Sense and Sensibility

In the first couple of chapters of this book, the author
tries to introduce you to the Dashwood family. It explains how the older Mr.
Dashwood brings his son and his grandson’s families into his home but only
leaves a fortune for his grandson. Then the younger Mr. Dashwood passes on and has
his son promises to take care of his wife and three daughters (Elinor, Margaret,
and Marianne). Also during the first few chapters you get the sense of the
three girls finding marriage.

Before Mrs.
Dashwood and her daughters move to her cousins, Elinor starts to find comfort in
a man named Edward Ferrar. This man seems plain to Elinor’s sisters but she is
till very fond of him. But after they arrive at Barton cottage Elinor and Marianne
begin to fall for two other men. Elinor falls for Colonel Brandon and Marianne for
John Willoughby. However both of these men have to go away to London for a good bit of time and leave the two girls heartbroken. However, shortly
after Wiloughby by leaves, Elinor finally receives a short visit from Ferrar and
during this visit she is still confused by his aloof emotions. Lucy Steele, a
distant relative then reveals that she has been engaged to Edward Ferrar for
four years secretly because Lucy has no fortune.

Elinor and
Marianne then go on a trip to London with their relatives, Lucy and Mrs. Jennings. Marianne is excited to see
Wiloughby but Elinor is apprehensive about possibly seeing Lucy and Edward
together. Marianne is devastated when Wiloughby keeps avoiding her when there
is great talk about their ‘engagement’. But after she finally sees him, he is
rude to her and the next day sends her a letter informing her of his engagement
to another woman.

Colonel
Brandon visits Elinor to discuss Marianne’s situation and then proclaims that
he was once deeply in love with a woman but she was married to his brother so as to ensure her fortune for the family. She
disappeared shortly after they divorced. Colonel then found the woman dying and
promised to take care of her three year old daughter. Wiloughby placed her in
school and visited her periodically. Brandon then tells how this girl is the girl that Wiloughby is engaged to!

The girls
also get a visit from their brother John. He tells Elinor that she should marry
Colonel Brandon but she assures him that she has no intentions of doing so.
Lucy then visits and brags about Edward’s favorable behavior to her at a party.
A servant suddenly announces the arrival of Mr. Ferrars, and Edward walks into
the room. He looks immediately uncomfortable after realizing that both Lucy and
Elinor are in attendance. Marianne, who does not know anything about Lucy’s
claims of an attachment to Edward, expresses her joy at his arrival.

Mrs.
Jennings then reveals, after a visit with a friend, that Edward and Lucy have
been engaged for over a year. Elinor then tells her sister.  Marianne is amazed at how calm Elinor remained over the last
four months. John Dashwood visits his sisters again and tells them how Edward
mother knows about the engagement and he has refused to break it off so now
Robert will get all of her inheritance.

Before
Marianne and Elinor leave London, Colonel Brandon visits them and tells then how
he is going to give some of his inheritance to Edward so he can support
himself. Before returning to Barton the
girls go along with the Palmers to their estate in Cleveland.
When they arrive at Cleveland,
Marianne takes several, long walks in the evenings and
catches a violent cold and Colonel then volunteers to bring Marianne back to
Barton to get better. Just before the expected arrival time of Mrs. Dashwood
and Colonel Brandon John Willoughby comes to offer Elinor an apology for his
behavior toward Marianne. He tells her that he always knew that he could never
afford to marry Marianne and did not appreciate love when he first became
attached to her. He confesses to marrying Miss Grey for her money and will
forever hold Marianne in the highest regard.

Willoughby asks Elinor to communicate his confession to Marianne and request her
forgiveness. Mrs. Dashwood and Colonel
Brandon arrive at Cleveland and are
relieved to learn of Marianne’s improved state. Mrs. Dashwood tells Elinor that
on the long carriage ride from Barton to Cleveland,
Colonel Brandon confessed his love for Marianne. Elinor
tells Marianne of Wiloughby’s confession on a walk one day and Marianne feels
much better knowing that his abandonment of her was not the final revelation of
a long-standing deceit, but rather the result of his financial straits. They
then receive news that ‘Mr. Farrars’ has married Lucy. This news distresses
both Elinor and Marianne. Soon after though, Edward arrives and the girls
confront him about the news. He then says that they are mistaken. Robert has
married Lucy. Within the next three hours, Edward proposes to Elinor and she
accepts. Elinor and Edward live together at Delaford and invite both Marianne
and Colonel Brandon to visit often, in the hope that the two will form an
attachment with one another. Their plans is successful, for the Colonel and the
younger sister later become engaged and move in with Elinor and Edward at
Delaford.

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