The Ritual Master Isn’t it fascinating how books become classics ? Enchanted by a recently published novel, we tend to label it “a modern classic”. But who can really tell which ones are going to pass the test of time ? History proved us again and again that the opinion of ones contemporaries is not always the final destiny of an artwork. When Jane Austen started publishing anonymously, her fresh new take on the world, subtle irony and honest view of women’s condition were not set to please 18th century England. Yet, who has not heard of Jane Austen today, more than 200 years later ? Her very unique novels are a rite of passage for any reader, and with reason. Today we’ll explore her very first published novel and her very first success as a writer, Sense and sensibility.
The story in one phrase : After the death of their father, the Dashwood sisters along with their mother, move to a charming cottage in Devonshire, where they shall discover the joys, secrets, aches and misteries of the heart.
How does it make me feel : The only word that can describe my state while reading the novel, is dreamy. What if I had continued my piano lessons as a child ? Reading poetry by candlelight and making embroidered handkerchiefs, riding horses and writing letters… Yes, I feel dreamy and happy at the thought of what might have been…
Top 3 details
Number one : the best lesson in English language. For a non-native English speaker, reading any Jane Austen novel is daunting at first. You finish the first page and you begin again, and again, feeling nothing makes sense. You simply have to keep going, the details will come, when you relax enough to allow your brain to do the work. And in no time, you will improve your vocabulary just by having the courage to start a Jane Austen novel.
Number two : falling in love with the countryside. You cannot read Sense and sensibility and not want to lose yourself in a field of high grass, that smells deliciously of rain and green. The most touching moments happen in a scenery of elegant nature, simple landscape of a pure countryside. And if that’s not an option, you take refuge in a nearby garden…
Number three : the ever changing feminine. The Dashwood sisters bring to our attention the fact that women can be sensitive but also reasonable, that some like fervent declarations, while others value consistancy and composure. No two women are alike, just like men, but for the time, Jane Austen’s subtle manifesto is remarcable.
My favourite character : Mama, the more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. With a point of view as modern as this, how can I not choose Marianne Dashwood as my favourite character ? And maybe even today, all women should have a higher set of expectations for a possible partner.
Yin/Yang : A delicately yin story, disguised as a classic Regency novel. Profoundly feminine, quiet and feminine, as an intuitive murmur of fragile sentiment.
Favourite Quote : I could choose a different quote each day as being my favourite, but at this moment in my life, this is what speaks to me : I am excessively fond of a cottage; there is always so much comfort, so much elegance about them. And I protest, if I had any money to spare, I should buy a little land and build one myself, within a short distance of London, where I might drive myself down at any time, and collect a few friends about me and be happy. I advise everybody who is going to build, to build a cottage.
Life Lesson : My life lesson from this novel is closely related to my favourite character. The narrator has a very sharp observation : Marianne Dashwood was born to an extraordinary fate. She was born to discover the falsehood of her own opinions, and to counteract, by her conduct, her most favourite maxims. For myself, this translates into knowing when to question yourself, so as to confirm or adjust your opinions.
Why you should read it : To define your own opinion of an ultra-classic, to dare think of romance in 2021, to simply give yourself the time to dream.
What can you say about a Jane Austen novel, that hasn’t been said a milion times before ? My own emotion while reading it. And if it sounds familiar, if you read or heard a similar opinion elsewhere, then know it’s probably right. For if we all like it as much, it must be worth your time…
Until next time, enjoy your reading !
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