Sense and sensibility
(Book)

The text is complete and unedited.

When their father dies, the Dashwood women--Mrs. Dashwood, Elinor, Marianne, and young Margaret--are plunged into poverty. Things take a turn for the better when sensible Elinor finds herself falling deeply in love with shy kindred spirit Edward Ferrars. But they are soon split apart when the Dashwoods move to a small cottage on the country estate of distant relatives. There Marianne, an impulsive romantic, is swept off her feet by the seemingly perfect John Willoughby, who inexplicably leaves for London. Both girls long for answers to the mysteries left behind by both men. Will the sisters be unlucky in love forever?

Jane Austen was born in 1775, the seventh of eight children in her close-knit family. Sense and Sensibility, released in 1811, was Austen's first published novel. Four of her major novels were published anonymously during her lifetime and two posthumously. She did not become the famous literary figure she is today until the late 1800s. Austen's novels are filled with commentary on the social conventions of her time, which are often presented through sharp wit and satire.