Sense and Sensibility | Jane Austen

"Sense and Sensibility" is Jane Austen's first published novel, and the one now most closely scrutinised by historicist and feminist scholars, who offer new, complex readings of the work. The text is that of the 1813 second edition ( the origins of which can be traced back to 1795). The text is fully annotated and is accompanied by a map of 19th century England. The "Contexts" section explores the personal and social issues that loom large in Austen's novel: sense, sensibility, self-control, judgement, romantic attachments, family and inheritance. The "Criticism" section collects six early and 12 modern assessments of the novel. Contributers include: Alice Meynell, Reginald Farrer, Jan Fergus, Raymond Williams, Marilyn Butler, Mary Poovey, Claudia L. Johnson, Gene Ruoff, Patricia Meyer Spacks, Isobel Armstrong, Mary Favret, Didre Shauna Lynch, Eve Kosofsky Sedgewick and Deborah Kaplan. A chronology and selected bibliography are included.