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Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen Summary and Analysis

Context
In 1811, Sense and Sensibility became the first published novel of the English author Jane
Austen (1775-1817). The first version of the novel was probably written in 1795 as an
epistolary novel (novel in letters) entitled "Elinor and Marianne." At this point, Austen was
still living in the home of her father, George Austen, a local Anglican rector and the father
of eight children. She rewrote the early manuscript in 1797-98 as a narrated novel and then
further revised it in 1809-10, shortly after she moved with her mother and sister Cassandra
to a small house in Chawton on her brother Edward's estate. In 1811, Thomas Egerton of
the Military Library in Whitehall accepted the manuscript for publication in three volumes.
Austen published on commission, meaning she paid the expenses of printing the book and
took the receipts, subject to a commission paid to the publisher. The cost of publication was
more than a third of her household's 460-pound annual income, so the risk was substantial.
Nonetheless, the novel received two favorable reviews upon its publication, and Austen
made a profit of 140 pounds off the first edition.
When the first edition of Sense and Sensibility was published, it sold out all 750 copies by
July 1813, and a second edition was advertised in October 1813. The first edition was said
only to be "by a lady." The second edition, also anonymous, contained on the title page the
inscription "by the author of Pride and Prejudice ," which had been issued in January 1813
(though Austen had not been credited on the title page of this novel either). Only Austen's
immediate family knew of her authorship of these novels. And although publishing
anonymously prevented her from acquiring an authorial reputation, it also enabled her to
preserve her privacy at a time when entering the public sphere was associated with a
reprehensible loss of femininity. Indeed, Austen used to write at Chawton behind a door
that creaked when visitors approached; she would avail herself of this warning to hide her
manuscript before they entered. Austen may have wanted anonymity not only because of
her gender and a desire for privacy, but because of the more general atmosphere of
repression pervading her era: her early writing of Sense and Sensibility coincided with the
treason trial of Thomas Hardy and the proliferation of government censors as the
Napoleonic War progressed. Whatever the reasons behind it, Austen's anonymity would
persist until her death until 1817.
Contemporary critics of Austen's novels tended to overlook Sense and Sensibility in favor of
the author's later works. Mansfield Park was read for moral edification; Pride and Prejudice
was read for its irony and humor; and Emma was read for its subtle craft as a novel. Sense
and Sensibility did not fall neatly into any of these categories, and critics approached it less
eagerly. However, although the novel did not attract much critical attention, it sold well,
and helped to establish "the author of Pride and Prejudice" as a respected writer.
Only in the twentieth century have scholars and critics come to address Sense and
Sensibility's great passion, its ethics, and its social vision. In recent years, the book has
been adapted into feature films. Today, the three-volume novel by an anonymous lady has
become a famed and timeless favorite.
To read further about the life and works of Jane Austen, see the SparkNotes on Pride and
Prejudice , Emma , and Mansfield Park .

Summary
When Mr. Henry Dashwood dies, leaving all his money to his first wife's son John Dashwood,
his second wife and her three daughters are left with no permanent home and very little
income. Mrs. Dashwood and her daughters (Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret) are invited to
stay with their distant relations, the Middletons, at Barton Park. Elinor is sad to leave their
home at Norland because she has become closely attached to Edward Ferrars, the brotherin-law of her half-brother John. However, once at Barton Park, Elinor and Marianne discover
many new acquaintances, including the retired officer and bachelor Colonel Brandon, and
the gallant and impetuous John Willoughby, who rescues Marianne after she twists her
ankle running down the hills of Barton in the rain. Willoughby openly and unabashedly
courts Marianne, and together the two flaunt their attachment to one another, until
Willoughby suddenly announces that he must depart for London on business, leaving
Marianne lovesick and miserable. Meanwhile, Anne and Lucy Steele, two recently
discovered relations of Lady Middleton's mother, Mrs. Jennings, arrive at Barton Park as
guests of the Middletons. Lucy ingratiates herself to Elinor and informs her that she (Lucy)
has been secretly engaged to Mr. Ferrars for a whole year. Elinor initially assumes that Lucy
is referring to Edward's younger brother, Robert, but is shocked and pained to learn that
Lucy is actually referring to her own beloved Edward.
In Volume II of the novel, Elinor and Marianne travel to London with Mrs. Jennings. Colonel
Brandon informs Elinor that everyone in London is talking of an engagement between
Willoughby and Marianne, though Marianne has not told her family of any such attachment.
Marianne is anxious to be reunited with her beloved Willoughby, but when she sees him at
a party in town, he cruelly rebuffs her and then sends her a letter denying that he ever had
feelings for her. Colonel Brandon tells Elinor of Willoughby's history of callousness and
debauchery, and Mrs. Jennings confirms that Willoughby, having squandered his fortune,
has become engaged to the wealthy heiress Miss Grey.
In Volume III, Lucy's older sister inadvertently reveals the news of Lucy's secret
engagement to Edward Ferrars. Edward's mother is outraged at the information and
disinherits him, promising his fortune to Robert instead. Meanwhile, the Dashwood sisters
visit family friends at Cleveland on their way home from London. At Cleveland, Marianne
develops a severe cold while taking long walks in the rain, and she falls deathly ill. Upon
hearing of her illness, Willoughby comes to visit, attempting to explain his misconduct and
seek forgiveness. Elinor pities him and ultimately shares his story with Marianne, who
finally realizes that she behaved imprudently with Willoughby and could never have been
happy with him anyway. Mrs. Dashwood and Colonel Brandon arrive at Cleveland and are
relieved to learn that Marianne has begun to recover.
When the Dashwoods return to Barton, they learn from their manservant that Lucy Steele
and Mr. Ferrars are engaged. They assume that he means Edward Ferrars, and are thus
unsurprised, but Edward himself soon arrives and corrects their misconception: it was
Robert, not himself, whom the money-grubbing Lucy ultimately decided to marry. Thus,x
Edward is finally free to propose to his beloved Elinor, and not long after, Marianne and
Colonel Brandon become engaged as well. The couples live together at Delaford and
remain in close touch with their mother and younger sister at Barton Cottage.

Characters
Colonel Brandon - A retired officer and friend of Sir John Middleton who falls in love with
Marianne Dashwood and acts kindly, honorably, and graciously towards the Dashwoods
throughout the novel
Mrs. Dashwood - The kind and loving mother of Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret and
second wife to Henry Dashwood. She has inherited no fortune of her own but wants the
best for her daughters and shares Marianne's romantic sensibilities.
Elinor Dashwood - The nineteen-year-old eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry
Dashwood and the heroine of Austen's novel. Elinor is composed but affectionate, both
when she falls in love with Edward Ferrars and when she comforts and supports her
younger sister Marianne.
Henry Dashwood - The father of John Dashwood and, by a second marriage, of Elinor,
Marianne, and Margaret Dashwood. He dies in the opening chapter of the novel and
bequeaths his estate at Norland to his son, leaving his wife and daughters impoverished.
Fanny Dashwood - The selfish, snobbish, and manipulative wife of John Dashwood and
the sister of Edward and Robert Ferrars.
John Dashwood - The weak-minded and money-grubbing heir to the Norland estate. At
his wife Fanny's suggestion, he leaves his mother and sisters with very little money and
remains largely unconcerned for their welfare.
Margaret Dashwood - The thirteen-year-old, good-humored youngest daughter of Mr.
and Mrs. Henry Dashwood, Margaret shares her sister Marianne's romantic tendencies.
Marianne Dashwood - The seventeen-year-old second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry
Dashwood. Marianne's spontaneity, excessive sensibility, and romantic idealism lead her to
fall in love with the debaucherous John Willoughby, though he painfully spurns her, causing
her to finally recognize her misjudgment of him. After this turn of heart, she ultimately
marries her long-standing admirer, Colonel Brandon.
Mrs. Ferrars - The wealthy, manipulative mother of Edward and Robert who disinherits
her first son when he refuses to marry a rich heiress.
Edward Ferrars - The sensible and friendly older brother of Fanny Dashwood and Robert
Ferrars. Edward develops a close relationship with Elinor while staying at Norland and
ultimately marries her, after he is freed from a four-year secret engagement to Lucy Steele.
Robert Ferrars - A conceited coxcomb and the younger brother of Edward and Fanny.
Robert inherits his mother's fortune after she disinherits Edward. Ironically, he ultimately
marries Lucy Steele, even though it was Edward's engagement to this same woman that
caused his mother to disinherit him.
Miss Sophia Grey - The wealthy heiress whom Willoughby marries after abandoning
Marianne.

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Mrs. Jennings - Lady Middleton's gossipy but well-intentioned mother who invites the
Dashwood sisters to stay with her in London and makes it her "project" to marry them off
as soon as possible.
Lady Middleton - A distant relation of the Dashwoods who lives at Barton Cottage with her
husband Sir John Middleton and their four spoiled children
Sir John Middleton - The jovial but vulgar distant relation of the Dashwoods who invites
Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters to stay at Barton Cottage after Mr. and Mrs. John
Dashwood inherit Norland, leaving the women homeless.
Mr. Thomas Palmer - Mrs. Palmer's gruff, unemotional husband.
Mrs. Charlotte Palmer - Mrs. Jennings' talkative and foolish daughter who invites the
Dashwood sisters to stay at her home in Cleveland on their way from London to Barton.
Anne Steele - Lucy Steele's older, unmarried sister who accidentally reveals her sister's
secret engagement to Edward Ferrars.
Lucy Steele - Mrs. Jennings' cousin and a sly, selfish, and insecure young woman. She has
been secretly engaged to Edward Ferrars for four years but she ultimately marries his
brother, Robert, once Edward is disinherited.
John Willoughby - An attractive but deceitful young man who wins Marianne Dashwood's
heart but then abandons her (greedily) in favor of the wealthy Miss Sophia Grey.

Sense and Sensibility Themes

Money/Inheritance
Laws surrounding inheritance are what put the Dashwood women in limbo at the beginning
of the novel; and their lack of money, compounded with their inability to work, means that
they cannot ease their situation, except through marrying well. Money also dictates the
eligibility of Elinor and Marianne, as women with larger dowries are of course seen as
better prospects for marriage.
Gender
There are very definite gender limitations involved in the society Austen describes; women
cannot own property, are expected to stay in the home, marry, and be polite and good
company. Men can decide whether or not to pursue a career if they have enough money,
and have more latitude within society in regards to their behavior and life choices. Gender
dictates acceptable roles and behavior, and even in the world of the novel, there is little
room to deviate.
Expectations vs. reality
This is an especially important theme with regard to Marianne and her mother, whose
romantic characters lead them to expect greater drama or trauma than actually appears.
But reality always tends to subvert expectations, whether in life or in art, as accidents and
unexpected twists and turns happen to everyone.

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Marriage
For Marianne and Elinor, marriage is not a choice, but a necessity; and their need to marry
expediently and well is a pressing concern in the novel, as they look for suitors. Young men
may choose more freely when and whom they marry, and Colonel Brandon is even 35 and
still unmarried; but even for women who have money, marriage is necessary to secure their
social positions and ensure financial stability for the future.
Discretion
Of the utmost importance in polite society, where it is not to one's advantage to let people
know all that you think and feel. Marianne's lack of discretion leads to a great deal of
gossip and a very public snubbing by Willoughby; lack of discretion in many others
indicates poor manners and a lack of refinement.
Appearance vs. reality
Pertains to character especially, as many characters in the novel present themselves as
one thing, and end up being another. Willoughby is the prime example of this, as he seems
romantic, open, and genuine, but ends up exposing himself as vain, idle, and cruel. Also
pertains to Lucy Steele, who ends up conniving, despite her innocent appearance.
Expectation and disappointment
Throughout the novel, many characters develop expectations based on sparse evidence or
faulty perceptions; this, of course, leads to disappointment as reality proves very different.
Joyful expectations are often dashed by harsher turns of events, as Marianne is extremely
disappointed by her expectation of being married to Willoughby, and is pushed away.
Secrecy
Usually an indication of wrongdoing on someone's part, as is especially evident in
Willoughby; his sudden unwillingness to share information with Marianne and the
Dashwoods indicates mistakes made on his part. On the other hand, as with Edward,
secrecy can be a sign of discretion, though when his secret is revealed it is damaging as
Willoughby's is.
Judgment
In interactions with other people, judgment is always at work; a person must determine
who a person really is and what they want, in order to avoid those who could potentially be
hurtful. These judgments can be flighty and unjust, as Marianne's appraisals of most of her
acquaintance are, or blinded by kindness, as Mrs. Jennings' judgment of Lucy Steele is.
Jealousy
Relates mostly to Lucy Steele, and is the prime determinant of her behavior toward Elinor.
Willoughby also becomes jealous of Colonel Brandon marrying Marianne, and other, petty
jealousies become evident in characters. Indicates insecurity, or poor character.
Self-sacrifice and selfishness

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Elinor especially is a model of self-sacrifice, deciding to go to London for her sister's
happiness, and trying her best to be civil to everyone to make up for Marianne's uncivil
behavior. Marianne is the opposite, caring only for herself and her feelings; she needs
Elinor's help and goodwill to get by, but needs to learn how to be giving toward others in
order to become her own, independent person.
Hypocrisy
A vast number of characters in the novel embody this trait to varying degrees; John and
Fanny, Lady Middleton, the Steele girls, Mrs. Ferrars, and Robert, among others, tend
toward hypocritical displays of self-serving flattery, vanity, and professing opinions they do
not believe in for self-gain or to get ahead with others. Unfortunately, none of these
characters is taught any better in the course of the novel, as hypocrisy is an unavoidable
part of human nature, and almost a part of polite society as well.
Moderation
Marianne must learn moderation of her emotions if she is to become independent of Elinor
and become an adult; her trials serve to teach her about her excesses, and luckily, she
does come to improve herself and become a much better, more caring person toward
others.

Model Answers:
Short Essay 01:
Compare and Contrast Elinor and Marian Dashwood in Sense and Sensiblity.
The two characters Elinor and Marianne represent sense and sensibility respectively. When
the book is read and reread you'll find a lot of instances how Austen portrays the
contradiction. Elinor, being the counseller of the family, is very far sighted.
Elinor, the eldest daughter whose advice was so effectual, possessed a strength of
understanding, and coolness of judgement, which qualified her, though only nineteen.....
... and her feelings were strong; but she knew how to govern them..
In contrast Marianne is an extremist sometimes.
her sorrows, joys could have no moderation. She was generous, amiable, interesting: she
was everything but prudent..
Just think about the way they reacted over the similar situations. Both were affected by the
death of thier father. But while Elinor controled herself, Marianne magnified the grief,
thinking about the bygone things over and over. In love both seeked compatibility, they
came over a similar situation there too. Elinor could conceal her pain, for the sake of her
sisters and mother, but Maarianne could not. She nearly dead with fever because of
continuously weeping over Willoughby's declaration. The way they judge people is also a
good evidence of this representation of sense and sensibility. Marianne jumps into
conclusions, express herself not caring about others' feelings. She lives in a dream world,
but Elinor in contrast, lives on reality.

Model Essay 02:

Compare and contrast John Willoughby and Colonel Brandan in Sense and
Sensibility.
John Willoughby and Colonel Brandon are the two gentlemen whose love interests are
bestowed upon Marianne in Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. The reason why Marianne
demonstrates an obvious partiality toward Willoughby, and it takes her forever to
demonstrate any affection for Brandon, is precisely because the two men are polar
opposites. In the end, however, it is obvious that looks are, indeed deceiving.
John Willoughby is a young man of a good family but with not a lot of money. He is entitled
to an inheritance of property, but he demonstrates a careless attitude that, at first, fools
the reader into thinking that he is just a "free-spirit". He lives with a relative at the time of
his acquaintance with Marianne, whom he meets after picking her up from a fall. His
debonair is that of a dandy, and his love for literature is what makes Marianne fall deeply
for him. Not known to Marianne, however, Willoughby is actually not a free spirit, but a
libertine. He had gotten at least one girl in trouble, one of them being related to Colonel
Brandon. Always hungry for money, he makes a match with a Miss Gray, who is worth
"50,000 pounds a year".
Willoughby is a shady character. He is never clear about his intentions, which leads people
to pre-suppose them. This is how Marianne ends up believing that she had been in some
form of engagement to Willoughby before finding out through his total disregard for her in
London that she had been assuming things all along.
In comes Colonel Brandon. To the modern reader, Colonel Brandon may come across as a
bit of a "perv" due to the huge age difference between himself and Marianne. In fact, he is
in this 30's while Marianne is barely ending her teens when he falls for her!
Due to his many life experiences, and disappointments, he has learned to be less brash and
temperamental than the libertine and immature Willoughby. While Willoughby sees
Brandon as "dull" and "old", the reality is that Brandon is a measured and conventional. It
is clear that Brandon has amassed quite a good fortune, and that the love that he bares for
Marianne can surpass the humiliation and the rejection that she puts him through earlier
during the courtship.
When Marianne becomes close to Brandon it is after she experiences deep depression and
illness, and after she realizes that, throughout it all, it is Brandon who seems to always be
there when she needs him the most. In the end, it is obvious that there is more than a mere
infatuation; Brandon is actually a better match for Marianne because he does display the
gentlemanly and mature behaviors that would complement her the most.

Model Essay 03:

Discuss the role that money and property play in Sense and Sensibility.
It comes to no surprise that the role of money and property would take a center stage in
Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. After all, in a society where money is equivalent to
social respectability and opportunity, having the means (and the ways to show them off)

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are the Regency England's equivalent as what would be a modern form of our "American
Dream."
In addition to money representing a form of "dream of social success" , in Austen's maleoriented society, money and property also represent a form of "passport" that greatly
benefits females. With a good dowry in place, a woman would be able to secure a husband
in good financial standing. As a result the two families involved gain much benefit from
solidifying their financial future through the union of two good fortunes.
This is not the first time we see the motifs of marriage, money, and property in Austen's
works. Even Pride and Prejudice clearly shows how marriage, money, and property are an
expected social transaction.
IT is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune
must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be
on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the
surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of
their daughters.
Hence, the desire to further solidify or create financial networks and securing the financial
stability of a "blood line" are the underlying goals of a well-matched marriage. Therefore,
the role of money is to procure a chance to anchor a family's financial future, and it also
gives women, specifically, the chance to come to some property and social standing of
their own.
The treatment of "property" is similar to that of money, except that "coming to property"
entails that only males are allowed inherit property in Regency England. This means that, if
the head of the household dies, like in the case of Mr. Dashwood senior, the women have
no choice but to allow the next male kin within the bloodline to take over their property. As
we see, the Dashwood women become practically disinfranchised within their own estate,
and had to move out basically because of the fact that Dashwood's son from his first
marriage is entailed to Norland.
Additionally, "coming to property" is considered a huge deal to those who wish to flaunt
that they have options as to where to spend "the season". If you are fashionable, you would
be able to spend the London season (when Parliament is in session) at a fancy city
apartment. Once the season is over, those "who are who's" would continue their
entertaining and merry-making away in their country estates. You can see why Mrs.
Dashwood (Fanny) is so enchanted with the idea of acquiring Norland. She would be one of
those lucky ladies that can boast to having a choice of residences.
Therefore, money and properties are staples of social distinction among the characters
of Sense and Sensibility. Those who lack either, like the Dashwoods, or the Miss Steele's,
would have a harder time climbing up the social ladder that begins with a good marriage.
Hence, this shows that marriage is a tool of negotiation that helps to speed the process of
acquiring money and property at the same time.