Ellen writes:
I find it interesting there are no scenes in S&S of Marianne talking with Brandon because similarly there are no scenes in P&P of Jane and Bingley talking to one another. Yet the pairs love one another and marry at books¡¯ endings.
True, Ellen. Strange, I¡¯d never noticed that we see no actual dialog between Bingley and Jane. Maybe because, in their case, we¡¯re told over and over that they do talk, though no dialog is given; everybody, not just Elizabeth, notices that they¡¯re frequently somewhere off to the side talking, in a room ignoring everyone else, sitting next to one another at dinner. Deep in conversation when Elizabeth discovers them by the mantlepiece just after Bingley's proposal. We also get some reports from Jane. So their coming together at the end feels natural, like the closing of a circle.
Less so in S&S, where it seems the strong esteem and lively friendship Marianne develops for Brandon happens offstage, after the main action of the story.
I think JA wrote only the bare bones, the essence of the story she wanted to tell. And she only wrote what really interested her.
Dorothy
