An Understanding of Sense and Sensiblity: The Background

In England, in the year 1794 and 1795, the British people suffered from food shortages due to crop failures caused by poor weather conditions. This was around the time when Jane Austen was the same age as most of her heroines. The economic hardships of this time were reflected in her first published novel, Sense and Sensibility. If one is unaware of the economic and political climate of the time, one is likely to miss much of the subtext of the story (as, I must admit, I did until I began my research). However, if you would like to learn more about the economy of the time and get a good grasp on the political satire that is hidden behind the story of three young ladies and their widowed mother after the death of their father, you can start by reading “Wealth has much to do with it: The Economics of Sense and Sensibility” by Sheryl Craig.

Sheryl Craig has done a wonderful job of clearly explaining information that most people today are unaware of. So, I won’t reiterate what she has already explained so perfectly; however, I would like to discuss what this means for some of the characters in the story and the misconceptions that people have about them.

---

When Mr. Henry Dashwood died, he requested that his son John take care of his stepmother and his three younger half-sisters. However, as we know, his wife rebutted his every suggestion of how to give that aid to the ladies. In the end, “his assistance extended no farther than their maintenance for six months at Norland.” (Ch. 5) The Dashwoods accepted a cottage on the estate of Mrs. Dashwood’s cousin, Sir John Middleton, that was offered for their use with “the rent so uncommonly moderate.” (Ch. 4)

In order to understand what follows, you need to understand that, with the death of Mr. Henry Dashwood, the Dashwood ladies became ‘pariahs’ in society. One thing we can gather is that, though Norland Park has a very good income, it does not seem to have a dower house. If and when John Dashwood refuses to take over his father’s position as their caregiver and guardian, they also lose their standing as ‘gentlewomen’ in the eyes of society. Since the current landed male of their family has basically thrown them off, they are no longer able to claim that standing (i.e., they are no longer ‘the Dashwoods of Norland Park’). If they had not received an offer from Sir John Middleton, they would likely need to take up professions, going into service as companions, governesses, or worse, as their income was not enough to support them unless they were willing to ‘lower themselves further.’ It is likely that they would only have been able to afford life in a tenant’s cottage, but without a man to work the land, even that might be hard to secure. Sir John Middleton’s offer saved them from that fate.

You also need to understand that, due to this, the treatment they received by those who were looking down on them was actually the treatment that their new position in society allowed, according to the beliefs of the times. Many readers missed this because even the main characters, Elinor and Marianne, were partially— in the case of the former— and completely— in the case of the latter— insensible to their reduction in status. It is important to keep this in mind while reading. The treatment they received from the Middleton set was over and above what society of that time considered due to them after they lost their home and male ‘protector,’ and we can understand this more when we come to understand the legitimacy of Mrs. Bennet’s (Pride and Prejudice) fears should Mr. Bennet pass away before their daughters were married and provided for (which I will discuss more in a later post). With that in mind, we can form a better understanding of Jane’s characters.

---

Note: This post was originally published on Jane Austen's Literary Lasagna on April 17th 2024. I am now migrating my content to this blog, but this remains my original work. Minor edits may have been made for clarity or formatting.