Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility follows the lives and loves of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, after their family is forced to leave their ancestral home and live on a modest income. Elinor, guided by “sense,” values restraint, responsibility, and quiet devotion, while Marianne, ruled by “sensibility,” embraces passion, emotion, and romantic idealism.

As the sisters navigate society, friendship, and courtship, they encounter disappointment, betrayal, and heartbreak—particularly in their romantic attachments to Edward Ferrars and John Willoughby. Through their contrasting responses to love and loss, Austen explores the balance between reason and emotion, ultimately showing that happiness comes from blending heartfelt feeling with wisdom and self-control.