Sense and Sensibility

Sense and Sensibility was the first novel written by Jane Austen

and it reflects the views and ideas of a young girl of

twenty-two. It includes autobiographical elements, as do other

novels written by her. Jane Austen had only one sister,

Cassandra, and the two were very attached. The connection that existed

between Jane and Cassandra is to be found between Elinor and

Marianne. The two women of the novel also resemble their real-

life counterparts in their nature and attitude. Elinor possesses the

good sense of Cassandra and the cordiality of Jane. Marianne

displays Jane's love for reading, music and dance. The setting of

the novel is also based on actual locations. The Dashwoods'

cottage at Barton in Devonshire resembles Jane Austen's house at

Steventon in Hampshire.

Jane Austens’ novels were written in a familiar territory and did justice to it. All her novels are written in and around London, the city Austen was familiar with. She writes about families belonging to the upper-

middle class, to which she herself belonged. The problems her

heroines’ faces were similar to those faced by the girls of her

society in early nineteenth-century England. Austen convincingly

enhances her limited sphere through a realistic portrayal of

settings and characters.

All the novels of Austen display some degree of satire,

effectively used in exposing the insincerity of individuals and

society. Her satire operates at different levels. Sometimes it is

targeted directly at individuals like John Dashwood and his wife,

Fanny Dashwood. Whenever Austen presents John Dashwood,

she points out his evident mercenary attitude and makes him

appear as a caricature blinded by money. His wife is portrayed as

a devious woman,