Sense and Sensibility

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Austen initially establishes a dichotomy between Elinor’s rational approach to life (sense) and Marianne’s more emotional and impulsive approach (sensibility). Do you believe that people are inherently more emotional or more rational? What kinds of events might lead someone to become more or less in touch with their emotions?

2. The Dashwood women become economically vulnerable when Henry Dashwood dies, which instigates the novel’s plot. What do you think makes the disruption of economic circumstances (through job loss, divorce, etc.) particularly traumatic? What qualities lead to someone coping well or poorly with these changes?

3. Colonel Brandon is decades older than Marianne, and this age difference initially repulses her. However, she eventually concedes that he is the right partner. Do you think age differences are an insurmountable obstacle to successful partnerships? Is age a larger or smaller factor in present-day relationships than in Austen’s era?

4. Marianne openly displays her infatuation with Willoughby; this alarms Elinor, because she believes Marianne’s lack of discretion renders her vulnerable. Do you think that it is wise to become fully emotionally invested when getting to know someone new? How do you know whom to trust, and what warning signs should you look out for? 

5. Marianne initially believes that someone can only fall in love once, and that “second attachments” can never be genuine or passionate. Do you think that she’s correct? Do relationships later in life have advantages?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. The novel explores “sensibility” as a type of emotional recklessness that can make a woman vulnerable to losing her social status, if she is perceived as a “fallen woman” or ends up falling pregnant out of wedlock (such as happens to Eliza). How do gender norms in Austen’s era affect what is considered appropriate behavior for young women? How does the historical context increase the stakes of Marianne’s impulsive actions and choices?

2. Fanny Dashwood (the wife of Elinor and Marianne’s half-brother) is portrayed as pushing her husband to limit the resources allocated to his sisters and stepmother. Why do you think Austen portrays this type of jealousy and tension between female characters? How do social structures, like those that limited women’s ability to earn an income and inherit property, pit women against one another?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Elinor and Marianne move several times from Norland Park to Barton Cottage, and from there to London. How do these transitions in setting reflect the themes of the novel? Do the different settings reveal new aspects of the characters or unearth interpersonal dynamics?

2. Discuss the motif of illness. What do Marianne’s illnesses reveal about her character? What opportunities do they create to develop the relationship between her and Colonel Brandon?

3. Willoughby first meets Marianne when he “rescues” her after she injures her ankle. How does this encounter set the stage for Marianne’s subsequent infatuation? How does Austen subvert the romance convention of the heroic rescue by later revealing Willoughby to be callous and insensitive?

4. Discuss the contrast between Elinor getting to know Edward and Marianne getting to know Willoughby. What does each sister value in a prospective suitor?

5. What do Marianne’s letters to Willoughby symbolize? Why does Elinor rebuke Marianne for writing to a man to whom she is not engaged?