Sense and Sensibility

Credits and rights

Original writer

Jane Austen

Publisher of this edition

BoingyBooks Classics

Original publisher

Project Gutenberg

Adaptation credits

John Shoufler / BoingyBooks Classics — digital edition

Original source / edition

Sense and Sensibility (1811)

License

Public Domain

License link

https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

Rights and adaptation notice

This work is in the public domain. John Shoufler published this digital edition through BoingyBooks Classics. The original work remains public domain and may be copied, adapted, and shared.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (1811)

Austen's first published novel. Sisters Elinor (sense) and Marianne (sensibility) Dashwood navigate love, heartbreak, and financial insecurity after their father's death leaves them nearly destitute. A masterful exploration of the tension between reason and emotion.

Historical Significance:
Published in 1811 under the pseudonym "A Lady," Sense and Sensibility was Austen's debut — though she had drafted it as "Elinor and Marianne" in her teens. She self-published it with help from her brother Henry, and it sold out its first edition of 750 copies, earning Austen £140. The novel established her signature style: wit, social observation, and the marriage plot as a lens for examining economic and moral questions. Ang Lee's 1995 film adaptation, starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

This public domain classic was originally published in 1811. Free to read and share.