Emmeline by Charlotte Smith (comparison with Sense and Sensibility)

We have read everything written by Jane Austen! Now we will return to some of her novels and compare them with other works. This month will be Sense and Sensibility by Austen and Emmeline by Charlotte Smith. Some questions to guide our reading are below:

1. On heroines and female agency
How do Emmeline and the Dashwood sisters navigate the limits placed on women’s independence, both socially and economically?
To what extent do each novel’s heroines make active choices versus being acted upon by circumstance or society?
2. On reason, emotion, and moral education
How does each author define and balance “sense” (reason, prudence) and “sensibility” (feeling, sympathy) in her characters?
What do the stories seem to say about how much people should trust their feelings versus their rational judgment?
3. On social and economic critique
How do Austen and Smith each portray the connection between marriage, money, and morality?
In what ways do their novels critique or reinforce class and gender hierarchies of late 18th-century Britain?
4. On narrative style and tone
How does Austen’s irony and restraint compare with Smith’s more sentimental, sometimes melodramatic narration?
What effects do these different tones have on how readers judge the heroines’ actions?

I will have snacks to share, please feel free to bring drinks in closed containers or other snacks.

We will meet after the discussion for socializing at a nearby restaurant or cafe. Please feel free to join us!

Not an official Howard County Library System event