Sensibility

This podcast episode of "In Our Time" delves into the concept of sensibility, tracing its origins from a medical term to a prominent feature in 18th-century literature and philosophy. The discussion explores how sensibility evolved into a cultural phenomenon, influencing novels, fashion, and even perceptions of illness. The panel analyzes Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" as a case study, debating the author's stance on the balance between emotion and reason. The conversation further examines sensibility's transition into Romanticism, particularly in the works of Wordsworth, and its eventual transformation into the more negatively viewed sentimentality in later literature, such as that of Dickens.