Previous
Mood
Definition of Motif
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the central themes of a book... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of related symbols, help develop the... read full definition
A motif is an element or idea that recurs throughout a work of literature. Motifs, which are often collections of... read full definition
Motifs
Explanation and Analysis—Loss of Home:
Many of the characters in Sense and Sensibility face the threat of losing their homes (including the Dashwoods, Willoughby, and Edward), forming a motif. For the Dashwoods, loss of home is intimately tied to their womanhood—because Henry Dashwood had one son from a previous marriage, the home in which his wife and daughters all live is transferred to his son John and John's wife. Because working outside the home would lead the Dashwoods to lose their social status (as was true of most middle- to upper-class women in England at this time), the women cannot provide for themselves and are shuttled from home to home over the course of the novel.
Related Themes:
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Art:
One of the ways that Austen shows the differences between Elinor and Marianne—and their respective romantic interests Edward and Willoughby—is via the motif of art. Artistic expression shows up several times throughout the novel, most often to highlight the ways in which Elinor prioritizes “sense” (or pragmatism) and Marianne prioritizes “sensibility” (or emotional sensitivity).
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
Chapter 19
Explanation and Analysis—Art:
One of the ways that Austen shows the differences between Elinor and Marianne—and their respective romantic interests Edward and Willoughby—is via the motif of art. Artistic expression shows up several times throughout the novel, most often to highlight the ways in which Elinor prioritizes “sense” (or pragmatism) and Marianne prioritizes “sensibility” (or emotional sensitivity).
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
Chapter 29
Explanation and Analysis—Letters:
Sense and Sensibility was originally an epistolary novel (or a novel made up of letters), and Austen still includes several letters scattered through the story, forming a motif. Letters, much like gossip, serve to complicate the characters’ ability to know the truth about each other’s inner feelings. This, in turn, leads letter recipients (like Marianne and Elinor) to draw false conclusions about other people’s true characters.
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
Chapter 38
Explanation and Analysis—Letters:
Sense and Sensibility was originally an epistolary novel (or a novel made up of letters), and Austen still includes several letters scattered through the story, forming a motif. Letters, much like gossip, serve to complicate the characters’ ability to know the truth about each other’s inner feelings. This, in turn, leads letter recipients (like Marianne and Elinor) to draw false conclusions about other people’s true characters.
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
Chapter 47
Explanation and Analysis—Gossip:
Throughout Sense and Sensibility, characters are constantly gossiping about each other—specifically who is romantically interested in or engaged to whom—forming a motif. The gossip is sometimes harmless, such as when Anne Steele lists all of the “beaux” (her word for eligible, unmarried men) she is interested in, but occasionally leads to major miscommunications. The prime example of this in the novel is when the Dashwoods’ servant Thomas tells them that “Mr. Ferrars” is married, not clarifying that he means Robert Ferrars, and everyone assumes he means Edward:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“Who told you that Mr. Ferrars was married, Thomas?”
“I see Mr. Ferrars myself, ma’am, this morning in Exeter, and his lady too, Miss Steele as was […] I took off my hat, and she knew me and called to me, and enquired after you, ma’am, and the young ladies, especially Miss Marianne, and bid me I should give her compliments and Mr. Ferrars’s, their best compliments and service, and how sorry they was they had not time to come on and see you.”
Related Themes:
