Sense and Sensibility

Had this book been written today, the title might have been Sense and Sensuality, but Regency authors were much more circumspect. The title refers to the two eldest Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, one of whom (Elinor) embraces practicality and restraint while the other (Marianne) gives her whole heart to every endeavor. When the Dashwoods--are sent, almost impoverished, to a small cottage in Devonshire after the death of their father and the machinations of their brother's wife, they accept their new circumstances with as much cheer as they can muster even though their brother and his wife have taken over the family estate and fortune. Their characters, albeit wildly different in their approaches to life, are impeccably honest and intelligent--and their suitors take notice. In an interestingly twist, the end of this novel brings into question which sister represents which part of the title.