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Setting
Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Marianne and Brandon:
In an example of situational irony, Marianne ends up marrying Colonel Brandon, an older man she was expressly uninterested in for much of the novel. In one of the many moments in which Marianne makes her lack of interest in Colonel Brandon known, she gossips with Willoughby about how “nobody cares about” him:
“Brandon is just the kind of man,” said Willoughby one day, when they were talking of him together, “whom every body speaks well of, and nobody cares about; whom all are delighted to see, and nobody remembers to talk to.”
“That is exactly what I think of him,” cried Marianne.
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Chapter 22
Explanation and Analysis—Lucy and Edward:
A key moment of situational irony in Sense and Sensibility is when Lucy Steele reveals to Elinor that she and Edward have been engaged to be married for four years. Elinor's reaction to this reveal highlights the irony in the interaction:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“Good heavens!” cried Elinor, “what do you mean? Are you acquainted with Mr. Robert Ferrars? Can you be?” And she did not feel much delighted with the idea of such a sister-in-law.
“No;” replied Lucy, “not to Mr. Robert Ferrars—I never saw him in my life; but,” fixing her eyes upon Elinor, “to his elder brother.”
What felt Elinor at that moment? Astonishment, that would have been as painful as it was strong, had not an immediate disbelief of the assertion attended it.
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Chapter 29
Explanation and Analysis—Willoughby's Lies:
Despite his endless flirting with Marianne (including buying her a horse and keeping a lock of her hair), Willoughby reveals to her that he was never interested in her romantically—an example of situational irony. Readers assume—as Elinor and Mrs. Dashwood do—that Edward has asked Marianne to marry him and is just in London for work-related matters when, in fact, he is in London in order to find a wealthy woman to marry (which he finds in Miss Grey).
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Chapter 35
Explanation and Analysis—Lucy and Edward:
A key moment of situational irony in Sense and Sensibility is when Lucy Steele reveals to Elinor that she and Edward have been engaged to be married for four years. Elinor's reaction to this reveal highlights the irony in the interaction:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“Good heavens!” cried Elinor, “what do you mean? Are you acquainted with Mr. Robert Ferrars? Can you be?” And she did not feel much delighted with the idea of such a sister-in-law.
“No;” replied Lucy, “not to Mr. Robert Ferrars—I never saw him in my life; but,” fixing her eyes upon Elinor, “to his elder brother.”
What felt Elinor at that moment? Astonishment, that would have been as painful as it was strong, had not an immediate disbelief of the assertion attended it.
Related Themes:
Chapter 47
Explanation and Analysis—The Wrong Brother:
In an example of situational irony near the end of the novel, everyone in the Dashwood family believes that Lucy has married Edward when she has really married his brother Robert. This is because, in the following exchange, the Dashwoods’ servant refers to Robert simply as “Mr. Ferrars” and the Dashwoods jump to conclusions, having enormous emotional responses in the process:
Unlock with LitCharts A+“I suppose you know, ma’am, that Mr. Ferrars is married.”
Marianne gave a violent start, fixed her eyes upon Elinor, saw her turning pale, and fell back in her chair in hysterics. Mrs. Dashwood, whose eyes, as she answered the servant’s enquiry, had intuitively taken the same direction, was shocked to perceive by Elinor’s countenance how much she really suffered, and in a moment afterwards, alike distressed by Marianne’s situation, knew not on which child to bestow her principal attention.
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