Book review

《Sense and Sensibility》is a novel written by English female writer Jane Austen. It is also the first published novel of her. The novel tells the story of Elinor and Marianne, two sisters born in an English gentry family, the elder sister is good at using reason to control the emotion, the younger sister's emotion is unrestrained, so when facing love, they make different reactions. The novel takes the twists and turns of the two sisters' emotional experiences as the main line to develop the story, thus shaping the characters. In this book, Austen shows the contrast between the characters of the two sisters, narrating most of the story from the third perspective, mainly starting from the elder sister's outlook on life, ethics and social concepts, thus creating a "sensible common man". This is the "ideal woman" in her mind, which is also the character I aspire to be. I think the climax of the whole story is that when they hear that Willoughby with his superior social status, playing the marian sincere love, abandoned the poor girl's lisa, and finally marry with rich miss gray, Marianne thoroughly realized his foolish, and her mother also realized that he didn't do the responsibility of the guard a pass for the daughter, was carried away, All this showed how wise Elinor was in her attitude towards people and things. When Marianne came to herself, and thought it high time that she should take her sister's example, and take more seriously the matters of love and marriage, she considered Colonel Brandon, who had long been in love with her. He had been past thirty-five when he first met them, and to Marianne, then seventeen, "a thoroughly old bachelor," "old enough to be my father," and "at thirty-five there is no marrying," but knowing the whole story of Willoughby's seductions and desertions of Elisa, a little girl acting only on her passion, and fearing that the same fate might befall Marianne, who was of the same character, he was always concerned for her happiness, if only in silence, as a perfect spare child. When he went to fetch Mrs. Dashwood after Marianne's illness, he finally revealed his love for her, and after a long acquaintance both Elinor and her mother were deeply aware of the colonel's kindness of heart and noble character. Marianne finally grows up spiritually and changes her naive view of love. She is willing to marry the colonel and begins to shoulder the responsibilities of being a housewife. And her sister Elinor finally gets married with Edward. Elinor is the eldest daughter in her family. Her life experiences have shaped her rational, calm and cautious personality. She is kind-hearted and gentle, and always considers the needs and happiness of others in her own place. I think these are the advantages but also disadvantages. In the modern society, women are too sensible, whether in love or family, may suffer, but they deserve a better man to treat them, actually reason in other words, the emotional pressure in the bottom of my heart, there is no release, and in this way, hurt will doubled their pain. For example, when Elinor learned that Edward and Lucy had a four-year engagement, even though she was very shocked and sad, she still did not show it, nor did she blame Edward for cheating her. On the contrary, she worried about Edward's happiness. Where could such a good girl be found? The characters of the two sisters determine their different interpretations of love and life, their different views and treatment of things around them, and their different life experiences. Like more rational, too emotional, the excessive pursuit of fanatical emotion is easy to make people dizzy, can not distinguish right from wrong. But plain life also has its simple and unique beauty, not everyone's life can be carried out with vigour and vitality, sometimes may also be unnecessary, it is better to live quietly, without complicated to do their favorite things, live their own life. Choose reason, less romance, more responsibility; choose passion, more madness, less peace of mind, drifting without dependence. In fact, we can find that this is an eternal question. Until now, there are still discussions about whether to be rational or capricious in love, whether to be wanton or implicit. The story of 《Sense and Sensibility》 itself provides an answer, that is the balance between reason and emotion. But to do this is how difficult, if you really know when to reason, when to choose emotion and really do the choice and action, from the ancient to the present, how can there be so many love tragedy.