Book Anatomy · Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility: Prose style
17 lenses on prose style for Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: H1 H2 H3 H4 H5 H6 H7 H8 H9 H10 H11 H12 H13 H14 H15 H16 H17
H1. Readability score per chapter. Count
Flesch reading ease for the whole book is about 59 (higher is easier; 60 to 70 is plain English).
Reading ease per chapter, chapter by chapter
H2. Vocabulary range. Count
6,372 different words. On average 50 in every 100 words are new within a 500 word stretch. 2,431 words appear only once.
H3. Signature words: what this author uses far more than others. Count
edward, jennings, lucy, colonel, sister. See the full lens on the book page.
H4. Adverb and adjective rates. Count
About 15.3 words ending in 'ly' and 9.45 likely adjectives per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
'ly' words per 1,000, chapter by chapter
H5. Share of weak verbs such as "was" and "had". Count
'Was', 'were', 'had', 'is' and 'are' make up 3.6% of all words.
H6. Passive voice rate. Count
About 12.0% of sentences use a passive form such as 'was taken'. (rough estimate from word lists)
H7. Variety of sentence openings. Count
The five most common first words start 27% of sentences: i, but, she, the, he.
| First word | Sentences |
|---|---|
| i | 525 |
| but | 278 |
| she | 245 |
| the | 236 |
| he | 202 |
| jennings | 198 |
| elinor | 189 |
| it | 183 |
| and | 132 |
| dashwood | 121 |
H8. Rhythm: how much sentence length varies. Count
Sentence length varies by 0.8 of its mean on average (higher means a more varied rhythm).
Variation per chapter, chapter by chapter
H9. Similes and metaphors: how many, and of what kind. Both
162 likely similes ('like a', 'as ... as'): 1.35 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Ch 1, para 5: His son was sent for as soon as his danger was known, and to him Mr. Dashwood recommended, with all the strength and urgency which illness could command, …
Ch 2, para 16: “That is very true, and, therefore, I do not know whether, upon the whole, it would not be more advisable to do something for their mother while she …
Ch 2, para 25: “Upon my word,” said Mr. Dashwood, “I believe you are perfectly right. My father certainly could mean nothing more by his request to me than what you say. …
Ch 2, para 26: “Certainly,” returned Mrs. John Dashwood. “But, however, one thing must be considered. When your father and mother moved to Norland, though the furniture of Stanhill was sold, all …
Ch 2, para 28: “Yes; and the set of breakfast china is twice as handsome as what belongs to this house. A great deal too handsome, in my opinion, for any place …
Ch 6, para 6: In such employments as these they were interrupted soon after breakfast the next day by the entrance of their landlord, who called to welcome them to Barton, and …
Austen uses similes sparingly but pointedly, comparing characters to types (Willoughby as a storybook hero, Brandon as melancholy). Metaphors of concealment, entanglement, and illness dominate, reflecting the novel's themes of hidden feelings and emotional damage.
Chapters: Ch 9, Ch 23, Ch 31, Ch 43
His person and air were equal to what her fancy had ever drawn for the hero of a favourite story (Ch 9, para 11)
no one would have supposed from the appearance of the sisters, that Elinor was mourning in secret over obstacles which must divide her for ever from the object of her love (Ch 23, para 4)
H10. Senses used: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. Both
Share of sense words. sight 51%, sound 29%, touch 16%, taste 4%. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Sense | Words |
|---|---|
| sight | 525 |
| sound | 299 |
| touch | 166 |
| taste | 45 |
Sight dominates: faces, dress, bearing reveal character. Sound matters in music and conversation. Touch appears in tokens (locks of hair, rings). Smell and taste are absent. The novel privileges visual and auditory judgment of others.
Chapters: Ch 7, Ch 10, Ch 18, Ch 34
Colonel Brandon alone, of all the party, heard her without being in raptures. He paid her only the compliment of attention (Ch 7, para 9)
She was sitting by Edward, and in taking his tea from Mrs. Dashwood, his hand passed so directly before her, as to make a ring, with a plait of hair in the centre, very conspicuous on one of his fingers. (Ch 18, para 10)
H11. Repetition, lists of three and other patterns. Both
55 lists of three in the pattern 'a, b and c': 0.46 per 1,000 words. (rough estimate from word lists)
Lists of three appear in character descriptions and moral judgments. Repetition of key phrases ('sense and sensibility', 'reserve', 'duty') builds thematic weight. Parallel scenes (conversations about Edward, Willoughby's departures) create pattern and irony.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 4, Ch 17, Ch 22, Ch 46
Elinor, this eldest daughter, whose advice was so effectual, possessed a strength of understanding, and coolness of judgment (Ch 1, para 11)
Marianne’s abilities were, in many respects, quite equal to Elinor’s. She was sensible and clever; but eager in everything (Ch 1, para 12)
I wish as well as every body else to be perfectly happy; but, like every body else it must be in my own way. Greatness will not make me so. (Ch 17, para 7)
H12. Old words that may trip modern readers. Count
Old forms that may trip a modern reader: nay, whence, thither, art, ere, hither.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| nay | 10 |
| whence | 5 |
| thither | 3 |
| art | 2 |
| ere | 1 |
| hither | 1 |
H13. Showing against telling, with examples. AI
Austen shows character through dialogue and action more than summary. Elinor's restraint is shown in her silence during Lucy's confession rather than told. Willoughby's villainy emerges through his cold behaviour at the party, then his own confession.
Chapters: Ch 22, Ch 28, Ch 31, Ch 44
Willoughby’s behaviour in taking leave of them, his embarrassment, and affectation of cheerfulness, and, above all, his unwillingness to accept her mother’s invitation, a backwardness so unlike a lover, so unlike himself, greatly disturbed her. (Ch 15, para 19)
Good God! Willoughby, what is the meaning of this? Have you not received my letters? (Ch 28, para 7)
H14. How much description comes before action. Both
Description is brief and woven into action. Settings appear as characters move through them. The cottage is described as the family enters it. Willoughby is introduced mid-rescue. Little static scene-setting precedes events.
Chapters: Ch 6, Ch 9, Ch 19
A small green court was the whole of its demesne in front; and a neat wicket gate admitted them into it (Ch 6, para 1)
A gentleman carrying a gun, with two pointers playing round him, was passing up the hill and within a few yards of Marianne (Ch 9, para 8)
H15. Filter words such as "saw", "felt", "heard". Count
Filter words ('saw', 'felt', 'heard' and so on): 4.92 per 1,000 words.
| Word | Times |
|---|---|
| thought | 116 |
| saw | 114 |
| felt | 106 |
| seemed | 91 |
| heard | 78 |
| knew | 62 |
| wondered | 11 |
| watched | 10 |
| noticed | 2 |
H16. Shifts in tone. AI
Tone shifts from ironic distance in early chapters to intimate sympathy during Marianne's illness. Comic scenes with Mrs. Jennings and Robert Ferrars contrast with grave moments of revelation. The final chapter adopts a lighter, summary tone.
Chapters: Ch 7, Ch 28, Ch 43, Ch 50
Mrs. Jennings, Lady Middleton’s mother, was a good-humoured, merry, fat, elderly woman, who talked a great deal (Ch 7, para 5)
He addressed her with easy civility, and twisted his head into a bow which assured her as plainly as words could have done, that he was exactly the coxcomb she had heard him described to be by Lucy. (Ch 36, para 12)
H17. How the comedy works. AI
Comedy arises from social pretence and misreading. Mrs. Jennings's vulgar matchmaking, Robert Ferrars's coxcombry, and John Dashwood's mercenary logic are comic through their self-deception. Irony peaks when Lucy's scheming backfires into Robert's marriage.
Chapters: Ch 7, Ch 21, Ch 33, Ch 36, Ch 48
Mrs. Jennings, Lady Middleton’s mother, was a good-humoured, merry, fat, elderly woman, who talked a great deal (Ch 7, para 5)
He addressed her with easy civility, and twisted his head into a bow which assured her as plainly as words could have done, that he was exactly the coxcomb she had heard him described to be by Lucy. (Ch 36, para 12)
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