Type of Submission
Podium Presentation
Keywords
Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility, 19th century, education, virtue, Adam Smith, John Locke
Proposal
Critics have long recognized Jane Austen’s interest in the education of her characters, identifying it as a theme present in all of her works. Though all of her heroines receive some level of education during her novels, their desire and access to academic learning varies by character and situation. In Austen’s day, boys’ education was far better established on a social and institutional level than girls’, making the education of her male characters informative for a discussion of formal learning in her works. Notably, Sense and Sensibility links the Ferrars brothers’ divergent personalities to their educational backgrounds. Edward–serious, dutiful, and retiring–received a private education from a tutor, while his flashy and vain brother, Robert, studied at a public boarding school. The direct consideration of public and private schooling, unique to Sense and Sensibility, can contribute to an understanding of Austen’s vision of education in its more formal sense, its value and limitations. While Austen concludes that private education is better suited to develop active and virtuous minds in its students, further experience in the world is needed to develop judgment and enable the learner to act rightly.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Publication Date
2024
Formal Education and the Ferrars Brothers in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility
Critics have long recognized Jane Austen’s interest in the education of her characters, identifying it as a theme present in all of her works. Though all of her heroines receive some level of education during her novels, their desire and access to academic learning varies by character and situation. In Austen’s day, boys’ education was far better established on a social and institutional level than girls’, making the education of her male characters informative for a discussion of formal learning in her works. Notably, Sense and Sensibility links the Ferrars brothers’ divergent personalities to their educational backgrounds. Edward–serious, dutiful, and retiring–received a private education from a tutor, while his flashy and vain brother, Robert, studied at a public boarding school. The direct consideration of public and private schooling, unique to Sense and Sensibility, can contribute to an understanding of Austen’s vision of education in its more formal sense, its value and limitations. While Austen concludes that private education is better suited to develop active and virtuous minds in its students, further experience in the world is needed to develop judgment and enable the learner to act rightly.
