Sense and Sensibility: Character Mind Map & Summary
Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility in brief: the key characters, the marriages, a quick summary and the exam facts.
The Character Mind Map
Tap any name to open the details.
Elinor & Marianne Dashwood
Two sisters left poor after their father’s death. Elinor (sense) is calm and hides her feelings; Marianne (sensibility) is romantic and shows every emotion. Both suffer heartbreak, and each learns something from the other.
Ending: Elinor marries Edward; Marianne marries Colonel Brandon🎩 The Suitors
Love & disappointmentEdward FerrarsElinor’s love
Role: Shy and honourable, but secretly engaged for years to Lucy Steele. His mother disinherits him for keeping his word.
Marries ElinorJohn WilloughbyMarianne’s dashing lover
Role: Rescues Marianne when she twists her ankle, wins her heart, then abandons her to marry a rich heiress.
Loses MarianneColonel BrandonA quiet older gentleman
Role: Loves Marianne patiently, exposes Willoughby’s past, and gives Edward a church living.
Marries Marianne💰 The Obstacles
Money & schemesLucy SteeleA sly, ambitious young woman
Role: Tells Elinor of her secret engagement to Edward, then drops him for his richer brother Robert.
John & Fanny DashwoodHalf-brother and his wife
Role: Inherit the family estate of Norland; Fanny persuades John to give his sisters almost nothing.
Memory Hook: Sense vs Sensibility
The title in one pattern.
Quick Summary
The plot in five lines.
Stage 1Losing Norland
- Their father dies; the Dashwood women move to Barton Cottage in Devon.
Stage 2Two Romances
- Marianne falls for Willoughby; Elinor loves Edward, who seems distant.
Stage 3Heartbreak
- Willoughby jilts Marianne in London; Lucy reveals her engagement to Edward.
Stage 4Illness
- Marianne nearly dies of fever at Cleveland, then recovers a wiser woman.
Stage 5Marriages
- Lucy marries Robert Ferrars, freeing Edward for Elinor; Marianne marries Brandon.
Must-Know Exam Facts
Quick points for UGC NET, SET and PGT.
Publication
Austen’s first published novel (1811), published anonymously as “By a Lady” by Thomas Egerton.
Early Version
First drafted in the 1790s as a novel in letters called Elinor and Marianne.
Settings
Norland Park (Sussex), Barton Cottage (Devon), London and Cleveland.
Themes
Reason vs emotion, money and inheritance, and women’s dependence on marriage.
100+ Key Works of English Literature
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