Sense and Sensibility, is a novel by Jane Austen that was published in three volumes in 1811 and became a classic. The comic work offers a lucid depiction of 19th-century middle-class life as it follows the romantic relationships of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. While focusing on the sisters Elinor and Marianne, the novel tells the story of the impoverished Dashwood family. After sisters become destitute upon the death of their father, they leave to John, their half- brother who is instructed to take care of them. But John is dissuaded of his duty by Fanny, his greedy wife.
Initially, titled as Elinor and Marianne, Austen significantly revised it in 1809. It was her first published novel. Sense and Sensibility contains what would become Austen’s trademark features: insightful observation, characterization, and wit. Upon publication, Sense and Sensibility was a success and it later was adapted for film, stage, and television. After its commercial success, it spurred a resurgence of interest in Austen’s other novels.
About the Author
Austen, like many women authors at the time, published her books anonymously. This was the period when the ideal roles for a woman were as wife and mother, and writing for women was regarded as a secondary form of activity.
