Sense & Sensibility, chapter 16: Ferrars (Edward)'s Day Off

This is where Marianne really starts to be a drag.

Willoughby has split from Devonshire. She can’t eat because she’s too busy crying. She can’t sleep because she’s too busy crying. She can’t play the pianoforte because … you get the picture. And lest you think I’m being unfair to her, the text makes it clear that at least some of this is on purpose: “Marianne would have thought herself very inexcusable had she been able to sleep at all the first night after parting from Willoughby,” she “court[s] the misery” of his leaving, she  “read[s] nothing but what they had been used to read together.” So there’s an element of performance in her behavior that makes it difficult to fully sympathize with her struggle.

Mama Dashwood, almost convinced that Marianne and Willoughby are engaged, refuses to try for any verbal confirmation of the fact. She sees it as “forcing” Marianne to reveal a secret—a secret that she believes Marianne has just cause to keep. Why does she think this? The narrator calls her out on her lack of “common sense, common care, [and] common prudence” in this matter, which at least gives us a clue that not every parent would act the way she’s acting towards her daughter.* And even on the chance that no engagement exists, Mama comes up with an excuse to not ask Marianne—because she doesn’t want to embarrass her.

Incredible. And yet, I can’t really say I’m surprised. Look at the last time someone treated Mama Dashwood’s family unfairly. She acted pretty rash then, too, didn’t she? The only difference is this time, she’s less inclined to listen to Elinor’s advice—probably because Elinor has poked some holes in Mama’s assumptions about Willoughby.

Some days later, however, Marianne impulsively reveals that she expects to see Willoughby soon among them. And it’s like, you couldn’t have brought this up sooner??? Elinor, who is not me, is relieved to hear “a reply from Marianne so expressive of confidence in Willoughby and knowledge of his intentions.” I’m gonna just pin this up on a little cork board so we don’t forget.

In fact, Marianne is so primed for Willoughby to show up that she shouts for joy when a visitor rides up to them. However, it turns out to not be Willoughby at all (get ready to read that a lot going forward). But it is another erstwhile Dashwood gal suitor. Yep, Edward’s back and he’s ready to … 

Well, he’s not ready to have a good time, I guess. He appears “confused, “neither rapturous nor gay,” is not at all talkative, and fails to “[distinguish] Elinor by [any] mark of affection.” This leans into Marianne’s perspective much more than her sister’s, but we soon discover that Edward’s “coldness and reserve mortifie[s]” Elinor, so Marianne isn’t far off the mark. He has “a deficiency of all that a lover ought to look and say on such an occasion” to her eyes. Particularly egregious is when Edward admits that he’s been in the area for two weeks and has only now showed up at Barton Cottage. He’s been “staying with some friends near Plymouth.” Elinor doesn’t find this detail as awful as Marianne does, but I side with Marianne on this—that is, I would if it was a sure thing that Edward was courting Elinor. I’ve already read this book so I get to be pissed at Edward right now.

Marianne asks about “dear, dear Norland” and Elinor interjects with a disparaging remark about dead leaves and I can’t help but read a liiiiitle bit of bitterness in her reaction (motivated by Edward, not by Marianne’s flight of fancy). Marianne complains that “[her] feelings are not often shared, not often understood,” which I feel is both accurate and misleading. She shares her reactions to what she finds romantic, but she’s not good at efficiently conveying her feelings to others. Elinor understands more about Marianne than I think Marianne would admit—it’s just that she finds Marianne’s intensity distracting or superfluous. Marianne’s all, well Willoughby understands my pain—to no purpose expect to be a moody teen.

Hilariously, none of the sisters ask about the John Dashwoods. And not one tear was shed.

Marianne continues to mope when Edward asks about the Middletons. This leaves Elinor to give a more civil response, as well as to act as hostess during their walk back to the cottage. During this, she “avoid[s] every appearance of resentment or displeasure,” because she has the willpower of a freaking ox and more or less doesn’t expect Marianne to help out with the hosting duties, estranged pseudo-fiancé or not.

We’ll be back later with some much-needed insight into Edward’s inner life.

*Shapard remarks that Mama Dashwood would rather be a “friend” than “an authority figure” to Marianne, which is a succinct summation of Mama Dashwood’s failures as a parent.