Sense and Sensibility Summary

Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" is a novel that explores the contrasting temperaments and romantic fortunes of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne. After the death of their father, the sisters and their mother are left in reduced circumstances and must move to a modest cottage. Elinor, the elder sister, embodies sense with her rationality and restraint, while Marianne represents sensibility with her emotional and impulsive nature. Elinor quietly suffers heartbreak when her love interest, Edward Ferrars, is revealed to be secretly engaged. Marianne falls passionately in love with the charming but unreliable John Willoughby, only to be abandoned and suffer a severe illness. Through these trials, the sisters grow and learn from each other's strengths. Elinor eventually finds happiness with Edward, and Marianne marries the honorable Colonel Brandon. "Sense and Sensibility" is celebrated for its nuanced characterization, its witty social commentary, and its exploration of the balance between reason and emotion in matters of the heart.