BAMJABC: Sense and Sensibility

Ok, here is the second installment of BAMJABC: Sense and Sensibility

Originally we were going to go to Southport Grocery to eat Salad (sense) and cupcakes (sensibility), but it was snowy and we wanted something else so instead we went to Uncommon Ground which I think still works because the book is about two sisters who are living on very uncommon ground…no? not buying it?...

We loved this book. I’ve been a big fan of the movie for years so I already knew the main story but it was fun to see how it all fleshed out in the book. Mom and I had a good discussion about the men in Austen’s books and how they seem to be sort of objectified and really only exist to support the storylines of the ever strong women who aer really all running the show. We also had delicious breakfasts of omelet’s and hickory bacon. Yum.

If you don’t know the story, here is your recap:

- Two sisters, I like to imagine them both having red hair, are best of friends even though they are totes opposites. Elinor is very realistic and grounded…(sense) while her younger sister Marianne is passionate and easily swept away (sensibility). There is a third sister, Margaret, but she’s mostly just a prop.
- After their dad kicks it Elinor and Marianne and their mom and sis are booted out of their big estate with the glorious trees and heavenly rosebud bushes yadda yadda and sent to live in cottage that only has two parlors.
- Elinor is sad to move cause she loves the manse, and also because she’s fallen way in love with Edward who, frankly, seems like kind of a tool. I mean, not a jerk tool, but like, a stuttering muttering wishy washy tool. He was played by Hugh Grant in the movie…so, that kind of tool.
- So, we’re living in the little cottage, things are so-so, then Marianne decides to take a walk one day and BOOM…down she goes. She twists her ankle but thankfully a tall dark and handsome stranger on a horse shows up in the knick of time to save her and carry her back to the dumpy little cottage that has four bedrooms and multiple fireplaces. I remember once a few years back when I was froliking through a field and the same thing happened…I fell and this handsome stranger carried me all the way back into the city and to my studio. No. Sigh. That never happened.
- Ok, so the handsome stranger is named “Willoughby” (My gaydar sounded on that one until I realized it’s his last name) and he falls head over heels in love with Marianne and woos her and begs her to give him a lock of her hair so that he can make a HAIR RING out of it which I suppose is something they did back then. Marianne is totes in love with Willoughby, they are super cute together and you think it’s off into the sunset for those two. Which is sad for Old Man Colonol Brandon (he’s 40) who is crushingly in love with Marianne, which I found sort of sweet and sort of pervy.
- One day Colonol Brandon gets an alarming telegram and runs off on his horse. A few days later Willoughby just up and leaves. Where are they going? What the F? Marianne is left confused and DEVESTATED which is really sad and you want to hug her, and then she doesn’t get over it and you kind of want to kick her. Elinor gives her a few glasses of wine at one point to calm her down…thanks sis.
- Let’s see, a bunch of other stuff happens, I’m leaving out some funny and great supporting characters but this bitch was long so I need to get through the main stuff. Ok, so then Lucy Steele comes to town, she’s super annoying. She informs Elinor that she is engaged to Edward. Oh No She Didn’t!
- Then this is the point in which I realize in the movie Elinor was played by Emma Thompson. Elinor is supposed to be 19. Really Emma Thompson? You think you look 19? Really? This was back in the days when the Thompson/Branaugh Empire was slowly taking over the world. Remember Kenneth’s 40 year old Hamlet? Yikes. I’m not saying Thompson wasn’t brilliant in the role, she was, I’m just saying. They should have done a Romeo and Juliet movie while they were still together.
- Back on track, Elinor and Marianne decide to just up and go to London for a million years because apparently in these days you could just jump in a carriage and go anywhere and stay as long as you like. No responsibilities. So it’s off to London and Marianne is excited that she may see Willoughby and Elinor is nervous about seeing Edward.
- A bunch of stuff goes down, mainly the following: Marianne finds that Willoughby is not also engaged but is also the baby-daddy of ANOTHER woman’s bastard baby. And guess who that woman is? She’s the ward of Colonol Brandon! GET OUT. Seriously. Small world yo. Marianne can’t handle the sadness, she walks around in the rain, gets sick and almost dies. When she recovers she’s like, “Eh, what the hell, I’ll marry you Colonol Brandon you old lug.” And those two live semi-happily ever after.
- Elinor hears that Edward has gotten married to Lucy and she’s crushed but she’s not going to let it show, no way. So she’s back to that decrepit disgusting two story giant cottage to spend the rest of her days sewing with her mother when all of a sudden Edward SHOWS UP! Nuh uh, uh huh! She’s all like “Congrats on the wife” and he’s all “Nah, she married my brother instead, plus I never really loved her, will you marry me?” How TOTES convenient for Elinor.
- Weddings weddings weddings and much felicity fill the last four pages.

So we loved it and thought it was darling and interesting and great and funny. We also talked a lot about the maturity gained between Northanger Abby and Sense and Sensibility for Jane Austen as a writer. Very interesting stuff. Another hit Jane, Bravo.

Next on the list is the most famous and popular Pride and Prejudice. The A&E movie is when I first fell in love with Colin Firth. Mr. Darcy in the pond, yum. I’m not going to say some of the ideas mom and I came up with for where to go to discuss Pride and Prejudice, as most of them would sound slightly offensive and all of them involved flying to Washington DC, but we are open for suggestions…