Sense and Sensibility was the first novel Jane Austen published.Though she initially called it Elinor and Marianne,Austen jettisoned both the title and the epistolary mode in which it was originally written,but kept the essential theme：the necessity of finding a workable middle ground between passion and reason.The story revolves around the Dashwood sisters,Elinor and Marianne.Whereas the former is a sensible,rational creature,her younger sister is wildly romantic——a characteristic that offers Austen plenty of scope for both satire and compassion.Commenting on Edward Ferraris,a potential suitor for Elinor's hand,Marianne admits that while she "loves him tenderly," she finds him disappointing as a possible lover for her sister.
Soon however,Marianne meets a man who measures up to her ideal：Mr.Willoughby,a new neighbor.So swept away by passion is Marianne that her behavior begins to border on the scandalous.Then Willoughby abandons her； Meanwhile,Elinor's growing affection for Edward suffers a check when he admits he is secretly engaged to a childhood sweetheart.How each of the sisters reacts to their romantic misfortunes,and the lessons they draw before coming finally to the requisite happy ending forms the heart of the novel.Though Marianne's disregard for social conventions and willingness to consider the world well-lost for love may appeal to modern readers,it is Elinor whom Austen herself most evidently admired； a truly happy marriage,she shows us,exists only where sense and sensibility meet and mix in proper measure.
《理智與情感》是簡奧斯汀出版的第一本小說.雖然她最初稱之為埃利諾哈馬和瑪麗安,但奧斯汀放棄了最初的書面標(biāo)題和書信方式,但保持了基本主題：在激情與理性之間必須找到一種可行的中間地帶.故事圍繞Dashwood姐妹,埃利諾和瑪麗安,前者是明智的,理性的人,她的妹妹是瘋狂浪漫的——這個人物,它給了奧斯汀大量的機(jī)會來進(jìn)行諷刺和同情.評論愛德華法拉利,一個潛在的埃利諾的追求者,瑪麗安坦承,雖然她“愛他的溫柔,”她認(rèn)為他令人失望的是他可能的愛人是她的妹妹.
然而不久,一名男子符合瑪麗安的理想標(biāo)準(zhǔn)：威洛比,一個新的鄰居.所以激動地沖到瑪麗安對她說,她的行為開始跨越邊界的丑聞.然而威洛比放棄了她;與此同時,埃利諾對愛德華日益增長的感情經(jīng)受了考驗(yàn),他承認(rèn)他秘密與童年的心上人定終身了.兩個姐妹反應(yīng)他們的浪漫的不幸,并吸取經(jīng)驗(yàn)教訓(xùn),她們終于在未來皆大歡喜的核心形式的小說.雖然瑪麗安無視社會公約,想要讓現(xiàn)代讀者知道世界上的失去愛情也可發(fā)生在他們身上,埃利諾明顯是奧斯丁本人最欽佩的;一個真正幸福的婚姻,她告訴我們,只有理性與感性滿足并以適當(dāng)?shù)姆绞交旌蠒r才存在.