Sense and Sensibility | |
---|---|
![]() DVD cover | |
Genre | Costume drama |
Based on | Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen |
Screenplay by | Andrew Davies |
Directed by | John Alexander |
Starring | |
Theme music composer | Martin Phipps |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 3 |
Production | |
Producer | Anne Pivcevic |
Cinematography | Sean Bobbitt |
Editor | Roy Sharman |
Running time | 174 minutes |
Production companies | |
Original release | |
Network | BBC One |
Release | 1 January – 13 January 2008 |
Sense and Sensibility is a 2008 British television drama adaptation of Jane Austen's 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility . The screenplay was written by Andrew Davies, who revealed that the aim of the series was to make viewers forget Ang Lee's 1995 film Sense and Sensibility . The series was "more overtly sexual" than previous Austen adaptations, and Davies included scenes featuring a seduction and a duel that were absent from the feature film but are suggested in Austen's book. Sense and Sensibility was directed by John Alexander and produced by Anne Pivcevic. Hattie Morahan and Charity Wakefield starred as Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, two sisters who go on "a voyage of burgeoning sexual and romantic discovery". [1]
The series was shot on location in the English counties of Berkshire, Surrey, Buckinghamshire and Devon for two months from April 2007. Sense and Sensibility was co-produced by the BBC and American studio WGBH Boston. It was aired in three parts from 1 January 2008 in the United Kingdom and attracted an average of 6 million viewers per episode. The first episode also became one of the top ten most streamed programmes on the BBC iPlayer. Sense and Sensibility garnered mostly positive reviews from television critics, while the cast and crew earned several award nominations for their work. It was released on a two-disc DVD in the UK on 14 January 2008.
When Henry Dashwood dies, he leaves his entire fortune and his home, Norland Park, to his son John. John promises that he will provide for his stepmother Mary Dashwood, and half-sisters Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret. However, John's wife Fanny convinces him to make much smaller provision than he had originally intended. In addition, they will have to leave Norland Park as it now belongs to John. Fanny's brother Edward Ferrars comes to visit, and he quickly befriends Elinor. While Mrs. Dashwood hopes they will become engaged, Fanny informs her that his mother will not approve the match as she wants Edward to marry a woman who is richer or more socially prominent, or both. Mrs. Dashwood receives a letter from her cousin Sir John Middleton offering her a small cottage on his estate, Barton Park in Devonshire. She and her daughters decide to leave Norland immediately.
During a welcome dinner at Barton Park Sir John introduces the Dashwoods to his wife, Lady Middleton, her mother, Mrs. Jennings, and their family friend, Colonel Brandon. Brandon instantly falls in love with Marianne, but she believes that he is too old for her. While out walking with Margaret, Marianne falls and twists her ankle. She is rescued by a young man, who carries her back to the cottage. He introduces himself as John Willoughby and states that he will return to check on Marianne the following day. Brandon also comes to visit but upon seeing Willoughby, quickly departs. Willoughby and Marianne grow close through their mutual love of poetry, and he later takes a lock of her hair. Mrs. Dashwood and Elinor begin to speculate on whether they have become secretly engaged.
Brandon invites the Dashwoods and the Middletons to a gathering on his estate at Delaford, but before the trip can take place, he is called away on urgent business. Willoughby requests a private meeting first with Marianne and then Mrs Dashwood, leading them to expect that he will propose. However, Willoughby reveals that his aunt is sending him on business to London, and he may not be able to return to Devonshire for at least a year. Shortly after Willoughby's departure Edward comes to visit, and the Dashwoods notice that he appears to be unhappy and distant. Mrs. Jennings' nieces, Lucy and Anne Steele, come to visit Barton Park. When Lucy learns that the Dashwoods are acquainted with the Ferrars, Lucy confides in Elinor that she and Edward have been secretly engaged for four years, news which devastates Elinor. Mrs. Jennings invites Elinor and Marianne to spend some time with her in London, and Marianne hopes she will see Willoughby there. However, after she arrives, he does not visit or reply to her letters.
During a party, Marianne finds Willoughby, but he barely acknowledges their acquaintance. Marianne later learns that he is engaged to the wealthy Miss Grey, and becomes inconsolable. Brandon calls on the Dashwoods and explains to Elinor that Willoughby seduced and then abandoned when pregnant Brandon's young ward Eliza Williams, who has subsequently given birth to a child. Mrs. Ferrars learns of Edward's engagement to Lucy and threatens to disinherit him unless he calls it off, but Edward refuses. Brandon later offers him a clerical living on his estate at Delaford, which Edward gladly accepts. While staying with Mrs. Jennings' daughter Mrs. Palmer on the way back to Devonshire, Marianne goes walking in a storm and collapses. Brandon finds her and brings her back indoors, where she falls seriously ill with a fever. During Marianne's recovery, Willoughby comes to talk with Elinor. He insists that he loved Marianne and would have married her, but he had to marry a rich woman because his aunt had disowned him after learning of his behaviour toward Eliza. After Marianne recovers, the sisters return home and Marianne begins spending time at Delaford, eventually falling in love with Brandon. Elinor learns that Lucy Steele has become Mrs. Ferrars, and assumes that Lucy and Edward have married. However, Edward arrives at the cottage and explains to the Dashwoods that Lucy has married his brother Robert instead because Mrs Ferrars has transferred Edward's inheritance to Robert. Edward then declares his love to Elinor and proposes. They marry, as do Marianne and Brandon.
On 5 October 2005, a reporter for the BBC News revealed that writer Andrew Davies was planning to adapt Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility into a major television drama due to be broadcast on the BBC in two years. [2] Davies commented, "When they are great stories, you keep on coming back to them and doing them in different ways with different people at different lengths." [2] Davies explained that his script was in the early stages and that no actors had yet been cast. [2] The writer later expressed his delight at adapting the novel during an interview with Paul Carey from the Western Mail , calling Austen his "favourite novelist". [3] He also admitted that due to the acclaim he received for his adaptation of Pride and Prejudice , there was pressure on him to get Sense and Sensibility right. [3] Davies later stated that the aim of the miniseries was to make viewers forget about Ang Lee's 1995 film adaptation of the novel. [4]
The opening episode of Sense and Sensibility features the moment Willoughby seduces Eliza, who is still a schoolgirl. [5] Davies told Carey and Claire Hill from the Western Mail that he wanted "to do justice" to Willoughby's back story, saying that it is "quite interesting and steamy stuff like a lot of underage sex that goes on and is just talked about. I want to put it on the screen." [6] Davies elaborated on this further in an interview with The Independent's Peter Chapman, saying that the seduction and abandonment of a schoolgirl which features in the novel needed dramatising. [7] He believed readers of the novel "hardly notice" the moment, which he felt was very important. [7] The writer noted that the series was "more overtly sexual" than previous adaptations of Austen's works and added, "The novel is as much about sex and money as social conventions." [8] Davies also included a duel between Colonel Brandon and Willoughby in his screenplay, an event that was absent from Lee's film, but is mentioned in the original novel. [5]
Davies believed that Lee's film did not overcome "the problem of the guys who get the girls not seeming quite good enough", and set out to try to find a way of making them into heroes in his script. [7] He said that Austen should have made the reader feel that Edward was worthy of Elinor and explained how Marianne falls in love with Colonel Brandon, after having her heart broken by Willoughby. [4] The writer added more weight to the male roles, so they could be turned into stronger characters. [9] Davies told Hill that the team "worked very hard" on the men. Brandon is seen rescuing people and doing a lot of fast horse riding, while Edward was given a wood-chopping scene where he vents his frustrations about his engagement. [4] Davies also made the Dashwood sisters younger and "more vulnerable" than they were portrayed in Lee's film. [9] Hattie Morahan, who portrayed Elinor in the drama, stated, "We are trying to play the story as it was written. In the novel the girls are 19 and 17, so these romantic relationships are real rites of passage for them." [9]
Davies commented that he would have liked to have been in charge of the casting. [7] He revealed that he had initially objected to Hattie Morahan being cast in the role of the eldest Dashwood sister, Elinor. [7] However, he was glad that his objections were ignored, because he fell in love with her performance. [7] Morahan told The Daily Telegraph's Jasper Rees that she deliberately chose not to watch the 1995 film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility or think about Emma Thompson's portrayal of the character. [10] She explained that she had not "[b]ecause you would go mad. It would distort your work. I thought, it'll be original by virtue of the fact that it's me doing it and there is only one me." [10]
Charity Wakefield successfully auditioned for the role of Marianne Dashwood. The actress said, "Marianne is the embodiment of youth and hope. I was so excited to be offered the part because I felt that it was a role which I could really attack. I understand her character and feel that we have lots in common." [11] Dan Stevens was chosen to play Edward Ferrars, Elinor's love interest. [12] The actor revealed to a BBC journalist that he had really wanted the part and was excited by the challenge of the character. [13] Stevens became ill with tonsillitis during the shoot, and quipped that there are very few shots of him in full health still in the series. [12]
David Morrissey portrayed Colonel Brandon. The actor was sent the script by his agent, and he initially questioned whether another Austen adaptation was needed. [14] However, he then read the script and thought it was "just brilliant", especially as Davies had added more scenes featuring the male characters. [14] Dominic Cooper took on the role of John Willoughby, Brandon's rival for Marianne's affections. [15] Describing his character, Cooper said "The way I tried to persuade myself he wasn't too bad was that he's a 25-year-old young guy and he genuinely falls in love with Marianne – he's not just doing it for one moment in time." [15] Cooper said that he had fun working on the project. [15]
Janet McTeer and Lucy Boynton were cast as Mrs Dashwood and Margaret Dashwood respectively. [16] [17] Mark Gatiss portrayed John Dashwood. Claire Skinner received the role of John's wife, Fanny, while Mark Williams was cast as Sir John Middleton. [18] Linda Bassett and Jean Marsh were given the roles of Mrs Jennings and Mrs Ferrars respectively. Robert Bianco from USA Today commented that both women were "wonderfully cast". [19] Actresses Anna Madeley and Daisy Haggard portrayed Lucy Steele and her sister Anne, a character who was omitted from the 1995 film. [20] [21]
Sense and Sensibility was shot entirely on location within England, mostly in the counties of Berkshire, Surrey, Buckinghamshire, and Devon. [8] [22] Filming began in April 2007 and lasted until early June. [8] Blackpool Mill, a fifteenth-century cottage in north Devon, was turned into Barton Cottage, the home of the Dashwood girls. [23] The art director for the series, James Merifield, had walked past the cottage in 2006 and thought it would be an ideal setting for a film. [23] He was later sent back to the cottage by the location manager for Sense and Sensibility, and he decided the place would be right for the production. The owners of Blackpool Mill, Sir Hugh and Lady Stucley, were contacted in February 2007 by the BBC who inquired about the possibility of filming there. [23] Caroline Gammell from The Daily Telegraph reported that "camera crews, production assistants, directors and actors swarmed over Blackpool Mill, turning the rustic four-bedroom home into the romantic hub of Jane Austen's novel. Set designers took the cottage more firmly into the 19th century, adding a porch at the front as well as dormer windows, fake shutters and an extra chimney." [23] The interior of the cottage was "a little scruffy" for Mrs Dashwood's status, so scenes featuring the inside of the cottage were filmed in a studio. [23] Filming took place at the cottage over eight days in May. [23]
Wakefield revealed that it rained constantly during filming, often soaking the cast and crew. [24] However, the bad weather led to Davies writing in a scene featuring Edward in a wet shirt chopping logs in the rain, which rivalled the famous lake scene in Pride and Prejudice. [24] Cooper told The Birmingham Post's Georgina Rodgers that the bad weather affected his first scene, in which Willoughby carries an injured Marianne home. [15] He explained that the scene was shot on a vertical slope with a rain machine, as the natural rain does not show up on camera. [15] His cloak also kept getting caught under his foot, which made picking up Wakefield even harder. Cooper added, "I couldn't move and I just kept falling head over heels." [15] Wrotham Park served as the exterior to Norland, the Dashwood family's home. [25] Ham House in Richmond was used for Norland's interior shots, while the grounds were used for exterior scenes. [26] The National Trust was asked not to cut the grass for several weeks before filming began. [26] Ham House also doubled for Cleveland. [27] Loseley Park was chosen for the exterior shots of Sir John Middleton's home, Barton Park. [27] The library doubled for Colonel Brandon's own, while the entrance was used for scenes featuring a gathering of guests for a day out. The Oak Room was also used for the scenes involving Marianne, after she falls sick. [27] Other filming locations included Dorney Court, Hall Barn, Lincoln's Inn and Clovelly Pier. [28] [29] [30]
The costume designer for Sense and Sensibility was Michele Clapton. [9] She and assistant costume designer Alex Fordham undertook a large amount of research looking for inspiration. [9] [31] They spent hours looking at paintings and books from the time period, while also visiting art galleries and the Victoria and Albert Museum. [9] [31] During an interview for the drama's BBC Online website, Fordham revealed that they tried to find references from every area, including eighteenth-century cartoons. [31] Clapton stated that the team wanted to make a lot of the costumes, rather than re-use what was already available from other productions. To get the sense of colour that they wanted, they had to dye and create a lot of the pieces. [31] The wardrobe team worked closely with the make-up department and the production designer. After their first meeting, they came up with a colour palette for the whole show. [31] Clapton chose to give Elinor and Marianne contrasting wardrobes. The "flighty" and "artistic" Marianne wears strong colours compared to Elinor, who has a different personality and complexion. [31] Fordham revealed that with Marianne being younger and a "wild child", her wardrobe contains a lot of buttercup yellows, which suited Wakefield's complexion and her character's freshness. [31]
Willoughby's wardrobe was designed to reflect his "poetic" and "fashionable" nature, while Fordham believed Edward was more suited to the eighteenth-century rural colours. [31] With Colonel Brandon being a stronger character, his costumes were halfway between the two. His clothes were designed to be out of date and firm, using more heathers instead of the rural colours. [31] The production had an emphasis on youth and passion, which Clapton incorporated into her work. [9] The designer said, "Ten years ago, female characters in 19th-century dramas would all have their hair done in very precise ringlets, all neat and perfect just like in the portraits. Now we're trying to achieve a more believable, natural look, especially when the Dashwoods are at home." [9] She added that the director had wanted the characters to "feel more human." [9] Morrissey commented that the period costumes were "slightly uncomfortable" for modern life, but as soon as the cast were riding horses or walking across fields, they realised why they were made that way. [32] He added, "When you're dancing, they're quite restrictive, but that's quite good for posture – posture was different then, and that's important. But they give you a feel for the character which is really an advantage to you as an actor." [32]
Karen Hartley-Thomas was the hair and make-up designer for the production. [33] She began prepping a couple of months before filming began, and she met with the director and producer early on to discuss the whole look of the film. [33] Like the costumers, she read books and went to art galleries during her research. [33] The female characters in Sense and Sensibility wear a "no make-up look" because in the time period in which the film is set, only the lower classes would have worn white and pink make-up. [33] The Dashwood sisters wore no mascara and only a little corrective and blush. Hartley-Thomas also used very little make-up on the men, as she does not like them looking made up. [33] Discussing the hair, Hartley-Thomas said "Elinor's hair is always quite neat and done, where Marianne, being a freer character and more rebellious, she has lots of different looks and lots of wild looks with the hair loose." [33] She also explained that some of the male actors wore wigs because the men in those days would have had a lot more volume to their hair, whereas the modern styles tend to be shorter and clippered. [33] John Dashwood and his son were given red hair, as Hartley-Thomas wanted them to stand out from the other male characters. [33]
Sense and Sensibility was aired in the UK in three parts, with the first shown on 1 January 2008. The other two episodes were broadcast on 6 and 13 January. [1] The first episode of Sense and Sensibility became one of the top ten streamed programmes on the BBC iPlayer following its broadcast. [34] In the United States, Sense and Sensibility was broadcast on PBS, as part of their Austen Masterpiece Theatre series. The drama was split into two episodes, which aired on 30 March and 6 April 2008. [35] [36] Sense and Sensibility began airing from 26 June 2008 on the UKTV channel in Australia. [37]
Sense and Sensibility was released on a two-disc DVD in the UK on 14 January 2008. [38] The Region 1 DVD was released a few days after its premiere on PBS. The two-disc set also included the BBC's Miss Austen Regrets , as well as commentary and interviews from the cast and crew. [39]
The first episode of Sense and Sensibility attracted 5.54 million viewers upon its first broadcast in the United Kingdom, giving it twenty per cent of the audience share for its broadcast time. [40] The second episode posted a small increase of 5.74 million viewers, while the concluding part attracted an audience of 6.76 million. [40] [41]
Sense and Sensibility received mostly positive reviews from critics. Melinda Houston, writing for The Age , called Sense and Sensibility "a gorgeous adaptation of her most frivolous work" and added, "It's all beautifully made, beautifully cast, and the script snaps and crackles. Maybe Eleanor[ sic ] isn't quite as flawed as originally drawn but that's unlikely to detract from your enjoyment." [42] Lenny Ann Low from The Sydney Morning Herald stated, "The locations, costumes and acting are excellent, with a particularly striking use of light – cold and grey skies foretelling doom through to rich candlelight signalling new passions." [43] The New York Times critic Ginia Bellafante said, "There's nothing glaringly wrong with this new Sense and Sensibility, the last in Masterpiece's winter-long homage to Austen; it is both lush and tidy. But it alters the emotional chemistry, and the result is an adaptation that feels more arid than Mr. Lee's effort." [44]
Nancy Banks-Smith from The Guardian called Sense and Sensibility "a charmingly domestic and spontaneous treatment of the story", adding that it had become "a younger sister" of Lee's 1995 film. [45] Variety's Brian Lowry commented, "this latest Sense & Sensibility has done a splendid job casting its various roles, despite an inevitable wattage deficit compared with the most recent theatrical version. Davies and director John Alexander have also taken some liberties by crafting scenes of the men together (something Austen herself never did) – having the steely Brandon, for example, pull Willoughby aside to question his intentions toward Marianne. Featuring a top-drawer cast, the filmmakers create several delicate moments – from Willoughby's elegant seduction of Marianne to the stoic Elinor's pining for the elusive Edward who, as played by Stevens, adorably stammers in a Hugh Grant-like way." [46]
Serena Davies from The Daily Telegraph praised the first episode, calling it "faithful to the spirit of the book" and stating that the series "deftly stepped out of the shadows of two formidable predecessors: Ang Lee's gorgeous 1995 film version of the novel, and scriptwriter Andrew Davies's own masterpiece, Pride and Prejudice." [47] Davies enjoyed Morahan's "luminous" performance as Elinor, as well as Williams and Morrissey's turns as Sir John and Colonel Brandon respectively, although she thought the opening scene was "misconceived". [47] Davies' colleague, James Walton, proclaimed, "In the end, this Sense and Sensibility was perhaps brilliantly competent rather than surpassingly brilliant. Nevertheless, it still proved easily good enough to get the costume-drama year off to a hugely enjoyable start." [48]
The crew of Sense and Sensibility garnered several award nominations for their work on the drama. At the 14th Shanghai Television Festival, the series was nominated for Magnolia Award for Best Television Film or Miniseries, Alexander won the Best Television Film Director award, while Morahan won Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Film for her turn as Elinor Dashwood. [49] Davies was nominated in the Writer's Award category at the 35th Broadcasting Press Guild Awards for his screenplay, and Clapton received a nomination for Outstanding Costume Design for a Television Movie or Mini-Series at the Costume Designers Guild Awards. [50] [51] For his work on the score, Phipps earned nominations for a BAFTA Television Craft Award for Best Original Television Music and a Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or Special. [52] [53] Cinematographer Sean Bobbitt was also nominated for an Emmy Award in the Cinematography for a Miniseries, Movie or Special category. [54]
Jane Austen was an English novelist known primarily for her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots often explore the dependence of women on marriage for the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security. Her works are an implicit critique of the novels of sensibility of the second half of the 18th century and are part of the transition to 19th-century literary realism. Her deft use of social commentary, realism and biting irony have earned her acclaim among critics and scholars.
Sense and Sensibility is the first novel by the English author Jane Austen, published in 1811. It was published anonymously; By A Lady appears on the title page where the author's name might have been. It tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne as they come of age. They have an older half-brother, John, and a younger sister, Margaret.
Sense and Sensibility is a 1995 period drama film directed by Ang Lee and based on Jane Austen's 1811 novel of the same name. Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay and stars as Elinor Dashwood, while Kate Winslet plays Elinor's younger sister Marianne. The story follows the Dashwood sisters, members of a wealthy English family of landed gentry, as they must deal with circumstances of sudden destitution. They are forced to seek financial security through marriage. Hugh Grant and Alan Rickman play their respective suitors.
Elinor Dashwood is a fictional character and the protagonist of Jane Austen's 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility.
Harriet Jane Morahan is an English actress. Her roles include Sister Clara in The Golden Compass (2007), Gale Benson in The Bank Job (2008), Alice in The Bletchley Circle (2012–2014), Ann in Mr. Holmes (2015), Rose Coyne in My Mother and Other Strangers (2016), Agathe/The Enchantress in Beauty and the Beast (2017), and as a voice actress, Doctor Who companion Helen Sinclair in Big Finish Productions.
The Jane Austen Season is a British television series of dramas based on the novels by Jane Austen. The season began on ITV at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday 18 March 2007 with Mansfield Park. The following week, Northanger Abbey was broadcast. The season ended with Persuasion on Sunday 1 April 2007. A repeat of the 1996 feature-length film Emma was broadcast on Friday 6 April 2007. The combined ITV and BBC series, titled The Complete Jane Austen, was shown in the United States by the PBS Masterpiece Theatre drama anthology television series from January through April 2008.
Blake Adam Ritson is an English actor.
Sense and Sensibility is the original soundtrack of the 1995 film of the same name starring Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet and Tom Wilkinson. The original score was composed by the Scottish composer Patrick Doyle, a friend of Thompson's who had worked with her on many previous films. Director Ang Lee tasked Doyle with creating a gentle score reflecting the emotional suppression of the society featured in the film. Doyle subsequently created a score which he described as "suppressed" with "occasional outbursts of emotion", in keeping with the film's storyline.
Sense and Sensibility is a 1981 BBC television adaptation of Jane Austen's 1811 novel. The seven-part series was dramatised by Alexander Baron, and directed by Rodney Bennett. This adaptation omits the character of Margaret Dashwood, the younger sister of Elinor and Marianne. It has been remastered for release on DVD.
The reception history of Jane Austen follows a path from modest fame to wild popularity. Jane Austen (1775–1817), the author of such works as Pride and Prejudice (1813) and Emma (1815), has become one of the best-known and most widely read novelists in the English language. Her novels are the subject of intense scholarly study and the centre of a diverse fan culture.
The author Jane Austen and her works have been represented in popular culture in a variety of forms.
Marianne Dashwood is a fictional character in Jane Austen's 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility. The 16-year-old second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dashwood, she mostly embodies the "sensibility" of the title, as opposed to her elder sister Elinor's "sense".
Edward Ferrars is a fictional character in Jane Austen's 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility. He is the elder of Fanny Dashwood's two brothers and forms an attachment to Elinor Dashwood.
John Willoughby is a fictional character in Jane Austen's 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility. He is described as being a handsome young man with a small estate, but has expectations of inheriting his aunt's large estate. He is in love with Marianne Dashwood, who is also a character in the novel.
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters (2009) is a parody novel by Ben H. Winters, with Jane Austen credited as co-author. It is a mashup story containing elements from Jane Austen's 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility and common tropes from sea monster stories. It is the thematic sequel to another 2009 novel from the same publisher called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It was first published by Quirk Books on September 15, 2009.
Jane Austen's (1775–1817) distinctive literary style relies on a combination of parody, burlesque, irony, free indirect speech and a degree of realism. She uses parody and burlesque for comic effect and to critique the portrayal of women in 18th-century sentimental and Gothic novels. Austen extends her critique by highlighting social hypocrisy through irony; she often creates an ironic tone through free indirect speech in which the thoughts and words of the characters mix with the voice of the narrator. The degree to which critics believe Austen's characters have psychological depth informs their views regarding her realism. While some scholars argue that Austen falls into a tradition of realism because of her finely executed portrayal of individual characters and her emphasis on "the everyday", others contend that her characters lack a depth of feeling compared with earlier works, and that this, combined with Austen's polemical tone, places her outside the realist tradition.
Georgian society in Jane Austen's novels is the ever-present background of her work, the world in which all her characters are set. Entirely situated during the reign of George III, the novels of Austen describe their characters' everyday lives, joys, sorrows, and loves, providing insight into the period.
Colonel Brandon is a fictional character in Jane Austen's 1811 novel Sense and Sensibility. A quiet and reserved man, he forms an attachment to the middle Dashwood sister, Marianne whom he eventually marries happily.
Old Friends and New Fancies: An Imaginary Sequel to the Novels of Jane Austen (1913) is a novel by Sybil G. Brinton that is often acknowledged to be the first sequel to the works of Jane Austen and as such is possibly the first piece of published Austen fan fiction, although earlier examples have been described by Sarah Glosson. It incorporates characters from each of Austen's six major novels into one unified story, alongside characters of Brinton's own invention. Keeping to the spirit of the source novels, its major theme is the difficulties faced by assorted pairs of lovers placed within the class structure of early 19th century Britain.
Sense and Sensibility is a 1971 BBC television adaptation of Jane Austen's 1811 novel. It was dramatized by Denis Constanduros, and directed by David Giles.