Oxford World’s Classics: Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen (2nd Edition) – A Review

From the desk of Laurel Ann Nattress:

“Pray be composed,” cried Elinor,” and do not betray what you feel to every body present. Perhaps he has not observed you yet.” Elinor Dashwood to her sister Marianne, Sense and Sensibility, Chapter 28

Sense and Sensibility can get lost in the limelight of Jane Austen’s other “darling child,” Pride and Prejudice. As Austen’s first novel, it received a positive reception when it was published in 1811 and sold out the first printing in a year and a half. That is quite and achievement for a debut author.

Today, there are so many editions of Sense and Sensibility in print that it can be overwhelming to a new reader. Which one should you choose?

A new edition by a venerable publisher

One option is the Oxford World’s Classics new revised 2nd edition of Sense and Sensibility . It offers a dazzling selection of additional material that comfortably falls somewhere between just the text and supplemental overload. This volume offers what I feel a good edition should contain: an expansive introduction and detailed notes supporting the text in a clear, concise, and friendly manner that the average reader can understand and enjoy.

An introduction with wow value

The material opens with a one paragraph biography of the life of Jane Austen which seemed rather slim to this Austen enthusiast’s sensibility, and most certainly too short for a neophyte. The introduction quickly made up for it in both size and content at a whopping 33 pages! Wow, author Margaret Anne Doody does not disappoint and it is easy to understand why after eighteen years publishers continue to use her excellent essay in subsequent editions.

Amazingly, the introduction is not at all dated. The material covered is accessible to any era of reader, touching upon the novels publishing history, plot line, character analysis, and historical context. Doody clearly presents the reader with her thoughts on the major themes in the novel such as:

The dichotomy of sense and sensibility as it relates to the two heroines Elinor and Marianne
The portrayal of negligent mothers
Men represented as the ultimate hunter
Secrecy, deceit and concealment
The crippling impact of the inheritance laws and primogeniture on women during the Regency era

Interlaced with Doody’s interpretations are her observations of Austen’s writing style with references to pages in the novel and outside sources. The entire essay is well researched, populated with footnotes, and an enjoyable complement to the text.

More notes and supplemental material

The notes on the text explain the editorial trail since the novel’s first publication in 1811. The select bibliography is indeed select, and includes many editions that deserve recognition as the best of what is available in print on Jane Austen’s life, works, and critical analysis. One of my favorites listed is Jane Austen: A Family Record (1913) by William Austen-Leigh and Richard Arthur Austen-Leigh, revised and enlarged by Deirdre Le Faye (1989). I was also pleasantly surprised to see a category including film versions and commentaries which is often overlooked by other publishers.

The chronology of Jane Austen’s life lists both significant events and what transpired historically in matching columns. The choices are relevant and interesting with the exception of two events that this writer found humorous; – 1795 Jane Austen flirts with Tom Lefroy, and in 1815 Humphry Davy invents miner’s safety lamp. I have yet to be convinced that Austen’s flirtation with Tom Lefroy had a significant impact on her life, nor am I clear how a clergyman’s daughter living in southern England would be directly affected by the invention of a miner’s safety lamp. Just thinking out loud here!

Regency society in context to Austen’s life

The two appendixes on rank and social status, and the intricacies of country dance touched upon both subjects clearly, but briefly, using stories from Jane Austen’s life to put the era in context. I appreciated the humorous example of how young women attending balls and assemblies were accompanied by chaperones, usually a mother or an older woman, who were expected to pass the time with cards or socializing rather than dancing themselves. In a letter to her sister Cassandra, thirty-seven year-old Austen recognizes the transition from dancer to on-looker when she writes:

“Bye the bye, I must leave off being young, I find many Douceurs in being a sort of Chaperon for I am put on the Sofa near the Fire & can drink as much wine as I like.”

Too funny! Even though each of these appendixes is short, they do offer a list of books to explore further reading, which I was inspired to investigate.

Wait, there’s even more…

Since contemporary novels do cease to be contemporary the day that they are published, growing even more distant with each generation, notes can become indispensable to the enjoyment of the modern reader. Prof. Claire Lamont has supplied excellent and insightful explanatory notes, allowing for instant gratification with detailed descriptions of language usage, social and historical context, and character and plot insights. I found this the most interesting aspect of this edition, and reading the explanatory notes alone was like reading a condensed dictionary to Jane Austen, her times, and the plot and characters in Sense and Sensibility.

Enjoyable, accessible, and enlightening

In short, Oxford World’s Classics has pulled together just the right amount of supplemental material from reputable and readable sources for their revised 2nd edition of Sense and Sensibility. I found it enjoyable, accessible, and enlightening, and recommend it to first time readers, or veterans seeking new insights.

5 out of 5 Stars

BOOK INFORMATION

Oxford World’s Classics: Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen, edited by James Kinsley
Oxford University Press, 2nd Edition (2008)
Trade paperback & eBook (384) pages
ISBN: 9780199535576
Genre: Classic Literature, Austenesque, Historical Romance

SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL

Margaret Anne Doody: Introduction
Claire Lamont: Explanatory notes & Textural notes
Vivien Jones: Select bibliography, Chronology & Appendixes

The 2nd Edition of Sense and Sensibility is now out of print. However, the 3rd edition is available.

AMAZON | PUBLISHER | ADD TO GOODREADS

We received a review copy of the book as gift from the publisher. Cover image courtesy of Oxford University Press © 2008; text Laurel Ann Nattress © 2008, austenprose.com, an Amazon affiliate. No AI: material on Austenprose.com may not be used in datasets for, in the development of, or as inputs to generative AI programs. Updated on 10 February 2024.

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