13 h 26 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 13 h 26 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if guarding your heart hurts as much as giving it away?
When their father dies, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood lose their home and most of their income. Elinor keeps her worries quiet and counts the cost of every choice. Marianne trusts strong feelings. In Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, both sisters face love with little money and much to learn.
Shy, gentle Edward Ferrars draws Elinor’s attention, while charming John Willoughby sweeps into Marianne’s life. Around them, relatives guard their fortunes, neighbours offer kindness, and gossips watch every move. Through dinners, dances and private hopes, Austen asks how women can choose wisely when their freedom depends so heavily on money and men.
What you’ll discover
- Two sisters, different hearts Follow Elinor’s quiet restraint and Marianne’s openness as each faces the risks of love.
- Romance under watchful eyes Enter a small community where dinners and outings give neighbours plenty to discuss.
- The price of dependence See how family fortunes and property narrow the choices available to the Dashwood women.
- Kindness beside sharp elbows Meet generous neighbours, greedy relatives and a matchmaking widow with little respect for privacy.
- More than heart against head Discover why Austen lets both sisters hope and hurt, rather than simply choosing a winner.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy sharp social comedy, close portraits of sisters, and heroines you can argue with.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A dying promise shrinks into almost nothing
- A small Devon cottage brings a crowd of neighbors
- A handsome stranger carries Marianne off her feet
- Sudden departures leave questions no one will ask
- Elinor learns a secret and must carry it alone
- London turns Marianne's hope into open humiliation
- Colonel Brandon tells a story that changes the picture
- Sense and sensibility are tested side by side
- Money and manners decide who gets to love
- Austen tells the tale with comedy and a cool eye
Who’s who
- Elinor DashwoodThe eldest sister, nineteen and steady, she guides her family with judgment and hides her own feelings, especially her love for Edward Ferrars.
- Marianne DashwoodThe passionate middle sister, she trusts every feeling, loves music and poetry, and wants a love that matches her ideals.
- Mrs. DashwoodTheir warm and impulsive mother, she shares Marianne's romantic nature and wants her daughters settled in happiness, whatever their money.
- Edward FerrarsFanny's shy and thoughtful brother, he wants a quiet life and a useful profession, but his mother has other plans.
- John WilloughbyA charming and lively young man who wins Marianne's heart, he loves pleasure and fears poverty.
- Colonel BrandonA grave and generous friend of Sir John, he is quietly devoted to Marianne and carries an old sorrow.
- Lucy SteeleA pretty and clever young woman of no fortune, she flatters the powerful and guards a secret tie to Edward.
- Mrs. JenningsA cheerful, noisy, kind-hearted widow, she loves gossip and matchmaking and gives the sisters a home in London.
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Sentido y sensibilidad
by Jane Austen · 1811
Two sisters, one ruled by judgment and one by feeling, lose their home and learn what love costs.
Medium level10–20 hours to readEspañol
Excellent
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In short
What would you do if your own brother promised to look after you, then talked himself out of every penny? That is how Sense and Sensibility exposes selfishness at Norland Park, where three thousand pounds shrinks to a few gifts of fish and game.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A dying promise shrinks into almost nothing
Henry Dashwood holds Norland Park for only a year. When he dies, his widow and three daughters are left with ten thousand pounds between them. The estate passes to his son John. On his deathbed Henry begs John to look after his stepmother and half sisters.
John means to be kind at first. He thinks of giving each sister a thousand pounds. But his wife Fanny arrives before the funeral is a day old and takes charge.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 13 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1811
- Language
- Español
- Reading time
- 8 h 45 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Austen, Jane. Sense and Sensibility. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/sense-and-sensibility.
Austen, J. (2026). Sense and sensibility. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/sense-and-sensibility (Original work published 1811)
Austen, Jane. Sense and Sensibility. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/sense-and-sensibility.
@book{austen2026sense,
author = {Austen, Jane},
title = {Sense and Sensibility},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/sense-and-sensibility},
note = {First published 1811}
}
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What is Sense and Sensibility about?
It follows Elinor and Marianne Dashwood after their father's death leaves them poor. One sister is guided by judgment, the other by feeling, and both face disappointment in love, money worries, and the need to learn from each other.
Who is who in Sense and Sensibility?
Elinor is the sensible elder sister and Marianne the passionate younger one. Edward Ferrars, Willoughby, and Colonel Brandon are the men in their lives. Mrs. Jennings, Lucy Steele, and Fanny Dashwood shape their journey.
What do sense and sensibility mean in the title?
Sense means good judgment and self-control, which Elinor shows. Sensibility means strong feeling openly expressed, which Marianne shows. The title sets the two qualities side by side and asks what each can give and cost.
The author
Jane Austen
1775–1817 · English novelist
Jane Austen was an English novelist born in Steventon, Hampshire, in 1775. She lived in Bath, Southampton and Chawton, and died in Winchester in 1817. Her novels included Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814) and Emma (1815). Northanger Abbey and Persuasion appeared after her death.
More by Jane Austen
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