"Sense and Sensibility"

Paper Summary:

"Sense and Sensibility", Jane Austen's classic novel has been filmed more than once. Most recently, Emma Thompson adapted the novel; she wrote the screenplay for the most recent filming, which is titled, as is the book, "Sense and Sensibility". The paper shows that the book and movie are not identical and that there are several important changes made by Thompson and director Ang Lee, particularly involving the two main characters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. The paper shows that, although in general the film follows the novel, Thompson and Lee alter the characters slightly. In particular, in the movie version, Elinor is made to be both more humorous and more emotional than in the novel.

From the Paper:

"The greatest difference between the character of Elinor in the book and in the film is in the amount of emotion she displays. In the novel, Elinor is almost always in complete control of her emotions. Her self-control is enormous. It is not that she is emotionless. In fact, Austen explicitly writes that Elinor's "feelings were strong;" it is just that she has learned to control them (7). In the film, this self-control is less obvious. First, Elinor broods more over Edward's absence in the film than in the novel. In the novel, we learn about Marianne's obsession with the fact that Willoughby has not visited the Dashwood sisters in London, but we know less about Elinor's feelings when Edward has to leave Norland for London. This longing for Edward is more pronounced in the film."

More papers on "Sense and Sensibility":

• Comparison Essay # 147992 : "Conditional Love in Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility: A Tale of Romance?"
• Book Review # 84113 : "Pairings in "Sense and Sensibility" "
• Analytical Essay # 42212 : "Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility"
• Analytical Essay # 4802 : "Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen"

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