Beverly Corinne Professor Bertolini Jane Austen & Film September 29th, 2006
Meeting Edward or A Growing Attachment In Jane Austen's novel Sense and Sensibility, the author does not fully explain how Edward and Elinor become strongly attached to each other. Austen simply mentions the interactions that the two young lovers have had and shows the strength of the connection through the notices and comments of the other characters. These statements and narrations work well in the novel, but in a movie, the viewers need to see the connection for themselves. If the director shot every scene in which Elinor and Edward become further acquainted, the movie would seem slow and would last longer than the average person's attention span. In Ang Lee's version of Sense and Sensibility, the director added a scene where Elinor and Edward collaborate to persuade Margaret to come out from hiding underneath the table in order to show viewers the attachment forming between the two young people and provide a basis for their relationship where the novel only needs to briefly mention their multiple meetings and Edward's many admirable qualities. When Elinor and Marianne have a conversation about Edward's taste, or lack thereof, Austen informs readers of what attracts Elinor to Edward. Elinor states, "Of his sense and goodness . . . no one can, I think, be in doubt, who has seen him often enough to engage him in unreserved conversation" (Austen 22). Readers learn about the depth of
Elinor's relationship with Edward through her monologue. She mentions, albeit briefly, the multiple encounters that the two have engaged in, and her admiration for the qualities and thoughtfulness that she has discovered in him through those meetings. Through this conversation, readers see the only glimpse into the young woman's feelings towards her love in this stage of the novel. Austen provides enough information through Elinor's words for readers to imagine and visualize their growing attachment. To show the strength of the two young people's bond, the narrator also looks at the relationship through the eyes of other people. Mrs. Dashwood, for example, clearly sees their attachment. Austen writes, "no sooner did [Mrs. Dashwood] perceive any symptom of love in his behavior to Elinor, than she considered their serious attachment as certain" (Austen 18). Through Mrs. Dashwood's notice of Elinor and Edwards's relationship and thoughts of an upcoming proposal and marriage, readers see the strength of the bond between the two characters. Marriage represents the final step and the utmost closeness and affection when not done out of necessity, as appears to be the case with Elinor and Edward. In the novel, Austen uses one conversation and a few statements about other characters', namely Mrs. Dashwood's, Fanny's, and Marianne's, reactions to the bond to show both the basis and the strength of Edward and Elinor's relationship. Although the dialogue between Elinor and Marianne and the comments made by other characters about Elinor and Edward's connection work well in a novel to show their growing attachment, film viewers would neither see nor feel the strength and seriousness of the bond if the director had filmed the story exactly as it appears in the book. In a film, directors need to show, not just tell, the audience what the characters are thinking and feeling for the viewers to believe and relate to the characters and their lives. If viewers
only learn about Elinor and Edward's growing attachment through Elinor's speech and a narrator's voice, they would doubt the sincerity and strength of the bond because they only hear about it. In order to prove their relationship's genuineness, the director needs to add scenes that show it. In the film Sense and Sensibility, Ang Lee, the director, added a scene where Elinor and Edward unite, creating their connection, on the common purpose of luring Margaret out from under the table. The eleven-year-old girl hides under the table early in the morning and none of her family can find her. Edward finds her during his tour of the estate, and alerts the small family to her whereabouts. He then comes up with clever a plan to lure Margaret out of her hiding place. After inquiring about the availability of an atlas, he says that he wishes "to check the position of the Nile," beginning an entire charade to entice Margaret out of her hiding place (Thompson 43). Edward knows that Margaret loves geography, and will surely come out so that she can correct the two adults about not knowing their geography. The scene provides a basis for Edward and Elinor's relationship. Viewers can see the admirable qualities of Edward because they see him taking an interest in Margaret's welfare even though he has never met her. Elinor observes that he would make a great father and can see that he has "an open affectionate heart" beneath his shyness (Austen 17). Viewers also see what Edward may find attractive in Elinor. She responds immediately when he informs the family of Margaret's whereabouts, showing that family ranks highly on her list of priorities. She also recognizes the point of his questioning and plays along immediately, displaying her intelligence. Their immediate, strong connection jumps right off of the screen. The two young people unite on a single purpose of a similar mind. Their exchange draws them
closer together emotionally. A screen writer's note in the screenplay states, "[Edward and Elinor] are having such a good time that it is rather a pity the game is stopped by the appearance from under the table of Margaret" (Thompson 44). The two make a connection and, to the viewers, seem to fit together as perfectly as a match made in heaven. The meaningful looks that they give each other during and after the exchange also show readers the strength of their newly formed bond. From there, the two become better acquainted through this knowledge of each other and from a wish to further this connection. The added scene in the film embodies much of the content of Elinor's speech from the novel. Although this scene works perfectly in film, Austen may have chosen not to write a specific scene like this one because writers can use infinite time and words to tell their story. Austen's use of the narrator and Elinor's monologue effectively explains the bond between Elinor and Edward. The two features show a greater passage of time within their relationship. Readers can believe in the authenticity of their connection partly because they read that its development has taken place over an extended period of time. Film does not have this luxury. If time jumps forward too...