Sense and Sensibility

English author Jane Austen wrote satirical romances set within the confines of upper-middle-class English society. Her books are known for their sharp attention to the details of everyday life, and her skillful treatments of character and situation has marked Austen as an astute observer of human nature. This is highly evident in her treatment of the complex relationship between sense and sensibility in her novel of the same name. Jane Austen’s Sense and sensibility …

…like impulsive romance. The main theme behind the novel is therefore the problem of achieving a balance between “sense” and “sensibility” in order to gain happiness and love. The two sisters who start out on opposite ends of the emotional spectrum end up with a mix of both “sense” and “sensibility”. Elinor is “affectionate and her feelings strong; but she knew how to govern them”, while Marianne is “sensible and clever; but eager in everything”.