Welcome to TOS Weekly!
This week, the latest film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility hits theaters across the USA. As Angelica Werth shows in her review of the film, it captures the essential spirit of the novel while significantly departing from the original work in a few respects, some effective, others less so.
Also new this week, Rebecca Day looks back on the life and achievements of William Grant Still, the often-overlooked composer who experimented with combining blues and classical music. Still had no time for the racial boundaries associated with the genres in the 1950s, and in his pioneering work, he created a new form of music imbued with individualistic American values.
I hope you enjoy this week’s articles,
Thomas F. Walker
Managing Editor
New This Week
The Vibrancy and Vividness of Sense and Sensibility (2026)
Few adaptations of Jane Austen’s works have been as universally beloved by Janeites as Ang Lee’s 1995 Sense and Sensibility. But the new adaptation of this work, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Esmé Creed-Miles, is a strong contender.
America’s Composer: The Individualistic Mind and Music of William Grant Still
William Grant Still (1895–1978) was a pioneering composer who sought to create a distinct style of American classical music grounded in his own artistic vision.
From the Archive
How Morality Is Grounded in Reality
As human beings we have the faculty of volition, the power of choice; we choose our actions. This fact gives rise to our need of morality. Indeed, the realm of morality is the realm of choice. What makes the issue complicated is the fact that our choices are guided by our values—which are also chosen.
Freedom of Speech Is Freedom to Think
Many advocates of free speech are unaware of its fundamental importance. They argue that freedom of speech is essential to civilized society because speech is the means by which people convey ideas. This is true. But the value of speech is much deeper than that.
This Week’s Anniversaries
Walt Disney and the Business of Creativity
Walt Disney founded the Walt Disney Company on October 16, 1923. In building and growing the company, he pioneered an entire industry and a wide range of new techniques and business models.
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