A Structuralist Reading of Austens Sense and Sensibility...

A Structuralist Reading of Austens Sense and Sensibilitynbsp;nbsp; The fundamental structural dynamic underlying the whole manifested universe, much less literature, is duality; therefore, Jane Austens Sense and Sensibility is easily analyzed from the structuralist perspective. Each of us is a complex mixture of polar opposites, the most primary of which being the division between right brain and left brain, or, more commonly, heart and mind. Austens technique in this novel is that of eliminating altogether the corpus callosum, thus juxtaposing the two halves into a binary opposition, a split between the heart that throbs and exults and the mind which ascertains and evaluates. Marianne is, of course, the heart of the†¦show more content†¦Jennings nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Mr. Palmernbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Miss Steele nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Mrs. Ferrarsnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Mrs. Palmer nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Fanny Dashwood nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Lady Middleton All of the above listed characters are fairly predictable and, unfortunately, rather one-dimensional, save for two, these two seeming, at the beginning of the novel, to reside in opposite camps. I am speaking of Col. Brandon and Willoughby. The revelation of their true natures, as contrasted with our initial impressions of them early on in the story, is one of the more interesting shifts in structure achieved by Miss Austen. Our first glimpse of Brandon gives us the impression of a stodgy, lifeless bore, aloof, most likely, from some inflated sense of superiority. This would place him right along side the likes of Mr.Show MoreRelatedEssay Jane Austen2480 Words   |  10 Pagessmooth-running of society to the advantage of men†1, proving that men gained power throughout the socially constructed subordination of woman. Taking a post-structuralist approach to Mansfield Park, we can see that there is a â€Å"pretence that bourgeois culture is ‘natural’†¦to limit meaning in the interests of control, repression and privilege†2. Austen’s writing embodies middle-class values, and portrays an ideology that emphasises patriarchal rule, along with social and economic power, with little reference