Senses Books

Hans Eysenck was one of the most important and influential psychologists of the 20th century, being at the time of his retirement the most-cited social scientist in the World. He was especially known for advocating "the highest degree of scientific rigour in the design of psychological experiments and [being] very critical of much loose thinking current at present under the guise of 'psychology'" (from the cover).

In the course of his career he produced several pioneering books demystifying psychology for the general public: in particular a seminal trilogy (later expanded to a quartet) for Penguin. He was an exceptionally lucid and entertaining writer, and the books sold millions of copies and were translated into several other languages. The quartet comprises:

Uses and Abuses of Psychology (1953)
Sense and Nonsense in Psychology (1957)
Fact and Fiction in Psychology (1965)
Psychology is about People (1977)

In the first part of "Sense and Nonsense" the author takes the discussion further afield than "Uses and Abuses", dealing with matters such as hypnosis, lie detectors and truth drugs, the interpretation of dreams, and even telepathy and clairvoyance. As always, his purpose is to sort out the wheat from the chaff; there is considerable discussion of the reliability of human testimony. Eysenck himself has experience in some of these areas. However, his conclusions have surprised and even annoyed some people, especially the following much-quoted passage:

"Unless there is a gigantic conspiracy involving some thirty university departments all over the world, and several hundred highly respected scientists in various fields, many of them originally hostile to the claims of the psychical researchers, the only conclusion the unbiased observer can come to must be that there is a small number of people who obtain knowledge existing either in other people's minds, or in the outer world, by means as yet unknown to science."

The second half of the book is concerned with personality and social life. After dealing with the question of whether personality can be measured (yes), the author considers its relation to conditioning, politics and æsthetics. Particular interesting is the Politics section, where Dr Eysenck demonstrates that attitudes logically unrelated often cluster together, and shows similarities between two groups commonly regarded as opposites - Communists and Fascists. He proposes a two-dimensional system (radical/conservative and tough-minded/tender-minded) and shows where various contemporary attitudes lie on it.

A thought-provoking book, and still well worth reading.

Hello. We have become aware of those who portray Autistics as having a disease. We have decided, therefore, that their efforts must be dismantled. We are Autistics. You do not speak for us. You will not succeed. You cannot hide. We are everywhere. We cannot die. We are forever. We are getting stronger every day due to the force of our ideas. Soon these unfortunate efforts will lose their force and the truth will prevail.

This book, like her other books transports me back to that time and place so it feels as though I am a part of that moment in time.

I picked up this book largely due to fond memories of Pride and Prejudice (Enriched Classics), but I found Sense & Sensibility is an excellent novel in its own right. I don't know why, but I was worried that it might be a bit dry but the wit and story both sparkle from the first few pages and only get better as it goes along.

The basic plot involves two sisters who have been more or less cheated out of an inheritance and are struggling to find husbands and happiness. Elinor is the oldest and is very intelligent and wise (Sense) and her sister Marianne is all raw emotion and passion (Sensibility). How these two interact with the world, each other, as well as family and friends makes up the bulk of the book. They struggle to understand each other even as they slowly grow more alike... meeting not quite in the middle but closer than they were. The supporting characters are very engaging and I found myself rooting for most of them, even a couple who are not entirely good. There are a few characters (e.g. Mrs. Jenkins) who are caricatures meant to parody some of the social norms of the day but even she has some depth to her and is likeable.

I won't give the ending or any major plot points away but the story does move along well and has a fairly satisfying ending. I did think that a bit more attention could have been paid to Marianne at the end but in many respects Elinor is more the central character so it is perhaps fitting that the climax focuses more on her.

In sum, this is an excellent novel and well worth reading. The Enriched Classic edition also has excellent notes to help you understand references or words that may be hard to decipher more than 200 years after the book was written and I found this very helpful.

No one needs my naive commentary on this witty, charming, and rewarding stalwart of the canon; plenty has been written about Austen's novels. I merely wanted to report that the reader, Nadia May, does an excellent job here. I enjoyed all ten CDs!

This is one volume in the complete series of Austen's novels published by the Cambridge University Press. The series is undoubtedly the best one to own by anyone who is more than casually interested in the great author and her work. The introductions are flawlessly helpful to whatever detail of background the reader wants. The notes explain references and changed or obsolete word usage and are easily be skipped by anyone who doesn't want them. The texts of the novels are the most accurate scholarship can now produce. They are mostly the same as in the OUP edition of the novels, but much easier to read because of the typeface chosen. The series also has juvenilia and the unfinished text of "Sanditon," omitted from the OUP edition. In the end, I cannot praise the Cambridge series too highly.

This is the second Jane Austen book that I have listened to this year. I earlier enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and just finished Sense and Sensibility. It is clear to my why this is a classic. It is a fine romance and a great study in character. It highlights how outward appearances and popularity are not necessarily the most important characteristics. The heroes and heroines in this book have their flaws, but are easy to like and root for. The bad guys are not all bad, and do have some redeeming qualities. This is classic 19th century literature of which I am a fan.

The reader for this audio book is Susannah Harker. She does an excellent job with the different characters and makes it easy to tell who is speaking. Her accent seems fitted to a book of this period also.

I highly recommend this audio book as a wonderful way to pass your commute or a long trip.

Jane Austen's 1811 novel, her first published, "Sense and Sensibility," receives a grand treatment in this Broadview Literary Texts edition, edited by Kathleen James-Cavan. Anyone who knows me knows how I doat on Jane Austen, and for the first time reading her in a Broadview edition, I find myself doating excessively. "Sense and Sensibility" was the first public exposure of Austen's masterful characterization, plotting, and satire to reach the reading public of the Romantic Era. Austen thrives on what I like to call 'the middle of the book,' writing the situations that complicate the lives of her characters, better than almost anyone - almost, it seems, preferring getting her characters and readers in a position to learn from their mistakes, than actually getting them out.

"Sense and Sensibility" begins with the illogic of early 19th century British inheritance law. The hereditary owner of Norland Park is on his deathbed, and invites the heirs of his estate, the Dashwood family, to reside at Norland. The Dashwood's and their three daughters come to live there, but are put into jeopardy soon after by the demise of both Mr. Dashwoods - bringing the next male heir (and the girls' half-brother), John Dashwood and his manipulative wife, Fanny to Norland. Greedy as they are, John and his wife soon drive their half-sisters, Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret, along with their mother, out of Norland, Sussex, to the Devonshire countryside. Here in Devonshire, in a small cottage, and at a considerably reduced income, the Dashwood sisters and their mother struggle to rebuild their life, while the two eldest daughters, Elinor, 19, and Marianne, 17, try to deal with life and love in the English countryside.

Like the well-known "Pride (Darcy) and Prejudice (Bennet)," "Sense and Sensibility"s title can be seen to refer to the character traits that mark its two principle characters - Sense on the side of the Enlightenment-influenced, almost certainly emotionally-repressed Elinor, and the overfine Sensibility of Marianne, a great admirer of dead leaves and the dirty ground. As opposed to the former novel, Austen does not really disparage either, except when carried to excess, as each young woman does, instead seeking, as was popular during the period, to reconcile, or strike a balance between rational logic and emotional response. In their love affairs, Elinor's with a distant cousin, the diffident and somewhat mysterious 24-year old Edward Ferrars, and Marianne's with a younger, and very handsome rogue John Willoughby, the young ladies' moral, social, and aesthetic principles are put to the test. While Elinor and Marianne are two of the most cultured, educated, and refined characters in the novel, and while Austen certainly privileges the country over the London metropolis, she makes clear that the ladies' limited interaction with society at large leaves them in a kind of sheltered ignorance which they must come to terms with, both for their sakes and for the sake of their lovers.

Austen always does a great job with her minor characters, especially those who serve in comic relief roles - or as the butts of her satire, and "Sense and Sensibility" is no different. In their avarice and greed, John and Fanny Dashwood are the epitome of wholly uncultured social climbers and mindless landowners. In her less than refined, but wholly maternal attitudes toward the Miss Dashwoods, Mrs. Jennings (mother of the neglected, but ever cheerful wife Charlotte Palmer and the reticent to a fault Lady Middleton) is as amusing a character, and as warm a mother as one will find in Austen. Colonel Brandon is a fit counterpart to Mrs. Jennings, in his reserved melancholy, while caring just as much about those around him as Mrs. Jennings. The comic pairings of Mr. Palmer and Sir John Middleton with their wives is absolute genius, both being the mirror opposite in style and attitude to their wives - and in particular the relationship between the Palmers, including the continual laughing of Charlotte at the fact that Mr. Palmer "never listens to me" and "never tells me anything," is both highly entertaining, and at the same time, one of the most troubling relationships in the novel.

I've praised James-Cavan's handling of this Broadview edition, and now may be a good time to say some more on that head. Broadview and its editors, like the people who put together the Norton Critical Editions, concern themselves with really presenting literary texts in a solid foundation of cultural, theoretical, and critical contexts. "Sense and Sensibility" contains a real treasure trove of such material - the two contemporary reviews of Austen's novel from 1812, generous selections of essays from the late 1700's and early 1800's on contemporary debates on the meanings of the words "sense" and "sensibility," and on the cult of sensibility and the picturesque. Also included are exerpts from poems referenced by Marianne throughout the novel, illustrations of the vehicles they travel in, and a map of the character's London residences. James-Cavan's excellent introduction also lays out the novel's issues in their contemporary, cultural, critical, and theoretical contexts, none more obtrusive than any other, and all quite helpful. Altogether, the Broadview "Sense and Sensibility" is a tremendous edition for Austen scholars and casual Janeites alike.

I loved this book. It was the first Jane Austen book I have read and I can't wait to read more!

A book that has a happy end, and lets you dream of long flowing dresses and dashing gentelmen!