Teaching students about the summary of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen can be a rewarding experience for both teachers and learners. This classic novel, first published in 1811, is a tale of two sisters, Elinor Dashwood and Marianne Dashwood, who represent two opposing traits of human behavior; the rational and the emotional. The story follows their struggles as they navigate love, societal customs, and financial worries.
As a teacher, the first step to introduce this novel to your students is to provide a brief background of Jane Austen’s life and the era in which she wrote. Then, you can dive into the summary of Sense and Sensibility.
The plot of Sense and Sensibility revolves around the lives of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, two sisters who, along with their mother and younger sister, are forced to move to a cottage in Devonshire after their father dies and their half-brother inherits the family home. Elinor, the older sister, is portrayed as calm and rational, thinking carefully before taking action. In contrast, Marianne is young, passionate, and impulsive, acting on her emotions without considering the consequences.
The sisters meet and fall in love with two very different men, Edward Ferrars, a shy and reserved young man, and John Willoughby, a charming and handsome man who sweeps Marianne off her feet. However, their hopes for a happy future are threatened when various obstacles arise, including hidden financial troubles and social norms that restrict women’s choices.
While Sense and Sensibility is a romance novel, it also offers a critique of the societal expectations that constrained women at that time. Austen portrays the difficulties women faced in securing their own futures, which make the sisters’ struggles even more poignant. By exposing students to these issues, teachers can provide context and inspire a deeper analysis of the novel.
To teach students about the summary of Sense and Sensibility, teachers can use various methods. First, they can conduct group discussions to analyze the characters and their personalities, influence, and motivations. This will help students identify the themes of the novel and develop their analytical and critical thinking skills.
Another method is to teach students how to write summaries themselves. Through this process, students learn how to condense larger portions of text into shorter, simpler ones, a valuable skill in academic and professional contexts.
