of his sense and his goodness," continued Elinor, "no one can, I
  think, be in doubt, who has seen him often enough to engage him in
  unreserved conversation.  The excellence of his understanding and his
  principles can be concealed only by that shyness which too often keeps
  him silent.  You know enough of him to do justice to his solid worth.
  But of his minuter propensities, as you call them you have from
  peculiar circumstances been kept more ignorant than myself.  He and I
  have been at times thrown a good deal together, while you have been
  wholly engrossed on the most affectionate principle by my mother.  I
  have seen a great deal of him, have studied his sentiments and heard
  his opinion on subjects of literature and taste; and, upon the whole, I
  venture to pronounce that his mind is well-informed, enjoyment of books
  exceedingly great, his imagination lively, his observation just and
  correct, and his taste delicate and pure.  His abilities in every
  respect improve as much upon acquaintance as his manners and person.
  At first sight, his address is certainly not striking; and his person
  can hardly be called handsome, till the expression of his eyes, which
  are uncommonly good, and the general sweetness of his countenance, is
  perceived.  At present, I know him so well, that I think him really
  handsome; or at least, almost so.  What say you, Marianne?"
  
  "I shall very soon think him handsome, Elinor, if I do not now.  When
  you tell me to love him as a brother, I shall no more see imperfection
  in his face, than I now do in his heart."
  
  Elinor started at this declaration, and was sorry for the warmth she
  had been betrayed into, in speaking of him.  She felt that Edward stood
  very high in her opinion.  She believed the regard to be mutual; but
  she required greater certainty of it to make Marianne's conviction of
  their attachment agreeable to her.  She knew that what Marianne and her
  mother conjectured one moment, they believed the next--that with them,
  to wish was to hope, and to hope was to expect.  She tried to explain
  the real state of the case to her sister.
  
  "I do not attempt to deny," said she, "that I think very highly of
  him--that I greatly esteem, that I like him."
  
  Marianne here burst forth with indignation--
  
  "Esteem him! Like him! Cold-hearted Elinor! Oh!  worse than
  cold-hearted! Ashamed of being otherwise.  Use those words again, and I
  will leave the room this moment."
  
  Elinor could not help laughing.  "Excuse me," said she; "and be assured
  that I meant no offence to you, by speaking, in so quiet a way, of my
  own feelings.  Believe them to be stronger than I have declared;
  believe them, in short, to be such as his merit, and the suspicion--the
  hope of his affection for me may warrant, without imprudence or folly.
  But farther than this you must not believe.  I am by no means assured
  of his regard for me.  There are moments when the extent of it seems
  doubtful; and till his sentiments are fully known, you cannot wonder at
  my wishing to avoid any encouragement of my own partiality, by
  believing or calling it more than it is.  In my heart I feel
  little--scarcely any doubt of his preference.  But there are other
  points to be considered besides his inclination.  He is very far from
  being independent.  What his mother really is we cannot know; but, from
  Fanny's occasional mention of her conduct and opinions, we have never
  been disposed to think her amiable; and I am very much mistaken if
  Edward is not himself aware that there would be many difficulties in
  his way, if he were to wish to marry a woman who had not either a great
  fortune or high rank."
  
  Marianne was astonished to find how much the imagination of her mother
  and herself had outstripped the truth.
  
  "And you really are not engaged to him!" said she.  "Yet it certainly
  soon will happen.  But two advantages will proceed from this delay.  I
  shall not lose you so soon, and Edward will have greater opportunity of
  improving that natural taste for your favourite pursuit which must be
  so indispensably necessary to your future felicity.  Oh! if he should
  be so far stimulated by your genius as to learn to draw himself, how
  delightful it would be!"
  
  Elinor had given her real opinion to her sister.  She could not
  consider her partiality for Edward in so prosperous a state as Marianne
  had believed it.  There was, at times, a want of spirits about him
  which, if it did not denote indifference, spoke of something almost as
  unpromising.  A doubt of her regard, supposing him to feel it, need not
  give him more than inquietude.  It would not be likely to produce that
  dejection of mind which frequently attended him.  A more reasonable
  cause might be found in the dependent situation which forbade the
  indulgence of his affection.  She knew that his mother neither behaved
  to him so as to make his home comfortable at present, nor to give him
  any assurance that he might form a home for himself, without strictly
  attending to her views for his aggrandizement.  With such a knowledge
  as this, it was impossible for Elinor to feel easy on the subject.  She
  was far from depending on that result of his preference of her, which
  her mother and sister still considered as certain.  Nay, the longer
  they were together the more doubtful seemed the nature of his regard;
  and sometimes, for a few painful minutes, she believed it to be no more
  than friendship.
  
  But, whatever might really be its limits, it was enough, when perceived
  by his sister, to make her uneasy, and at the same time, (which was
  still more common,) to make her uncivil.  She took the first
  opportunity of affronting her mother-in-law on the occasion, talking to
  her so expressively of her brother's great expectations, of Mrs.
  Ferrars's resolution that both her sons should marry well, and of the
  danger attending any young woman who attempted to DRAW HIM IN; that
  Mrs. Dashwood could neither pretend to be unconscious, nor endeavor to
  be calm.  She gave her an answer which marked her contempt, and
  instantly left the room, resolving that, whatever might be the
  inconvenience or expense of so sudden a removal, her beloved Elinor
  should not be exposed another week to such insinuations.
  
  In this state of her spirits, a letter was delivered to her from the
  post, which contained a proposal particularly well timed.  It was the
  offer of a small house, on very easy terms, belonging to a relation of
  her own, a gentleman of consequence and property in Devonshire.  The
  letter was from this gentleman himself, and written in the true spirit
  of friendly accommodation.  He understood that she was in need of a
  dwelling; and though the house he now offered her was merely a cottage,
  he assured her that everything should be done to it which she might
  think necessary, if the situation pleased her.  He earnestly pressed
  her, after giving the particulars of the house and garden, to come with
  her daughters to Barton Park, the place of his own residence, from
  whence she might judge, herself, whether Barton Cottage, for the houses
  were in the same parish, could, by any alteration, be made comfortable
  to her.  He seemed really anxious to accommodate them and the whole of
  his letter was written in so friendly a style as could not fail of
  giving pleasure to his cousin; more especially at a moment when she was
  suffering under the cold and unfeeling behaviour of her nearer
  connections.  She needed no time for deliberation or inquiry.  Her
  resolution was formed as she read.  The situation of Barton, in a
  county so far distant from Sussex as Devonshire, which, but a few hours
  before, would have been a sufficient objection to outweigh every
  possible advantage belonging to the place, was now its first
  recommendation.  To quit the neighbourhood of Norland was no longer an
  evil; it was an object of desire; it was a blessing, in comparison of
  the misery of continuing her daughter-in-law's guest; and to remove for
  ever from that beloved place would be less painful than to inhabit or
  visit it while such a woman was its mistress.  She instantly wrote Sir
  John Middleton her acknowledgment of his kindness, and her acceptance
  of his proposal; and then hastened to shew both letters to her
  daughters, that she might be secure of their approbation before her
  answer were sent.
  
  Elinor had always thought it would be more prudent for them to settle
  at some distance from Norland, than immediately amongst their present
  acquaintance.  On THAT head, therefore, it was not for her to oppose
  her mother's intention of removing into Devonshire.  The house, too, as
  described by Sir John, was on so simple a scale, and the rent so
  uncommonly moderate, as to leave her no right of objection on either
  point; and, therefore, though it was not a plan which brought any charm
  to her fancy, though it was a removal from the vicinity of Norland
  beyond her wishes, she made no attempt to dissuade her mother from
  sending a letter of acquiescence.
  
  
  
  
  No sooner was her answer dispatched, than Mrs. Dashwood indulged herself
  in the pleasure of announcing to her son-in-law and his wife that she
  was provided with a house, and should incommode them no longer than till
  every thing were ready for her inhabiting it. They heard her with
  surprise. Mrs. John Dashwood said nothing; but her husband civilly hoped
  that she would not be settled far from Norland. She had great
  satisfaction in replying that she was going into Devonshire.--Edward
  turned hastily towards her, on hearing this, and, in a voice of surprise
  and concern, which required no explanation to her, repeated,
  "Devonshire! Are you, indeed, going there? So far from hence! And to
  what part of it?" She explained the situation. It was within four miles
  northward of Exeter.
  
  "It is but a cottage," she continued, "but I hope to see many of my
  friends in it.  A room or two can easily be added; and if my friends
  find no difficulty in travelling so far to see me, I am sure I will
  find none in accommodating them."
  
  She concluded with a very kind invitation to Mr. and Mrs. John Dashwood
  to visit her at Barton; and to Edward she gave one with still greater
  affection.  Though her late conversation with her daughter-in-law had
  made her resolve on remaining at Norland no longer than was
  unavoidable, it had not produced the smallest effect on her in that
  point to which it principally tended.  To separate Edward and Elinor
  was as far from being her object as ever; and she wished to show Mrs.
  John Dashwood, by this pointed invitation to her brother, how totally
  she disregarded her disapprobation of the match.
  
  Mr. John Dashwood told his mother again and again how exceedingly sorry
  he was that she had taken a house at such a distance from Norland as to
  prevent his being of any service to her in removing her furniture.  He
  really felt conscientiously vexed on the occasion; for the very
  exertion to which he had limited the performance of his promise to his
  father was by this arrangement rendered impracticable.-- The furniture
  was all sent around by water.  It chiefly consisted of household linen,
  plate, china, and books, with a handsome pianoforte of Marianne's.
  Mrs. John Dashwood saw the packages depart with a sigh: she could not
  help feeling it hard that as Mrs. Dashwood's income would be so
  trifling in comparison with their own, she should have any handsome
  article of furniture.
  
  Mrs. Dashwood took the house for a twelvemonth; it was ready furnished,
  and she might have immediate possession.  No difficulty arose on either
  side in the agreement; and she waited only for the disposal of her
  effects at Norland, and to determine her future household, before she
  set off for the west; and this, as she was exceedingly rapid in the
  performance of everything that interested her, was soon done.--The
  horses which were left her by her husband had been sold soon after his
  death, and an opportunity now offering of disposing of her carriage,
  she agreed to sell that likewise at the earnest advice of her eldest
  daughter.  For the comfort of her children, had she consulted only her
  own wishes, she would have kept it; but the discretion of Elinor
  prevailed.  HER wisdom too limited the number of their servants to
  three; two maids and a man, with whom they were speedily provided from
  amongst those who had formed their establishment at Norland.
  
  The man and one of the maids were sent off immediately into Devonshire,
  to prepare the house for their mistress's arrival; for as Lady
  Middleton was entirely unknown to Mrs. Dashwood, she preferred going
  directly to the cottage to being a visitor at Barton Park; and she
  relied so undoubtingly on Sir John's description of the house, as to
  feel no curiosity to examine it herself till she entered it as her own.
  Her eagerness to be gone from Norland was preserved from diminution by
  the evident satisfaction of her daughter-in-law in the prospect of her
  removal; a satisfaction which was but feebly attempted to be concealed
  under a cold invitation to her to defer her departure.  Now was the
  time when her son-in-law's promise to his father might with particular
  propriety be fulfilled.  Since he had neglected to do it on first
  coming to the estate, their quitting his house might be looked on as
  the most suitable period for its accomplishment.  But Mrs. Dashwood
  began shortly to give over every hope of the kind, and to be convinced,
  from the general drift of his discourse, that his assistance extended
  no farther than their maintenance for six months at Norland.  He so
  frequently talked of the increasing expenses of housekeeping, and of
  the perpetual demands upon his purse, which a man of any consequence in
  the world was beyond calculation exposed to, that he seemed rather to
  stand in need of more money himself than to have any design of giving
  money away.
  
  In a very few weeks from the day which brought Sir John Middleton's
  first letter to Norland, every thing was so far settled in their future
  abode as to enable Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters to begin their
  journey.
  
  Many were the tears shed by them in their last adieus to a place so
  much beloved.  "Dear, dear Norland!" said Marianne, as she wandered
  alone before the house, on the last evening of their being there; "when
  shall I cease to regret you!--when learn to feel a home elsewhere!--Oh!
  happy house, could you know what I suffer in now viewing you from this
  spot, from whence perhaps I may view you no more!--And you, ye
  well-known trees!--but you will continue the same.--No leaf will decay
  because we are removed, nor any branch become motionless although we
  can observe you no longer!--No; you will continue the same; unconscious
  of the pleasure or the regret you occasion, and insensible of any
  change in those who walk under your shade!--But who will remain to
  enjoy you?"
  
  
  
feat_summary_name: Chapters 1-5
target: Old Mr. Dashwood is the owner of a large estate in Sussex called Norland Park. Following the death of his sister, Mr. Dashwood invites his nephew Mr. Henry Dashwood to come live with him at Norland. The younger Mr. Dashwood brings John Dashwood, his son from a previous marriage, as well as the three daughters born to his present wife. John Dashwood is grown and married, and has a four-year-old son, Harry. When Old Mr. Dashwood dies, he leaves his estate to John and little Harry, who had much endeared himself to the old man. But now John's father, Henry Dashwood, is left with no way of supporting his wife and three daughters, and he too dies one year later, leaving only ten thousand pounds for his family. Just before his death, he makes his son John promise to care for his stepmother and three half-sisters. Mr. John Dashwood initially intends to keep his promise and treat his female relatives generously, but his wife Fanny, a narrow-minded and selfish woman, convinces him to leave them only five hundred pounds apiece. Fanny moves into Norland immediately following Mr. Henry Dashwood's death and becomes mistress of the estate, relegating John's stepmother Mrs. Dashwood and half-sisters Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret to the status of mere visitors. Fanny's brother, Edward Ferrars, visits Norland for several weeks and develops a strong attachment to Elinor Dashwood. Edward is the eldest son of a man who died very rich; now his entire fate depends upon his mother's will. Although he is shy and not particularly handsome, he has an open, affectionate heart. His mother and sister want him to distinguish himself and earn prestige, but Edward is a simple man, who longs only for domestic comfort. In her discussions with her mother and her older sister, Marianne Dashwood expresses her disappointment that Edward is not a more striking, artistic, poetic man. She can tell that Elinor has feelings for Edward but becomes frustrated when Elinor concedes only that she "likes" and "esteems" him; Marianne longs to hear her sister profess her passionate devotion. However, Elinor remains timid because she is still unsure that Edward reciprocates her affection; such things are not usually openly expressed until after the engagement. Six months after Fanny installs herself as mistress at Norland, Mrs. Dashwood receives a letter from her cousin Sir John Middleton, inviting her and her daughters to reside at Barton Cottage on his property in Devonshire. Eager to distance herself from Fanny's rudeness and insensitivity, Mrs. Dashwood immediately accepts the invitation and sends three servants ahead to Barton to prepare the house for their arrival. She informs John and Fanny of their imminent departure and encourages Edward Ferrars to come visit them at Barton. Following Marianne's tearful goodbye to their home at Norland, the family sets out for Barton Cottage.
feat_summary_analysis: Commentary The opening pages of Sense and Sensibility are concerned with the laws of inheritance and succession that govern the fate of the Dashwood family property. According to the laws of male primogeniture effective in the mid-nineteenth century, estates went to the closest male descendant of the original owner. Since Old Mr. Dashwood has no sons, his estate is bequeathed to his nephew, Henry Dashwood. Henry, in turn, leaves the estate to his eldest son, John. However, as Austen notes, Henry Dashwood's money was far more vital to his daughters than to his son, because John was already provided for both by his mother's fortune--which he inherited as eldest son--and by the money he received by marrying his own wife. In this case, the money that Mr. Henry Dashwood's late first wife brought to the marriage was settled on their son John, and therefore could not be used to help his second wife or his daughters by that second wife. Since Henry's second wife and their three daughters could not inherit any of the money from that first marriage, they are in much greater need of the money from Old Mr. Dashwood's estate. The opening discussion of money and marriage immediately establishes the important role that ordinary economic concerns will play in Austen's novel. Unlike the authors of Gothic and sentimental novels fashionable in her day, Austen refuses to romanticize; she recognizes that material realities constrain love and marriage. Nonetheless, she allows some of this sentimentality to seep into the novel, and the tension between reasonable economic concerns and overly romantic dreaming will constitute an important theme in the novel. Indeed, this tension is already apparent in the characters of Elinor and Marianne, between the older sister's "sense" and the younger sister's "sensibility," the duality which the novel's title refers to. Elinor, age nineteen, is described as having a "strength of understanding" and "coolness of judgment", as well as the ability to govern and control her feelings. She modestly states that she "greatly esteems" Edward Ferrars, a remark typical of her rational, sensible attitude. In contrast, her younger sister Marianne, who more closely resembles their mother, is "everything but prudent. " She longs for a man with taste, grace, spirit, and fire in his eyes, and considers her sister cold-hearted in her calm and tempered regard for Edward Ferrars. Their younger sister Margaret, age thirteen, also shares Marianne's excessive romanticism. Elinor thus stands out in her family as the only sensible and rational woman. The sensibility of Marianne and Mrs. Dashwood manifests itself in their excessive mourning over the deaths of the two men, in contrast to Elinor's more silent grief. Not only are they overcome by sadness at the loss of first Old Mr. Dashwood and then Henry, but they then carry on dramatically about having to leave Norland and move to the smaller cottage. Before departing, Marianne wanders the grounds of Norland uttering a histrionic elegy: "Dear, dear Norland... Oh! happy house... And you, ye well-known trees!" Elinor, however, experiences a far more subdued depression--though she is leaving behind not just her home but also a man she has grown to deeply care for and admire. The early chapters also display the wry irony for which Austen is so famous as a novelist. She is unsparingly critical of the characters she dislikes, but conveys her criticism with a pointed subtlety, which makes it all the more forceful. For example, in the opening chapter, Austen sketches the character of John Dashwood in three masterful sentences, achieving a biting acerbity: the author begins elliptically with a double negative, only slyly to refute it: "He was not an ill-disposed young man, unless to be rather cold-hearted and rather selfish is to be ill-disposed..." She then ends the paragraph by explicitly skewering both John and his wife: "Mrs. John Dashwood was a strong caricature of himself; more narrow-minded and selfish." Austen thus relies on understatement and irony to reveal her feelings towards her more disagreeable characters.