Sense and Sensibility (Wordsworth Classics)

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen features an introduction and notes by Professor Stephen Arkin of San Francisco University. This edition is part of the Wordsworth Classics series.

Key details

• Author: Jane Austen
• Series: Wordsworth Classics
• Includes introduction and notes by Professor Stephen Arkin (San Francisco University)
• First of Austen’s novels to be published

Synopsis

Jane Austen’s sardonic humour examines the realities faced by young women without economic or political power, and the need to contrive material security. The novel presents a comedy of manners in which two sisters pursue respectability amid stratagems, hypocrisy and poignancy.

Elinor and Marianne are set in contrast, representing sense and sensibility: Elinor is marked by Augustan detachment, while Marianne, shaped by the Romantic Age, learns to curb her passionate nature in the interests of survival. The book is described as a cautionary tale that remains fresh today.