In this episode, we read Chapters 12 to 15 of Sense and Sensibility. We talk about how Margaret's contribution to the plot, how Elinor and Marianne's debate on sense vs sensibility moves from the theoretical to the practical, the linking of propriety with morality, how the mystery subplot is quite unusual in Jane Austen, and the nasty tone of some of Willoughby's jokes about Colonel Brandon.
We discuss the character of Colonel Brandon, then Harriet’s partner Michael talks about the military, with a focus on service in the East Indies. Harriet talks about how adaptations and modernisations treat these chapters, and the presentation of Colonel Brandon.
Things we mention:
References:
- Jane Nardin, Those Elegant Decorums: The concept of propriety in Jane Austen’s novels (1973)
- Samuel Richardson, Pamela (1740)
- Samuel Richardson, Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady (1748)
- Horace Walpole, The Castle of Otranto (1764)
- Sheila Kaye-Smith and G.B. Stern, Talking of Jane Austen (1943) and More Talk of Jane Austen (1950)
- Marvin Mudrick, Jane Austen: Irony as Defense and Discovery (1974)
Adaptations of the book:
- BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1971) – starring Joanna David and Ciaran Madden (4 episodes)
- BBC, Sense and Sensibility (1981) – starring Irene Richard and Tracey Childs (7 episodes)
- Columbia Pictures, Sense and Sensibility (1995) – starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet
- BBC, Sense and Sensibility (2008) – starring Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield (3 episodes)
Modernisations of the book:
- MGM, Material Girls (2006) – starring Hilary Duff and Haylie Duff
- Joanna Trollope, Sense & Sensibility (The Austen Project #1) (2013)
- YouTube, Elinor and Marianne Take Barton (2014) – starring Abi Davies and Bonita Trigg
Variations on the book:
- Amanda Grange, Colonel Brandon’s Diary (2008)
Creative commons music used:
- Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 12 in F Major, ii. Adagio.
- Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
- Extract from Wolfgang Amad