Reason and feelings

Is love a matter of the head or the heart? Money and marriage are the two subjects of this first novel by Jane Austen.

For Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, it's a time of great change: their father has just died, and the heir to the estate where they live, their father's son from his first marriage, has left them little to support themselves. Out of necessity, Elinor helps her mother find a new home within their means, on the other side of England, in Devon. It's an opportunity not only for a change of scenery but also for forging new relationships.

Marianne, whose romanticism and vivacity charm the secretive Colonel Brandon, soon falls deeply in love with the young and impetuous John Willoughby, whom she meets under very romantic circumstances. Elinor, whose disposition is more cautious and measured, carefully conceals the depth of her feelings for Edward Ferrars, the eldest brother of her disagreeable sister-in-law, whom she met at Norland and who lives in London with his mother.

Both women then have to face disappointments and betrayals. However, their shared qualities – discernment, steadfastness, and integrity in the face of others' ill intentions – the deep affection they have for each other, and Elinor's strength of character will allow them to confront the trials that come their way, though with a little more difficulty for Marianne.

In a vain society where all relationships seem to revolve around money, annuities, and dowries, the Dashwood sisters offer a freshness and spontaneity that contrasts with the dryness and materialism of most of their contemporaries.