我的《理智与情感》读后感(英文)

Book Report of Sense and Sensibility

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Outlines:

1. Background Introduction

2. Content Summary

3. My Thoughts and Analyses

Book Report of Sense and Sensibility

1. Background Introduction

Sense and Sensibility was Jane Austen’s first published novel. Jane Austen, one of the most famous women writers in the UK, was famous for her works of romantic fiction set among the landed gentry.

Austen lived her entire life as part of a close-knit family located on the lower fringes of the English landed gentry. She was educated primarily by her father and older brothers as well as through her own reading. The steadfast support of her family was critical to her development as a professional writer. Her artistic apprenticeship lasted from her teenage years into her thirties. During this period, she experimented with various literary forms, including the epistolary novel which she then abandoned, and wrote and extensively revised three major novels and began a fourth. From 1811 until 1816, with the release of Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and

Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma(1816), she achieved success as a published writer. Her realism, biting irony and social commentary have gained her historical importance among scholars and critics.

Sense and Sensibility portrays the life and love of the Dashwood sisters. When they have to move to Devon with their widowed mother, they are sad to leave the family, which now has been inherited by their wealthy half-brother. The girls are quite poor from now on, but they still have several admirers. There are shy Edward Ferrars, the romantic and handsome Mr. Willoughby, and the sad and silent Colonel Brandon. Love is sometimes complex, however, sometimes it is really simple. In every girl’s heart, there is a beautiful dream for true love. But the course of true love does not run smoothly at first. Hopes of marriage disappear, guilty secrets come to light, and hearts are broken. But which sister feels it more? Is calm and sensible Elinor, smiling bravely and saying not a word? Or is romantic Marianne, sobbing wildly and passionately all night long? Every reader who has finished this book has to consider a question, which is the balance of sense and sensibility. If you have strong feelings, is it better to express them eagerly and passionately to the whole world? Or is it wise to show the world a calm face and a quiet voice, but does it mean that there is no passion, no fire in your heart? Maybe everyone will find their balance of sense and sensibility at last, and that is what Austen tried to tell us in her book.\

2. Content Summary

Sense and sensibility tells us the life and love of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne.

They and their widowed mother have to leave their house after their father’s death because the house is now inherited by their half-brother, Mr. John Dashwood. John Dashwood and his selfish wife are excessively rational so that they give the sisters

and their widowed mother who don’t have jobs only a small amount of money every year for living. The reality now has forced the sisters to live in poverty and they have to say goodbye to their former life. Fortunately, although the sisters’ marriages seem to be hopeless after this terrible suffering, there are some attractive men who have fallen in love with these girls. Edward Ferrars, Mrs. John Dashwood’s brother, a gentlemanly and pleasing young man, has a growing attachment to Elinor. Edward is not handsome, nor are his manners especially pleasing at first, but when he loses his shyness, his behavior shows what an open, affectionate heart he has. His is the eldest son in his family, therefore his mother and sister want him to make a fine figure in the world in some way, but Edward is not ambitious. All he wishes are for home comforts and the quietness of private life. Mrs. John Dashwood has found his brother’s love for Elinor, to prevent their further development she stimulates Eilnor’s mother to bring her daughters to find a new house to live. Since neither Edward nor Elinor shows love for each other, their relationship is slowed down together with their separation. When the sisters begin their new life in Barton Cottage, they are well welcomed by the owner of Barton Cottage, Sir John Middleton. Sir John has an intimate friend Colonel Brandon, who is silent and serious. His appearance is not unpleasing, in spite of his being, in Marianne’s opinion, an absolute old bachelor because he is on the wrong side of thirty-five. Sir John and his mother-in-law are so noisy that they praise loudly as soon as Marianne finishes her song, which annoys Marianne very much for what she needs is someone who really appreciates her arts and understands her passions. However, she finds that only Colonel Brandon listens attentively without any false show of happy while she is playing the piano and singing. For this reason, she truly respects this colonel. But that not mean she would like to accept a man like this to be her husband, she has her ideal husband in her dream and this dream will not be far away when she meets the handsome Willoughby. Different from his sister Elinor, Marianne was brave to show her feelings whenever, as a result, when she finds the attractive Willoughby is as passionate as her and also enjoys the same music and poets, she can’t stop showing her love for him. They are very high profile whenever they are together, for Marianne never minds others’ views and doesn’t want to conceal her real emotions. However, Willoughby has to leave Marianne to London. Seeing the sad sisters, Sir John’s mother-in-low, Mrs. Jennings decides to take them to London. At the same time, Elinor hears from Lucy, who will go to London with them, that Lucy has been engaged with Edward for five years. Shocked by this sensational news, though deeply heart-broken, Elinor doesn’t tell it to anybody. The sisters hold their different feelings on the trip to London. In London, Marianne finally knows the fact that Willoughby will marry other woman to get money and status. She becomes hysteric for she can’t accept the reality that she loses Willoughby forever and maybe she is never loved by him. Marianne can’t control her sensibility and cries wildly for a long time. Her low spirits worries her family and finally she gets a severe sickness. Conversely, knowing that Edward will marry Lucy at the cost of losing his rights of inheritance, Elinor still conceals her true feelings and paves the way for their marriage. Marianne recovers at last, and she becomes mature after this experience. Maybe she still can’t be as rational as her sister, but she will never abuse her passions. And she

becomes more attached to Colonel Brandon for his accompany during these sad days. Then one day, Edward again appears in Elinor’s life, this time, he speaks out his love for Elinor bravely and explains that he doesn’t marry Lucy because materialistic as Lucy, she chooses Edward’s brother in the end. Elinor can’t control herself and burst into tears. Now the happy ending is coming, Elinor marries Edward, Marianne marries Colonel Brandon, and they all live happily forever.

3. My Thoughts and Analyses

Besides reading the book Sense and Sensibility, I even watched its movie. And I have to admit that at first I was in the struggle between sense and sensibility. To let sense be over sensibility, just like what Elinor does in the novel, we will lose many passions in our life. We have to keep good manners whenever, and we have to consider others’feelings when we want to express something. We should do everything in a proper way, because only by this way can we be respected and praised by others. To be rational, we must consider carefully before we take actions, and we need to learn to control our emotions. Frankly speaking, sense can bring us many benefits, and the most important point is that being rational can protect us from being hurt. But on the other side, we may miss something precious if we don’t express our real feelings. If Edward doesn’t have the last try to show his heart to Elinor, they will miss each other forever. To let sensibility be over sense, just like what Marianne does in the novel, if we are not lucky enough we will get ourselves hurt. To be emotional, we will be freer, because we don’t need to hide our hearts, we speak what we want to speak and we do what we want to do. This kind of life is much more relaxed. But since we put too many passions on what we like, if one day we have to lose them, we must be thrown into deep sadness. At this time, our emotions may worry our families and friends, and we may hurt them in an unconscious way. Just like what I write in the second part of this report, Marianne’s sadness and sickness also bring pains to the people who love her. Therefore, to become a restrained person or to become a indulgent person, to become a rational person or to become an emotional person, are really hard choices.

But now I have my own answer. I admit that my characters are more like Elinor because I am accustomed to control my feelings. But now I decide to change, this does not mean that I will let my sensibility to control my actions from now on. I just want to keep a balance between the sense and the sensibility. I decide to be braver to express my own opinions in some occasions so that I will let people know the real person I am. I am used to conceal all my feelings in my heart, although it is easily for me to forget the bad things, but once I remember them you can imagine the heavy pressure I will suffer. That is too heavy to breathe. And I won’t abandon my sense. To be rational, I consider carefully whenever I make a resolution; as a result, I can avoid the severe false and be more accessible to success.

In conclusion, in the battle of sense and sensibility, the more balanced they are, the better we are.