ABSTRACT
Earlier responses to Austen were generally more favorable, although reviews were few; in fact, Mansfield Park was neglected entirely. One of the earliest articles in The Critical Review (February 1812) examines Sense and Sensibility shortly after it was published. The reviewer begins by criticizing the “multiplicity” of novels being published at the time but admits that Sense and Sensibility by “a Lady” can “claim this fair praise” because it contains a “useful lesson” and the “incidents are probable, and highly pleasing, and interesting” (149). The author singles out one of Austen’s satirical scenes on landscape where Marianne becomes annoyed with Edward Ferrars’ practical reaction to what she deems to be “the picturesque.” The reviewer, obviously entertained by the scene, comments, “In the jargon of landscape scenery, Elinor’s lover was a mere ignoramus; he gave things, objects, and persons, their proper names, a crime which could not be overlooked” (152), and certainly not by one with the overblown sensibility of Marianne. So this “most excellent lesson to young ladies to curb that violent sensibility” (152) gains approval for Austen’s first published novel.
