Sense and Sensibility (Full Version)

In Sense and Sensibility (1811), Jane Austen follows the Dashwood women after inheritance laws strip them of Norland Park and force them into a narrower, more watchful world. Elinor, governed by restraint and duty, and Marianne, ruled by feeling and romantic idealism, meet suitors, rivals, and well-meaning friends whose motives are tangled with money, status, and self-deception.

With sparkling dialogue and psychological precision, Austen exposes how “good sense” can mask quiet suffering, while “sensibility” can become a form of pride. The novel’s enduring power lies in its balance: a comedy of manners that is also a serious study of moral choice, feminine vulnerability, and the difficult art of judging character. Witty, humane, and sharply observant, it remains one of the foundational classics of the English novel.

• Listeners who love classic romances that treat love as a test of character, not just a happy ending.
• Fans of Austen’s social satire—inheritance, etiquette, and the quiet power plays of polite society.
• Anyone drawn to sister stories and coming-of-age narratives about learning when to yield to feeling and when to hold fast to principle.

Jane Austen (1775–1817) is one of English literature’s most influential novelists, celebrated for her irony, moral insight, and deft portraits of everyday life. Writing from the world she knew—the provincial gentry—she transformed courtship plots into incisive studies of character, economics, and social power. Her major novels include Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion. Published anonymously in her lifetime, Austen’s work has become a touchstone of the novel form, admired for its precision, comedy, and emotional depth.