4.4.2 Macro StructuralIrony
Austen's macro irony was also manifested through her adoption of structural irony.As for the structural irony，in indicates the dramatic arrangement of plots at different stages such as the beginning，the development and the ending of the whole story.
We may perceive Austen's fabulous irony not only in diverse comic personalities，dramatic arrangement of plots and her satirical tone，but also in the main structure and weaving of the whole story.In Sense and Sensibility，life seemed to be much more complicated than imagined.People often found their wishes contradicting with the reality.
Specifically speaking，Austen's employment of the structural irony mainly lay in her ironic arrangement of people's fates in different phases.It is quite safe to say that contradictions of subjective wishes with the reality formed the foundation of the book.Now let's acquire a deeper understanding of the structural irony through surveying different fates of different characters.
Example 21
Marianne and Colonel Brandon
He（Colonel Brandon）was silent and grave.His appearance however was not unpleasing，in spite of his being in the opinion of Marianne and Margaret an absolute old bachelor，for he was on the wrong side of five and thirty.
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“But at least，mama，you cannot deny the absurdity of the accusation，though you may not think it intentionally ill-natured.Colonel Brandon is certainly younger than Mrs.Jennings，but he is old enough to be my father；and if he were ever animated enough to be in love，must have long outlived every sensation of the kind.It is too ridiculous！”（Marianne）
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“Add to which，”cried Marianne，“that he has neither genius，taste，nor spirit.That his understanding has no brilliancy，his feelings no ardor，and his voice no expression.”
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“Mama，you are not doing me justice.I know very well that Colonel Brandon is not old enough to make his friends yet apprehensive of losing him in the course of nature.He may live twenty years longer.But thirty-five has nothing to do with matrimony.”（Marianne）
The beginning seemed to be a satire upon traditional romantic love stories.In these stories，both the hero and heroine were perfect and they usually fell in love at first sight.However，in the first chapters，no one would expect the falling in love and even final marriage between Marianne and Colonel Brandon.Austen even set numerous obstacles to hinder them.In the first half，for Marianne，a person with so much emotional feelings and excess of sensibility，Colonel Brandon was really tiresome.It was natural that Marianne bore no favorable feelings towards him and often satirized him.In Marianne's eyes，Colonel Brandon was not physically strong as a young man and seemed to have many kinds of illnesses，even worse，Marianne though a man of thirty-five had no right to talk about marriage.But life was always changing.It is this man who had no right to talk about marriage and had no advantage at all in Marianne's eyes that married Marianne at last.
Marianne Dashwood was born to an extraordinary fate.She was born to discover the falsehood of her own opinions，and to counteract，by her conduct，her most favorite maxims.She was born to overcome an affection formed so late in life as at seventeen，and with no sentiment superior to strong esteem and lively friendship，voluntarily to give her hand to another！—and that other，a man who had suffered no less than herself under the event of a former attachment，whom，two years before，she had considered too old to be married，—and who still sought the constitutional safeguard of a flannel waistcoat！
Colonel Brandon was now as happy，as all those who best loved him，believed he deserved to be；—in Marianne he was consoled for every past affliction；—her regard and her society restored his mind to animation，and his spirits to cheerfulness；and that Marianne found her own happiness in forming his，was equally the persuasion and delight of each observation friend.Marianne could never loved by halves；and her whole heart became，in time，as much devoted to her husband，as it had once been to Willoughby.
Marianne had never expected that life would make such a great fun of her.She ended in marrying Colonel Brandon.She never dreamt that one day she would be connected with this man whom she had thought was too old to talk about marriage.But the following events proved that her rejection of Colonel Brandon was based on nothing but her excess of sensibility.In the end，life was really playing ajoke on her.It was quite opposite to her former announcement that he had“neither genius，taste，nor spirit”whom she could ever be prevailed on to marry.It was not until the last chapter that the readers were shed the light：the most ridiculous usually proved to be the most sensible.By doing this，Austen even took a risk of laughing at herself.Through these ironic arrangements of plots，Austen intended to ridicule the prevailing property based marriage at that time.
Example 22
Lucy Steele and Robert Ferrars
Austen not only presented various contradictions，folly，ridiculousness before our eyes，but also gave her sharp criticism on specific characters through weaving the plots.
“We have been engaged these four years.”（Lucy）
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“but I was too young and loved him too well to be so prudent as I ought to have been.—Though you do not know him so well as me，Miss Dashwood，you must have seen enough of him to be sensible he is very capable of making a woman sincerely attached tohim.”（Lucy）
In the first chapters，not only Elinor but also our readers must have got a shock when we read Lucy's utterance here.We had always been thinking that Edward and Elinor had good feelings，even love with each other，and they would get married in the end without doubt.Lucy's appearance made things so different and made the story more interesting for us to move on.This may be Austen's skillful arrangement of plots that she used to ridicule the changing life.
And Elinor was left in possession of knowledge which might feed her powers of reflection some time，though she had learnt very little more than what had been already foreseen and fore-planned in her own mind.Edward's marriage with Lucy was as firmly determined on，and the time of its taking place remained as absolutely uncertain，as she had concluded it would be；
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“Thank God！Though we have suffered dreadfully，we are both quite very well now，and as happy as we must always be in one another's love....but he said it should never be，he did not regard his mother's anger，while he could have my affections；our prospects are not very bright，to be sure，but we must wait，and hope for the best；”（Lucy's letter）
Here，the story was almost going to an end.And from Elinor's assurance in her mind that Edward and Lucy's fixed marriage and also from Lucy's letter，we readers seem to expect no hope that Elinor and Edward would be together and there would be some regrets for our readers，because we had always been expecting Elinor and Edward would get together at last.
When another character appears，things seem to be quite different：
“The merest awkward country girl，without style，or elegance，and almost without beauty.”—I remember her perfectly.Just the kind of girl I should suppose likely to captivate poor Edward.I offered immediately，as soon as my mother related the affair to me，to talk to him myself，and dissuade him from the match；...“My dear fellow，”I should have said，“consider what you are doing.You are making a most disgraceful connection and such a one as your families are unanimous in disapproving.”I cannot help thinking，in short，that means might have been found.But now it is all too late.He must be starved，you know；—that is certain；absolutely starved.（Robert Ferrars）
Robert Ferrars，Edward's brother，played an important role in the ending of the story.Here，from what he said we see no evidence that the happening things could have any difference.In his opinion，Lucy was an ugly country without any advantage and he would try his best to dissuade his brother from the marriage.So far from here，we readers would never have a little thinking that Robert，the one treated fortune and social status as everything，would marry Lucy finally.
“Perhaps you do not know—you may not have heard that my brother is lately married to—to Miss Lucy Steele.”（Edward）
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“Your brother has gained my affections entirely，and as we could not live without one another，we are just returned from the altar...”（Lucy's letter）
Here is the ending of the story.Austen really gave another big surprise to our readers.Through these words，Austen revealed this couple's ugliness and vulgarity as well as the marriage based on property.When we are pleased with this happy ending，we canot help praising Austen's skillful structural irony which was quite beyond moral criticism in the ordinary sense，displaying her profound thinking about life.