Sense and Sensibility, is a novel by Jane Austen that was published in
three volumes in 1811 and became a classic. The comic work offers a
lucid depiction of 19th-century middle-class life as it follows the
romantic relationships of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. While focusing
on the sisters Elinor and Marianne, the novel tells the story of the
impoverished Dashwood family. After sisters become destitute upon the
death of their father, they leave to John, their half- brother who is
instructed to take care of them. But John is dissuaded of his duty by
Fanny, his greedy wife.
Initially, titled as Elinor and Marianne, Austen significantly revised
it in 1809. It was her first published novel. Sense and Sensibility
contains what would become Austen's trademark features: insightful
observation, characterization, and wit. Upon publication, Sense and
Sensibility was a success and it later was adapted for film, stage, and
television. After its commercial success, it spurred a resurgence of
interest in Austen's other novels.