Jane Austen Society of North America-- New Jersey Region

Yesterday as I was filling in my Jane-a-Day journal I read the quotation and had a thought I wanted to share with you to see if you agree with me or not.

You see, I am a very prosaic, unromantic, sensible sort of fellow myself; and I have always had my heart set on finding the most sensible, prudent, level-headed wife in the world. But, on the other hand, it is very important to me that she possess one very particular flaw: she must have no sense whatsoever where I myself am concerned. - Sanditon

I'll be honest, I haven't read Sanditon so this quote is really out of context to me. I really didn't have anything to write about so I started to think on the quote to write a line or two about it, but soon realized that the space in the journal wasn't enough, I had to share my thoughts here.

First I wondered what is meant by "no sense." Does he mean that she should pay him no mind or that she looses all her sense when he's around? A 'sensible, prudent, level-headed' person can lose all sense when presented with a number of situation and people so that kind of fit for me, but than this is Jane Austen we're talking about and I think she meant the first, that as a wife she would pay her husband no mind.

When I decided on that my second thought became, 'couldn't this passage fit the relationship of Mr. Collins and Charlotte?.' Mr. Collins could very well see himself as being, 'prosaic, unromantic, [and] sensible.' In Charlotte, he did find a wife who seems to be sensible, prudent, [and] level-headed.' I believe that she also has 'no sense' where her husband is concerned.

Agree or disagree?