Posted by Jane Elizabeth on June 12, 1997 at 10:33:51:
In reply to Now that we're discussing all the books...my opinion of S&S posted by Barbara on June 11, 1997 at 16:20:17
The book leaves me somewhat depressed. Marianne has been essentially coerced into marrying Brandon by her well-meaning friends, and despite the "never loves by halves" it seems that the damper has been put on her emotions, which were her best, if most destructive feature. I never felt Edward deserved Elinor. Lucy may have been a youthful error, and he did stick by her, but he overall seems weak and indecisive.
Just about everyone in the book is punished in some way. I sense a bit of moralizing on Austen's part here, which may be the result of her relative youth at the time of its writing. She seemed to give her characters a break in later books and allow them to survive and even benefit from their mistakes.
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