Simply a Love Story

I am re-reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (of course) and enjoying it as usual. It's like visiting old acquaintances - you know what they are going to talk about and how things are with them even if you haven't kept in touch as you should. The Dashwoods are highly entertaining. I think, though, that my favourite in the novel is Sir John Middleton, their landlord. He is such a kind-hearted soul who believes that everybody is kind-hearted too. He is one of Jane Austen's most credible creations and we can only be sorry that there are not more people in the world like him. Marianne Dashwood, indeed, looks down on him as being intellectually her inferior, but some of his warmth and enjoyment of noisy pursuits - round games in the parlour, sailing parties and balls -  would have made her a happier character. Her sister Eleanor was surprised at herself for ever imagining there would be "time for conversation" at Sir John's house.
Mrs. Jennings, too, is portrayed as a nosey, coarse woman, but she later demonstrates her great concern for Marianne, her affection for Eleanor and general kindness to them both.  Another of Jane Austen's realistic characters.
In the edition of the novel which I'm reading, a learned American professor sets out to make the case that Jane Austen was trying to demonstrate some of the thinking of the time. He maintains that at that period there was an ongoing debate about the role played by intellect and by feelings in society. Marianne, the sensitive one, could never do anything by halves and represented those who had to be enthusiastic about everything and who sank into grief when things went wrong. Her sister Eleanor was of the "suffer in silence" type.
With all due respect to this professor, I have to say that I think Jane Austen simply wrote a love story. One or two of her biographers claim that she was the real "Marianne" and her sister Cassandra was best represented by Eleanor as the steady, calm one. Certainly, like all writers, she drew on her experience and like all writers most likely threw in bits of characters she had observed in her circle.
I am not convinced that she was trying to make any kind of statement.

None of this takes away from my enjoyment in reading the novel. Having lived in London, I find the descriptions of the Dashwoods' adventures in that great city highly entertaining. The two-penny post which Marianne used to write to Mr. Willoughbly has been immortalized in literature. And even though I know very well how it is all going to end, I still enjoy reading it and smiling over the various characters depicted there.