Mrs. Dashwood
Loving and hopeful mother
The Dashwood sisters’ warm, romantic mother, who cheers her daughters on and always hopes for the best.
Who is Mrs. Dashwood?
Mrs. Dashwood is the loving mother of Elinor, Marianne and Margaret. Like Marianne, she has an eager, romantic spirit and feels things deeply. When the family loses their father and must leave Norland, she leans on Elinor’s good sense, and she always stands by her daughters with warm hugs and hope.
Mrs. Dashwood is a character in Sense and Sensibility, the 1811 novel by Jane Austen, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.
What is Mrs. Dashwood like?
- loving
- hopeful
- romantic
Mrs. Dashwood’s story
Mrs. Dashwood is the second wife of the late Mr. Dashwood, and when he dies she and her daughters lose Norland to her stepson John. She is too proud to stay with Fanny, so she accepts a cheaper cottage at Barton, on the estate of her cousin Sir John Middleton. She tries to make it cosy with books, music and cheerful plans.
Her greatest fault is her warm, romantic nature, which matches Marianne’s. When Willoughby arrives, she is delighted and sure he and Marianne are engaged, and she never asks the straight questions that might have protected her daughter. Elinor’s more careful advice is often set aside. When Willoughby disappears, Mrs. Dashwood is shocked and ashamed of her mistake.
At the sickbed in Cleveland she hurries to Marianne with Colonel Brandon’s help and nearly loses her. Afterward she grows wiser. She soon blesses Elinor’s marriage to Edward and Marianne’s marriage to Brandon, and she lives happily near them, glad to see both daughters finally settled.
“In seasons of cheerfulness, no temper could be more cheerful than hers, or possess, in a greater degree, that sanguine expectation of happiness which is happiness itself.”
A moment to remember
When Marianne is out of danger, Mrs. Dashwood rushes upstairs and wraps both her daughters in her arms, weeping with joy.
Family and friends
- Elinor Dashwood: her eldest daughter
- Marianne Dashwood: her daughter who is much like her
- Margaret Dashwood: her youngest daughter
- Sir John Middleton: her cousin and landlord
Talk about it
Mrs. Dashwood knew she could count on Elinor. Who in your family do you count on when things are hard?
Questions about Mrs. Dashwood
- Why do the Dashwoods leave Norland?
- Mr. Dashwood dies and the house passes to his son John, who has a wife and child. Mrs. Dashwood does not want to live as a guest in what was once her home.
- Does Mrs. Dashwood approve of Willoughby?
- Yes, she likes him very much and believes he and Marianne will marry. She is as caught up in the romance as Marianne is.
- Who is Mrs. Dashwood related to at Barton?
- Sir John Middleton is her cousin. He offers her Barton Cottage when her family needs a home.
Read the story in
Sense and Sensibility
Ages 6–9, 72 pages
