What happens in Chapter XXVII of Sense and Sensibility?
The chapter opens with breakfast at Mrs. Jennings's home in London, where a casual remark about sportsmen and nice weather ignites barely concealed excitement in Marianne. She sees the pleasant weather as a sign that sportsmen will stay in the country. Elinor discreetly redirects Mrs. Jennings's attention away from her sister's obvious hopes. The sisters spend the morning visiting with Mrs. Jennings while Marianne anxiously watches the sky for any signs of frost. Colonel Brandon stops by nearly every day, and Elinor becomes worried as his feelings for Marianne seem to deepen. About a week into their stay, they find Willoughby's calling card on the table, which sends Marianne into a frenzy of excitement. She insists on staying home the next morning, but he doesn't show up; instead, a note arrives addressed to Mrs. Jennings, not to her. This leads to a tense conversation about secrecy between the sisters. That evening, they attend a small, impromptu ball at the Middletons', where Willoughby is noticeably absent; Mrs. Jennings mentions he was invited but chose not to attend. When Elinor learns that Marianne is writing to Willoughby again, she decides to write to their mother. While drafting that letter, Colonel Brandon arrives, clearly agitated, and asks when he can congratulate Elinor on gaining a brother, having heard rumors of Marianne's engagement to Willoughby and seen a letter in Marianne's handwriting addressed to him. Elinor, unsure of the truth herself, carefully confirms only that they share mutual feelings. Brandon leaves after wishing Marianne happiness and hoping that Willoughby deserves her, which leaves Elinor with a profound sense of Brandon's sadness.
Analysis
The chapter focuses on a series of failed communications and near-revelations that amplify the dramatic irony. Austen uses free indirect discourse to express Elinor's unspoken belief that Marianne will send a letter to Combe that day, all while keeping Marianne's actual letters hidden from everyone, even the reader. This lack of information adds to the chapter's tension.
Marianne’s observations of the weather act as the chapter's main motif. Her interpretations of the clouds, wind, and temperature as "certain symptoms of approaching frost" might seem to center on the weather but clearly hint at Willoughby's arrival; Elinor feels "alternately diverted and pained" by this, a phrase that captures the chapter's tonal balance between humor and anxiety.
The chapter's structure moves from domestic comedy (like the breakfast scene and morning calls) to increasing suspense (with the calling card, the misdelivered note, and the ball) and culminates in a quietly devastating climax: Colonel Brandon's visit. His long silence before speaking, his failed smile, and his carefully selected final wish — "to Willoughby that he may endeavour to deserve her" — encapsulate his love, resignation, and doubt in one sentence. Austen concludes with Elinor's dilemma: she cannot wish away Brandon's unhappiness without also wishing for the very event — Marianne's disillusionment — that would cause it. The chapter ends not with action but with Elinor's trapped, melancholic awareness.
Key quotes from Chapter XXVII
“to your sister I wish all imaginable happiness; to Willoughby that he may endeavour to deserve her”
Colonel Brandon's parting words to Elinor at the close of his visit, after she has confirmed Marianne's attachment to Willoughby.
““Nor I,” answered Marianne with energy, “our situations then are alike. We have neither of us any thing to tell; you, because you do not communicate, and I, because I conceal nothing.””
Marianne's sharp retort when Elinor presses her about the expected letter, turning the charge of secrecy back on her sister.
“Elinor was alternately diverted and pained; but Marianne persevered, and saw every night in the brightness of the fire, and every morning in the appearance of the atmosphere, the certain symptoms of approaching frost.”
The narrator's summary of Marianne's obsessive weather-watching during the first days in London.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Chapter XXVII
- unpremeditated
- Not planned or arranged in advance; spontaneous. Here it describes an impromptu dance that was acceptable in the country but considered unsuitable in London.