Should we be wary of Willoughby when we meet him? Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility novel analysis

Marianne Dashwood is immediately taken with the dashing Mr Willoughby in Jane Austen's wonderful novel Sense and Sensibility. But should readers be a little more wary, more sceptical, and more alert than Marianne is? In this video I give three examples of Jane Austen encouraging readers to be sceptical of John Willoughby and his intentions. First, the language of Willoughby being Marianne’s “hero of a favourite story” and her “preserver” (drawing on The Ship-Wreck, from the Lady’s Magazine Supplement (1794); and Jane West’s A Gossip’s Story (1796)). Second, Sir John Middleton’s jokes about “tumbling about and spraining of ankles” at the end of the chapter in which Marianne and Willoughby meet. Third, that Willoughby "acquiesced in all her decisions, [and] caught all her enthusiasm". Can we trust Willoughby when we meet him? Or is Jane Austen testing readers's susceptibility? CLOSE READING CLASSIC LITERATURE #DrOctaviaCox #JaneAusten #CloseReadingClassicLiterature If you’d like to support the channel, you can here https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_... KEYWORDS english literature analysis jane austen sense and sensibility john willoughby marianne dashwood textual analysis