Sense and Sensibility is a novel by Jane Austen published in 1811. It was published anonymously; By A Lady appears on the title page where the author's name might have been. It tells the story of the Dashwood sisters Elinor and Marianne  as they come of age. They have an older half-brother John and a younger sister Margaret.

The novel follows the three Dashwood sisters as they must move with their widowed mother from the estate on which they grew up Norland Park. Because Norland is passed down to John the product of Mr. Dashwood's first marriage and his young son the four Dashwood women need to look for a new home. They have the opportunity to rent a modest home Barton Cottage on the property of a distant relative Sir John Middleton. There Elinor and Marianne experience love romance and heartbreak. The novel is set in South West England London and Sussex probably between 1792 and 1797.