Property, Proprietorship and Promise: Masculinity in Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility

"Evening or Full Dress," a fashion plate for "The Repository of Arts," June 1, 1810, by Rudolph Ackermann

Jane Austen, in her letter to James Stanier Clarke dated 1816, wittily states that she knows little of the lived experience of men - she couldn’t possibly write about them. She writes, “I think I may boast myself to be, with all possible vanity, the most unlearned and uninformed female who ever dared to be an authoress.” The appeal of Austen’s novels certainly lies in her keen ability to discern the nuances of gendered identity beyond just her female protagonists; and her legacy lies in the fact that these nuances are just as amusing and relatable in the 21st century.

Her first novel, Sense & Sensibility, provides three versions of masculinity through her male heroes: Edward Ferrars, Colonel Brandon and John Willoughby. These men are un-heroically imperfect, yet, Austen leads us to embrace them anyway. The romantic heroes struggle with their sense of individualism, which Austen parallels directly to the system of property and estate. The man’s ability to honour his responsibilities speaks to his ability of demonstrating the ideal masculinity - the upkeep of his property, his proprietorship over his person, and his ability to keep promises to others.

Property

The characters of the novel are introduced alongside their monetary worth, including the terms on which they are held. Perhaps most plainly, the Dashwood women are thrown out of their own home when John Dashwood acquires the Norland estate. The acquisition of property represents masculine self-realisation, and as a result, it fosters dependency on the man and his property - often prioritised over romantic love. Colonel Brandon, Edward, and Willoughby are all unable to pursue the women they love when their ownership of property is threatened. When Willoughby loses the property he was to inherit, it ultimately leads to his betrayal of Marianne. This demonstrates that a man without his property thus loses proprietorship of himself and his ability to keep promises.

Proprietorship

Self-surveillance and self-regulation are important aspects of 19th century socialised masculine conduct. However, Austen encourages the audience to see that self-proprietorship does not always equate an ideal masculinity. For example, Willoughby is first described as ‘a gentleman carrying a gun, with two pointers playing round him’. In both the 1995 film adaptation and the 2007 mini-series adaptation, Willoughby is distinctive by arriving on, quite literally, a white horse. Knowing what he ultimately becomes, we understand that Willoughby acts as a consumer in his efforts to obtain property and wealth.

However, Colonel Brandon and Edward are not without flaws when it comes to proprietorship of themselves either; critics may say that Edward is too plain, while Colonel Brandon’s love for Marianne seems abnormal given their significant age gap. Austen is aware of this also, as Elinor relates, ‘what could a silent man of five and thirty hope, when opposed by a very lively one of five and twenty’. Regardless, Colonel Brandon and Edward each provide a corrective to Willoughby, and are used to disrupt the idealised visions of masculine perfection. Even flawed, they are the men of ‘real life’ and the ultimate romantic heroes of the plot.

Promises

Further, the men of Sense & Sensibility are bound by promises – Joyce Kerr Tarpley observes that Austen enacts these men “by the way in which he uses or abuses his freedom to keep or break the promises he makes”. The novel begins with John Dashwood’s promise to his dying father that he would ensure the Dashwood womens’ comfort. The abuse of this promise renders him un-masculine. Willoughby made sure that his relationship with Marianne operated on a technicality – verbally committing to nothing – as Marianne realises, “it was every day implied, but never professionally declared”. In contrast, Edward and Colonel Brandon kept their promises even if their happiness was compromised. As a result, the narrative rewards them for honouring their promises.

Willoughby’s breach of promise to Eliza manifests in his loss of inherited estate, and pushes him into a marriage with someone he does not love. His breach of promise to Marianne ultimately means he loses who he truly loves. John Dashwood, like Willoughby, keeps his promise to his father on a technicality; he “promised to do everything in his power to make [the Dashwood sisters] comfortable”, sending them out of Norland instead. On the other hand, Edward’s engagement to Lucy Steele demonstrates the accountability of his word, even if in doing so, he sacrifices his own desires. Colonel Brandon also keeps his promise of caring for Eliza, while showing his unwavering commitment to Marianne throughout the novel and when she is ill.

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Austen’s ability to create dynamic and complex visions of masculinity for her characters exhibits how Clarke clearly underestimated her. She encourages readers to identify with the men of Sense & Sensibility, and to embrace them as the true romantic heroes. While their proprietorship of estate defines their monetary worth, it also demonstrates their self-conduct and their ability to care for others. It is thus clear that their sense of individualism is explicitly linked to the system of estate – all of which defines their masculinity. In the end, it is the duty that he fulfils to his community that allows him to be rewarded with his own happiness.