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SenseandSensibilitywasthefirstJaneAustenpublished.ThoughsheinitiallycalleditElinorandMarianne,Austenjettisonedboththetitleandtheepistolarymodeinwhichitwasoriginallywritten,butkepttheessentialtheme:thenecessityoffindingaworkablemiddlegroundbetweenpassionandreason.ThestoryrevolvesaroundtheDashwoodsisters,ElinorandMarianne.Whereastheformerisasensible,rationalcreature,heryoungersisteriswildlyromantic--acharacteristicthatoffersAustenplentyofscopeforbothsatireandpassion.mentingonEdwardFerrars,apotentialsuitorforElinor'shand,Marianneadmitsthatwhileshe"loveshimtenderly,"shefindshimdisappointingasapossibleloverforhersister.
Soonhowever,Mariannemeetsamanwhomeasuresuptoherideal:Mr.Willoughby,anewneighbor.SosweptawaybypassionisMarianhatherbehaviorbeginstoborderonthescandalous.ThenWilloughbyabandonsher;meanwhile,Elinor'sgrowingaffectionforEdwardsuffersacheckwhenheadmitsheissecretlyengagedtoachildhoodsweetheart.Howeachofthesistersreactstotheirromanticmisfortunes,andthelessonstheydrawbeforeingfinallytotherequisitehappyendingformstheheartofthenovel.ThoughMarianne'sdisregardforsocialconventionsandwillingnesstoconsidertheworldwell-lostforlovemayappealtomodernreaders,itisElinorwhomAustenherselfmostevidentlyadmired;atrulyhappymarriage,sheshowsus,existsonlywheresenseandsensibilitymeetandmixinpropermeasure.
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