Austen, Jane, Nancy Butler, and Sonny Liew. Sense & Sensibility. New York:
Marvel Worldwide, 2011. Print.
Sometimes in families, siblings are so different it is
hard to believe that they even share the same address, let alone a genetic
code. Such is the case with Elinor and
Marianne Dashwood in Jane Austen’s Sense
and Sensibility. The Dashwoods are
devastated at the loss of their father, and soon find that their older brother
(who agreed to their father’s deathbed wish that he take care of the girls in
their father’s absence) has taken a very frugal approach to the term “taking
care”. Fish, in fact. He has promised to deliver them fish. Left destitute, the two very different girls trudge
ahead through life, regret, and the trials of love.
Marvel Comics has taken Jane Austen’s
classic novel and converted into a graphic novel. Without a doubt, the power
behind the novel is certainly in the color palette and soft-featured drawings
that were created. Knowing that the
struggles faced in Austen’s time were often faced internally, all the while
never losing one’s class, the novel’s drawings execute that perfectly. Soft pinks and peaches were used for most of
the colors and the girls’ features are soft and pretty- a fitting homage to the
time.
A downside to the novel would be that for readers who
struggle with Austen novels because of the wording or the disconnect between
that time period and our own, they may not find the graphic novel much easier
to read. The book has not been
modernized, despite using a modern medium, so the words within the novel are
still very much Austen’s. Though shorter
than the original Sense and Sensibility,
it may take those who are not part of Austen’s fan club a bit of time to get
used to the style.
For a young adult reader, this graphic novel could very
well be a gateway into the classics that they may not otherwise venture
down. For a reader, the classics are
books that may feel somewhat lofty, as the use of our language has changed
drastically over the years. This graphic
novel may allow a reader to understand the basis of the novel and very well
could be a stepping stone into the world of Austen, Dickens, and the like.
