The plot in six lines
When Henry Dashwood dies, Norland passes to his son John, whose wife Fanny persuades him to give almost no support to Mrs Dashwood and her daughters.
At Norland, Elinor grows fond of Edward Ferrars, but his family's expectations cloud their attachment before the Dashwood women move to a cottage in Devon.
At Barton, Colonel Brandon quietly admires Marianne, but she gives her attention to John Willoughby after he rescues her when she hurts her ankle.
Marianne and Willoughby's open attachment encourages gossip, while Elinor worries about their behaviour because neither has announced an engagement.
In London, Marianne anxiously waits for Willoughby, while Elinor conceals her own concerns, and both sisters face the pressure of money, manners and disappointed hopes.
Marianne survives a dangerous illness and learns greater judgment, Elinor marries Edward Ferrars, and Marianne eventually marries Colonel Brandon, with the sisters living close to each other.
Themes
Feeling and judgment: The sisters' contrasting responses to love show why strong feeling needs judgment and why restraint also needs warmth.
Money and dependence: The loss of Norland exposes the Dashwood women's dependence on property arrangements and makes money a pressure on love.
Manners and reputation: Elinor treats politeness as protection, while Marianne's openness reveals how gossip can threaten a woman with little money.
Appearance and reality: Characters repeatedly misread one another, as quiet feeling escapes notice and confidence in personal judgment proves unreliable.
Duty and silence: Elinor protects her family by concealing distress, but her reserve also prevents others from understanding and comforting her.
Characters
- Elinor DashwoodThe elder sister, steady and watchful, who hides her own feelings in order to protect her mother and sisters.
- Marianne DashwoodThe younger sister, gifted, romantic and open, who believes strong feeling should never be hidden or tamed.
- Mrs DashwoodThe sisters' warm, generous mother, who shares Marianne's love of feeling and often needs Elinor to count the cost.
- Edward FerrarsFanny's shy and gentle brother, who wants a quiet life while his family expects wealth and rank from him.
- Colonel BrandonA grave, kind older neighbour at Barton who quietly admires Marianne and carries a sorrow he rarely speaks about.
- John WilloughbyA charming and dashing young man who rescues Marianne and shares all her tastes in poetry and music.
For the A level English Literature exams, summer 2027
- The summer 2027 A level exams run from 10 May to 22 June 2027.
- OCR: Paper 2 (H472/02), Comparative and contextual study (Women in Literature), Thursday 20 May 2027, morning, 2 hours 30 minutes.
A two-week plan
- Day oneRead the 15-minute summary of Sense and Sensibility from start to finish, then tell the story back to yourself in five sentences.
- Day twoA father dies and the money goes: Notice how Fanny's reasonable sounding arguments turn John's promise of support into almost nothing. Two sisters, two ways of feeling: Compare the costs of Elinor's restraint with the risks of Marianne's emotional openness.
- Day threeEdward Ferrars and a quiet attachment: Watch how Edward's uneasiness complicates the quiet understanding he shares with Elinor. A small cottage in Devon: Notice how generous hospitality at Barton also leaves little room for the sisters' privacy.
- Day fourWilloughby sweeps Marianne away: Question whether shared tastes alone justify Marianne's confidence in Willoughby's character.
- Day fiveManners, gossip and the cost of openness: Follow how different observers turn the same behaviour into conflicting judgments about the sisters.
- Day sixLondon brings hope and strain: Compare Marianne's visible anxiety in London with the private concerns Elinor keeps concealed.
- Day sevenSense and sensibility are not enemies: Notice why neither restraint nor openness gives either sister a complete guide to living.
- Day eightHow Austen tells the story: Watch how irony, paired characters and small gifts reveal differences between appearances and motives.
- Day nineThe cast: Elinor Dashwood, Marianne Dashwood, Mrs Dashwood, Edward Ferrars and Colonel Brandon. Write one line on what each of them wants.
- Day tenThemes: Feeling and judgment; Money and dependence; Manners and reputation; Appearance and reality; Duty and silence. Pick one moment in the story for each.
- Day elevenForm: study how the story is told: the narrator, the order of events and the settings.
- Day twelvePractice: plan and write an essay on one theme, then read your argument back and test it against the story.
- Day thirteenPractice: try a second question with a different focus, such as a character or the form.
- Day fourteenRecap: reread your notes and the summary, say the plot out loud once, then rest.
From the boards' published specifications and final summer 2027 timetables, read on 23 October 2026. Ask your school which board and papers you sit.
Questions
What is Sense and Sensibility about?
Sense and Sensibility is about two sisters whose different responses to love are tested by reduced income, gossip and disappointment. Elinor's restraint and Marianne's openness each offer strengths, but each also carries a personal cost.
Who are the main characters in Sense and Sensibility?
The main characters are Elinor Dashwood and Marianne Dashwood, sisters whose contrasting habits of feeling shape the story. Edward Ferrars, John Willoughby and Colonel Brandon are central to their experiences of love. Mrs Dashwood, Fanny Dashwood and Mrs Jennings shape the family and social pressures around them.
What are the main themes of Sense and Sensibility?
The main themes are feeling and judgment, money and dependence, manners, reputation, and the gap between appearance and reality. Austen explores these through the sisters' choices and through the judgments people make about one another.
Is Sense and Sensibility a set text for A level English Literature?
Yes. OCR lists it in Paper 2 (H472/02), Comparative and contextual study (Women in Literature).
When are the A level English Literature exams in 2027?
The summer 2027 A level exams run from 10 May to 22 June 2027. OCR: Paper 2 (H472/02), Thursday 20 May 2027, morning.