Sense and Sensibility

Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility is the story of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, who struggle to achieve respectability, each in their own way in the face of the strict social conventions of early eighteenth-century England. The carefree childhood of the two young sisters comes to an abrupt end upon their father’s death which leaves the family penniless and pushed out of the estate upon which they grew up. They move to a modest cottage on the property owned by a distant relative and there they experience love, romance, and heartbreak as they each attend to the serious business of achieving material security through marriage. Through their romantic relationships, we are able to see the difference in their approaches to life. While Elinor, the somewhat reserved eldest daughter embodies good sense, fine judgment and discretion. She has a keen sense of responsibility to her family and friends and she places their welfare and interests above her own. Marianne, the romantically inclined and eagerly expressive second daughter, follows her heart while totally disregarding what society thinks. Marianne falls in love much too quickly while the more intellectual Elinor sees her chances for a happy marriage fade when she discovers the man for whom she’s fallen for is already engaged. This delightful comedy of manners remains as fresh a cautionary tale today as it ever was. The novel has been in continuous publication since 1811, and has many times been illustrated, excerpted, abridged, and adapted for stage, film, and television.