Listen to audio presented by Literary Affairs: Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility.View our feature on Jane Austen.
Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love—and its threatened loss—the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love.
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"I am a hard core austen-ite so of course this book found it's way into my heart. The somewhat whiny and affected Marianne reminded me so much of Emma in the first part of her book, and I was disappointed that she was not redeemed like Emma was. Where Marianne lacked sense however, Elinore had it in abundance and she was naturally my favorite character! I highly recommend this novel as it's lightweight tone interspersed with school girl heartache, tugs at the heartstrings of all and is an immediate favorite."
— Alyssa (5 out of 5 stars)
" One of my absolute, all time favorites. "
— Kathleen, 2/19/2014" This is a classic for a reason. Exceptional story that is easily translated. "
— Monique, 2/19/2014" Not one of my favorite Austen novels, but I do enjoy the over-the-top Romanticism of Marianne (though Austen clearly favors sensible sister Elinor). Willoughly is a thorough cad of the Wickham school, and the rich brother who won't help his impoverished mother & sisters financially is surely a model of spinelessness. Love that Colonel Brandon! "
— Amy, 2/18/2014" Not the best book of Jane Austen, but romance is sincere. "
— Juliana, 2/15/2014" In my personal echelon of Austen, I'd rank Sense and Sensibility somewhere above Mansfield Park and Emma but below Persuasion. In Sense and Sensibility, Austen has created a tool for analyzing the relative merits of neoclassicism and romanticism, the two dominant philosophies of her day. The Dashwood sisters experience parallel joys and tribulations in their romantic lives, always within weeks of each other, and in their different responses to these events -- Elinor, the neoclassicist, hyper-rational, and Marianne, the romantic, deeply emotional -- Austen compares the two philosophies. Though more nuanced than similarly styled novels of the day, I found that this philosophical comparison -- the very thing that made the novel intellectually interesting (beyond, of course, Austen's usual wit and social commentary) -- was also what made the novel drag at points: yes, okay, Marianne is overreacting and Elinor is not -- got it. Beyond this comparison, however, still a stimulating book and a good reminder that being in love requires us to both control our reason and yield to our emotions. "
— Lauren, 2/13/2014" I'm trying to read all 6 JA books in order of publication. I haven't read this one since high school. In some parts I got a bit bogged down by the language, but in other parts, I could not believe how riveting it was, 200+ years after publication. Love. "
— Grace, 2/12/2014" This book is like chocolate. it's to die for! When all around her are casting themselves on the pyre of their emotions, Eleanor is quietly erupting within. I love it! When Marianne realizes that Eleanor's emotions are no less deep for being contained, I wanted to stand up and shout - at last! My heart will never be the same. "
— Good, 2/10/2014" Love it! Such delight! Such heart-ache! Such a splendid journey! "
— Cyndy, 2/8/2014" This was a true Jane Austin and if you don't like that literature then you should never read this book. I made that mistake already. However for the type of lit that it is, it is a very good book. "
— Hunter, 2/7/2014" I didn't like this as much as Pride & Prejudice, or Emma, but it's still Jane Austen, and therefore very good. "
— Claudia, 2/7/2014Jane Austen (1775–1817) is considered by many scholars to be the first great woman novelist. Born in Steventon, England, she later moved to Bath and began to write for her own and her family’s amusement. Her novels, set in her own English countryside, depict the daily lives of provincial middle-class families with wry observation, a delicate irony, and a good-humored wit.
Julie Christie is a critically-acclaimed actress. Throughout her decades-long career, she has won the Academy, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. A pop icon of the 1960s, she has starred in dozens of feature films, as well as numerous television shows and plays.