Host Allison Thoet de Castillo welcomes back Janeite professors Devoney Looser and George Justice to compare Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility with two screen versions: Ang Lee’s 1995 film (Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet) and a new adaptation directed by Georgia Oakley starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esme Creed-Miles.
They discuss first encounters with the novel, its focus on the Dashwood sisters’ bond, and Austen’s mix of “sense” and “sensibility,” plus the book’s long path from late-1790s drafting (possibly as an epistolary novel titled Elinor and Marianne) to 1811 publication.
George and Devoney praise the 1995 film’s tightness, humor, and performances, and critique the new film’s reduced comedy, “Brontë-ized” naturalism, major plot/backstory changes, stylized dancing, and weaker male characterization, while highlighting Daisy Edgar-Jones and Fiona Shaw’s standout work and questioning the new adaptation’s lasting power.
