'One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman' (De Beauvoir 1949) How does Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility reflect this statement?

University Degree Linguistics, Classics and related subjects

‘One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman’ (De Beauvoir 1949)

How does Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility reflect this statement?

Simone De Beauvoir’s famous quotation ‘One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman’ comes from The Second Sex (1949), which ‘highlights the extent to which the masculine is represented as the positive or the norm, while the feminine is portrayed as the “other”’ (Heywood 2003:258). De Beauvoir argues that women’s freedom is limited through this ‘otherness’ and does not allow them to express their full humanity. She used rationality and critical analysis to show how this process takes place in society and aimed to try and give women a feeling of responsibility for their own lives. ‘No biological, psychological or economic fate determines the figure that the human female presents in society; it is civilisation as a whole that produces this creature, intermediate between male and eunuch, which is described as feminine’ (De Beauvoir 1949:295).

Distinguishing between ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ is one of the core concepts of feminism, and as De Beauvoir states ‘gender’ as a construct is imposed by patriarchal society. Kate Millett notes that there are no differences in personality or behaviour between the sexes at birth and so ‘psychosexual personality is therefore postnatal and learned’ (1977:30). The majority of feminists agree that gender is obtained through childhood and early womanhood due to social conditioning, rather than biological reasons. Millett saw this as originating from law, economy and education, all of which allowed very little room for feminine expression. As a result women were valued less; to use just one example, Oxford University did not grant degrees to females until 1920. Somewhat ironically, the estate the Dashwoods are forced to leave is named Norland, or ‘no-land’ (Doody 2004: x), an accurate representation of what they have claim to as a family of woman; nothing.

Males were typed as head of the household due to both governmental and religious enforcement; through the simplest details, such as being placed first on tax forms, passports and other official documentation. This filtered through into the family, or private sphere, where women were already seen as weaker due to their biological structure. Combined with pregnancy, giving birth, raising children and other myths to weaken how females were perceived, such as the ‘cult of virginity’ (Millett 1977:54), women were slowly created into this ‘other’ through systematic patriarchal repression.

Sense and Sensibility portrays two sisters, Marianne and Elinor, who are growing up in a male dominated society. Left impoverished after their father’s death, the estate they live on is passed to their half-brother, John. The story follows the girls, more so Marianne, growing up and becoming women, and Simone De Beauvoir’s statement is reflected strongly throughout the novel. Published in the early 1800’s, during the Romantic Movement and the Napoleonic Wars, ideas of ‘Liberty, Equality and Fraternity’ (Embassy of France 2005) were present from the French Revolution of 1789. It is interesting to note the use of ‘fraternity’ or brotherhood, a male union and equality, rather than all human beings. Females had few legal rights and were still expected to conform to their private sphere; be the housewife, not to speak out of turn and to perform all other accepted private sphere, domestic duties.

This is a preview of the whole essay

Although exaggerated, Enfield’s television clips ‘Women – Know Your Limits’ and ‘The Conjugal Rights Guide’ (BBC 1994) show some of the virtues that a woman was expected to possess. In the first episode, a woman speaks out of turn in a conversation about politics and ‘embarrasses herself’. Immediately her husband decides to take her home, back to the domestic and private sphere where she is within her boundaries. The second clip claims that ‘like all women, she needs a husband to make her complete’ and this is reflected in Sense and Sensibility. Marianne has little composure and self-restraint for the majority of the novel and requires the ‘grave’, ‘sensible countenance’ and ‘gentlemanlike’ (p.32) nature of Colonel Brandon to control and balance her. Elinor, on the other hand, possessing ‘strength of understanding and coolness of judgement’ (p.4) already, needs the emotional turmoil of her relations with Edward Ferrars to realise her strength of feeling and emotion. So, in this way, the sisters end up with a counterbalance, to make them realise that one cannot simply be just ‘sense’ or ‘sensibility’.

‘Studies in California under Stoller’s direction offer proof that gender identity (I am a girl, I am a boy) is the primary identity any human being holds’ (Millett 1977:30). This ‘gender identity’ is, as previously mentioned, a construct of patriarchy which some argue Austen tries to denounce in Sense and Sensibility. Marianne Dashwood, whose sorrows and joys ‘could have no moderation’ (p.5), does not conform to this modest propriety which Elinor possesses. It could be seen that Austen attempts to break tradition by having a flighty heroine who expresses her feelings openly, although this is undermined by a change of style in the third section of the novel. ‘Marianne’s marriage to the rheumatic Colonel Brandon is a gross over-compensation for her misguided sensibility’ (Duckworth 1994:27). It is more likely that Austen stays true to her conservative nature and uses the first ‘fall’ of Marianne at Barton Cottage to symbolise a fallen woman.

If we compare the reactions of the two girls when they receive their bad news, Elinor is restrained and calm, exactly how a woman was expected to act. When Miss Steele announces her secret engagement to Edward and asks her if she did not see the ring; ‘“I did,” said Elinor, with a composure of voice’ (p.132), she keeps decorum. ‘“Pardon me”’ she replies, ‘“but I can give you no advice under such circumstances. Your own judgement must direct you”’ (p.130). Marianne on the other hand is ‘entirely lost in sobs’ (p.178) and grows ‘more and more hysterical’ (p.184) upon reception of Willoughby’s letter. Although Marianne’s response is more dramatic, the reader sympathises more with Elinor as her silence and self-control invoke admiration and respect. Marianne simply resembles a spoilt child.

As children, girls are usually cajoled by their mothers for much longer than boys. Girls still play-act, wear little dresses and play up to being the ‘innocent’ child. Boys however, are told off from a much earlier age for similar behaviour; they must be the ‘little man’ as opposed to the ‘little girl’. ‘Up to the age of twelve, the little girl is as strong as her brothers, and she shows the same mental powers’ (De Beauvoir 1977:295,298). Margaret is portrayed as a tom-boy in the 1995 film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and De Beauvoir stated that it was very common for girls to try to be boys in their younger years as they realised the freedom they possessed (1977:324). Marianne too, to a certain extent, is shown as a child.

She was everything but prudent. The resemblance between her and her mother was strikingly great.

Elinor saw, with great concern, the excess of her sister’s sensibility; but by Mrs. Dashwood it was valued and cherished. (p.5)

Mrs. Dashwood does not discourage her daughter from her somewhat frivolous behaviour, which calls into question her own qualities as a mother. It is also worthy to note the other mothers in the text; Mrs. Ferrers, Lady Middleton, Mrs. Jennings and Elisa, all of whom are over indulgent and spoiling, or ruling and dominating. Not one of the mothers in Sense and Sensibility sets out to instil independence and sense in their children. Elinor appears to be a more maternal figure in the family, conforming to expectations. ‘Like her lover Edward, Elinor accepts the validity of social institutions and acts within received principles of ethical and social conduct’ (Duckworth 1994:33). Sense and Sensibility is seen through Elinor’s perspective because of her introverted nature. Duckworth notes that through this frequent access into Elinor’s mind, ‘the narrator reveals that “sense” need not be cold’ (1994:33). It is perhaps for this reason that the reader feels more sympathy for Elinor’s plight, rather than the unreserved complaints of her sister.

Marianne’s sensibility could be seen as impoliteness, an attribute certainly not linked with the respected woman. There are countless examples of Marianne ‘crying’ her words, she never seems to simply ‘say’ or ‘state’ as are so commonly associated with Elinor. Her dramatics and near self-destruction show an undeniable self-interest and this sort of behaviour would have been frowned upon, were it not for the forgiving nature of those who surround her. Elinor gracefully accepts her sister for how she is; through she tries to offer her some advice on her public behaviour, especially with regards to Willoughby. She hopes that ‘“A few years, however, will settle her opinion on the reasonable basis of common sense [….] Her systems have all the unfortunate tendency of setting propriety at nought”’ (p.54). Colonel Brandon disagrees with this sentiment; ‘“No, no do not desire it”’ (p.54) he claims. It almost appears that he finds these traits endearing and this could be cited as another point where Jane Austen attempts to break the social conventions and stereotypes of the time. Perhaps not all gentlemen wanted a doting, sensible wife; some would prefer a woman with character, ‘an excellent heart’ and an ‘affectionate’ disposition (p.4, 5). Interestingly, this description at the beginning of the novel applies to both the girls. Austen reveals that ‘Marianne’s abilities were, in many respects, quite equal to Elinor’s’ (p.5) and so if the sisters are so much alike, why should Colonel Brandon choose Marianne over Elinor? It can only be her passion and enthusiasm for life that stands out above Elinor’s propriety.

Both Elinor and Marianne can be viewed as pictures of femininity. Elinor through her domesticity and reserved elegance, and Marianne through her youth, naivety and fervour. At the end of the novel, Marianne is forced by circumstances to go from sensibility, to sense. This shows a complete submission on Austen’s part to social custom. By embracing the dominant value system, Marianne can be ‘saved’, though this requires another fall, illness and near-death to make her realise it. This can be perceived as a betrayal by Austen of her heroine, by forcing her into a marriage to achieve a ‘happily ever after’ ending to the novel. Some may see this as the ultimate punishment for Marianne; being married to an ‘infirm’ (p.35) ‘old bachelor’ (p.32). Gilbert and Gubar disagree with this notion and see what they describe as a ‘cover story’:

Authorship for Austen is an escape from the very restraints she imposes on her female characters. And in this respect she seems typical, for women have contributed so significantly to narrative fiction precisely because it effectively objectifies, even sustains and hides, the subjectivity of the author (p.41)

In the article ‘Jane Austen’s Cover Story’, Gilbert and Gubar reason that authors before the twentieth century had no feminist texts to refer to, and so hid their feminist views behind two opposing characters; a rebel, and a subdued character, Marianne and Elinor. This serves to express feminist feelings but not alienate the male readership. Just as Austen hid herself on publication of Sense and Sensibility; the novel was initially signed ‘A Lady’ (Penguin Introduction in Austen 1811: i), her feelings are hidden still within the text itself. Elinor is seen to paint screens, hide her emotions and thoughts, perhaps just as Austen did. It must be noted also, that although Marianne is punished, she does marry and does survive her illness, keeping her health and beauty and even growing in status through marriage to the Colonel.

In conclusion, as argued by John Money, gender is imprinted on children from a very early age, through simple ideas such as blue clothes for boys and pink for girls, and sayings like ‘Hello little fellow’ and ‘Isn’t she pretty?’ (cited in Millett 1977:31). This identity is kept central in the human mind and as a result, society has taken this as the norm. Elinor Dashwood is a perfect example of the conformist, kind, attentive lady that society called for, though Austen portrays her slightly too reserved on occasions. This is rectified somewhat through her emotional difficulty with regards to Edward and Lucy Steele. Marianne on the other hand is a free-thinking, vocal female who breaks the conventional expectations of women of the era. In being rejected by a similar sort of male, she must learn sensible propriety and undergo a period of self-destruction, before allowing herself to love again and eventually marry Brandon. Despite the happy ending for Marianne, Jane Austen’s novel displays the patriarchal society that feminists disagree with so strongly. As Kate Millett summarises; ‘Perhaps patriarchy’s greatest psychological weapon is simply is universality and longevity’ (1977:58).

Austen, J., 1994 (1811). Sense and Sensibility. Croydon : Penguin Popular Classics

Beauvoir, S. de., 1988 (1949). Trans. Cape, J. The Second Sex. London : Picador

Clark, R. ed., 1994. Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. Basingstoke : Macmillan

Doody, M., 2004. ‘Introduction’ to Austen, J., 2004 (1811). Sense and Sensibility. Oxford : Oxford University Press, pp. vii-xxxix

Duckworth, A., ‘Improving on Sensibility; in Clark, R. ed., 1994. Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. Basingstoke : Macmillan

Embassy of France. 2005. ‘Liberty, Equality, Brotherhood’ [Online]. Accessed 11/01/2008. Available:

Enfield.H., 1994. ‘Harry Enfield and Chums’ (Season 1:Episodes 1&2) Broadcast by BBC, Nov.1994

Friedan, B., 2001 (1963). The Feminine Mystique. Norton : London

Gilbert, M. & Gubar, S., 1979. The Madwoman in the Attic : The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination. New Haven : Yale University Press

Greene, S., 2003. The Pyschological Development of Girls and Women. London ; Routledge

Heywood, A., 2003. Political Ideologies : An Introduction. 3rd ed. Basingstoke : Macmillan

Millett, K., 2003 (1977). Sexual Politics. London : Virago Press

Further references refer to the Penguin Popular Classics edition of the novel

Robert J. Stoller, M.D (1925-1991) – American psychoanalyst