Elinor Dashwood
| Elinor Dashwood | |
|---|---|
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| Full name | Elinor Dashwood |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | 19 |
| Income | £500 per year. This £500 yearly income was her mother's marriage settlement which must support Mrs. Dashwood and three unwed daughters. According to "Jane Austen's World" the spending power would have been roughly equivalent to just under £17,000 per year in 2008. |
| Education | Home schooled |
| Primary residence | Norland Park Barton Cottage |
| Family | |
| Romantic interest(s) | Edward Ferrars |
| Parents | Henry Dashwood and Mrs. Dashwood |
| Sibling(s) | John Dashwood (half-brother) Marianne Dashwood Margaret Dashwood |
Elinor Dashwood is a fictional character and the protagonist of Jane Austen's novel Sense and Sensibility.
In this novel, Austen analyses the conflict between the opposing temperaments of sense (logic, propriety, and thoughtfulness, as expressed in Austen's time by neo-classicists), and sensibility (emotion, passion, unthinking action, as expressed in Austen's time by romantics). In this conflict, Elinor, a reserved, practical, and thoughtful young woman who embodies the "sense" of the title, is juxtaposed to her flighty younger sister Marianne who embodies "sensibility". Elinor appears to be vaguely based on the author's older sister, Cassandra Austen.
Elinor is described as possessing a coolness of judgement and strength of understanding which qualifies her to be her mother's frequent counsellor, and sometimes she shows more common sense than her mother, whose judgment is shown to be flawed by her exaggerated notions of romantic delicacy. Austen describes Dashwood as "the comforter of others in her own distress, no less than theirs". Her mother is more often preoccupied with Marianne and her problems. Although Austen writes that Elinor's feelings are just as passionate and deep as Marianne's, she knows how to govern them better, as she is more aware of the demands society makes upon women and more prepared to compromise. The American scholar Susan Morgan called Dashwood the "moral center" of the novel, having "both deep affections and the willingness to control the desires of her own heart for the sake of the people she loves." A central problem in the novel, like other of Austen's book is that of knowing people, as people either don't reveal their true feelings and/or one's powers of observation could only be extended so far. Dashwood's response to this problem is simply to wait until time reveals the true character of the people she encounters. Unlike her younger sister, Elinor knows that social conventions are to a certain extent dishonest as people engage in polite lies, and she does not take them at face value, giving her better judgement. Despite her reserved and self-disciplined nature, Elinor "feels more" than her sister. Through Elinor makes mistakes in judging people as with Mrs. Jennings, her awareness of her own flaws allows her to learn from her mistakes. She is described as having a delicate complexion, regular features, and a remarkably pretty figure—although less striking than Marianne, more "correct"—which Austen uses as a good overall summary of their characters as well as their physical appearance. She is more polite than Marianne, though her repugnance towards vulgarity and selfishness is quite equal; and thus she can "really love" the rather vulgar but good hearted Mrs. Jennings, and be civil to people Marianne would be repulsed by—even people like Lucy Steele. Elinor's politeness not only reflects good manner, but also a concern for the feelings others. Elinor says "my doctrine has never aimed at the subjection of understanding" and "it is my wish to be candid in my judgement of everybody". Elinor's concern with decorum reflects her understanding that politeness offers a way for others to become more understanding of her as he becomes more understanding of them. Unlike her sister, Elinor's way of understanding the world is based upon careful observation of the character of others instead of fixed maxims or impulsive emotionism. Elinor is not a fixed character, but rather one who constantly evolves while remaining true to her values. Morgan argued that the key moments for Austen heroines is when they are able to think beyond their immediate concerns to view others with "disinterested sympathy" to see them as they really are. In this regard, Morgan argued that for Austen, the purpose of politeness when she created the character of Dashwood is to enforce social norms, but a way of understanding the world, to cover uncertainties and sudden vicissitude which occur in life.
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