Book review- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

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Oftentimes I hear proverb putting yourself in someone else's shoes and every time it appears to be the most difficult task. Several times, my profession shows me dilemmas when empathy needs to go hand in hand while rendering decisions, however exercising the same is  different story altogether.  

Technically, Empathy is the capacity to discern or perceive what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to seat oneself in another's position. And if searched on the internet or read through books, definitions of empathy entail a broad range of emotional states. However, in my opinion, the first step towards empathy begins with being sensitive towards one's emotional environment along with understanding the person living in that environment.

This particular novel is full of episodes showcasing the characters as being empathetic to others and sometimes not-so sympathetic and how this influences the consequences.

Sense and sensibility is Jane Austen's first published novel printed in 1811 anonymously under the name “By A Lady”. It tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor (age 19) and Marianne (age 16½, and Margaret (age 13). The novel follows the three Dashwood sisters as they move with their widowed mother from the estate on which they grew up, Norland Park. Because Norland is passed down to John, the product of Mr. Dashwood's first marriage, and his young son, the four Dashwood women need to look for a new home. They have the opportunity to rent a modest home, Barton Cottage, on the property of a distant relative, Sir John Middleton. There they experience love, romance, and heartbreak.

The sisters' relationships are tested as they balance emotional turmoil, suitors, and new beginnings.

I loved this book -- partly because Austen's writing style is straightforward and far easier to read than most classics -- and because of how much time Austen took to masterfully create her characters. The relationship between Elinor (who is sensible and logical) and her sister Marianne (who is expressive and has a love for drama) is deep and complicated. As the story unfolds, we see numerous sides of the sisters, how they try hard to empathize with each other's happiness and despair while striving to grow in their new environment together.

Questions like...

Is it more sensible to keep feelings buried, or
Does suffering in solitude is good or
Is appearing calm and collected at the risk of seeming cold good or
Is it more sensible to wear one’s heart on one sleeve, or
falling into self-pity while drawing the attention of those who can care and offer support is sensible or Does it come under sensibility to stick your nose in another’s business

...kept me wondering throughout the book.

This book is surely a tale on how to sort feelings and senses and being sensitive towards the moods and the people around. 

Excerpts from the novel of my likings-

 “Know your happiness. You want nothing but patience- or give it a more fascinating name, call it to hope.”

“…sometimes I have kept my feelings to myself because I could find no language to describe them in but what was worn and hackneyed out of all sense and meaning”

“When so many hours have been spent convincing myself I am right, is there not some reason to fear I may be wrong?”