NEW AND TRADITIONAL APPROACHES TO INTERPRETATION OF THE ANTITHESIS SENSE AND SENSIBILITY IN THE TITLE OF J. AUSTEN’S NOVEL

Abstract

The purpose of analyzing possible interpretations of the antithesis Sense and Sensibility in the title of J. Austen's novel is to provide a theoretical basis for the author’s broader research. Presented also in other articles, the entire study is devoted to the analysis of different interpretations of the antithesis in French and Russian translations: both in the title and in the main message (macrocontext) of the novel. As a practical part of the research, the author presents in the current article her own arguments related to possible new interpretations of the antithesis. Namely: 1) hypothesis about a dual nature in the meaning of the antithesis itself: not only the traditional opposition "reason vs. feelings", but also the sense of objective reality vs. individual’s subjective sensibility; 2) comparison of the moral message of the novel (opposition "reason vs. feelings" in favor of the merits of reason) and modern theories of emotional intelligence. The author tries to prove that the four-branch model of emotional intelligence by P. Salovey and J. Mayer is based on the classic message - the merits of reason, however completed with commercial and pragmatic aspects. In addition, this new interpretation of the antithesis (sense of objective reality vs. individual’s subjective sensibility) is complemented by the author with her own possible Russian versions of the novel title, reflecting the new meaning and at the same time preserving the alliteration that the English original has.