Utopian Imagination In Sense And Sensibility

Jane Austen,standing at the transition period between romanticism and realism of English literature,authored six novels and volumes of manuscripts for appreciation and discussion.Sense and Sensibility,as her first published work didn’t attract much attention,but it didn’t get in her way of being recognized by sophisticated contemporary writers and critics.What seemed to be limited and trivial matters centering village and romance was actually a vehicle of the author’s singular visions and social responsibility.Gone are the turbulent ages,Austen’ s voice still echoes through history.The twenty-first century has witnessed renewed interests in Austen,exploring what lies beneath the tip of the iceberg.There are countless masterpieces on Austen and her works at home and abroad,let alone heated discussions on Sense and Sensibility,varying from artistic features,marriage and money issues,character buildings of ladies and gentlemen as well as culture aspects concerning sentimentalism,philosophy and manners.Recent years have seen divided ideological opinions on the work but Utopian features have escaped close attention.The thesis is designed to interpret Sense and Sensibility via Utopian literary theory proposed by Frederick Jameson,delving into the Utopian imagination by focusing on Utopian narratives behind character construction and plot arrangements.The thesis consists of seven chapters.It begins with a brief introduction of Jane Austen and her novel Sense and Sensibility,including the purpose and significance of the research.The second chapter is a literature review of studies of Austen and her works at home and abroad,followed by Chapter Three with a general introduction of Utopia origin and Jameson’s Utopian literary theory.Jameson holds that all literary texts are Utopian ones,arguing that Utopia is closely related to sufferings and miseries together with descriptions of repressed desires.And Utopian imagination is where Utopian solutions are put into effect.The failure of the imagination defines its greatest value.The fourth chapter tends to explore Utopian narratives of the work,concentrating on miseries and repressed desires inlaid the text.For starters,it does not do to just present sufferings without providing designs of abolition.In the novel,disturbing romance experiences and fatal illness are two main miseries,which are alleviated by caring neighbors and chivalrous gentlemen.Besides,desires contribute to Utopian narratives.Presented in the text are desires for sense of belonging,desires for higher female status and repressed desires for sensibilities.The fifth chapter explores positive Utopian imagination in Sense and Sensibility from the perspective of individual and society.Individually speaking,imaginative moral discipline offers a powerful solution to identity anxieties.One finds console in self-discipline when feeling being out of place with the outside world.As Utopian imagination is at the same time a collective perspective,the work confined to village associations actually embraces an imaginative bonded community.The sixth chapter highlights the failure of Utopian imagination in Sense and Sensibility,namely,the negligence of family education,fragile moral standards and a happy ending where wrongdoings got away.Unsolved problems mirror the limitations of the Utopian imagination,suggesting expected individual efforts to narrow the gap between imagination and reality.The final chapter is the concluding part.Though not a typical Utopian literary work,Sense and Sensibility has Utopian elements between the lines.It is critics’ obligation to make fresh discovery of classic literary texts’ values,be it aesthetic or social.Calling attention to Utopian interpretation of literary texts helps to enlighten literary studies and enrich the cultural contents of Utopia.