Reading guide · Ages 12+
Sense and Sensibility
For parents, teachers and book clubs. Free to print and share.
About the story
After their father's death, the Dashwood sisters lose their home. Sensible Elinor hides her feelings; passionate Marianne shows hers to everyone. Both fall in love, both are disappointed, and both learn something from the other.
Before reading
- Is it better to show your feelings or keep them private?
- What do "sense" and "sensibility" mean? (Sensibility once meant strong feeling.)
Discussion questions
- How are Elinor and Marianne different? How are they alike?
- Why does Elinor keep Edward's secret?
- What attracts Marianne to Willoughby? Were there warning signs?
- How does Colonel Brandon show he cares?
- How do the pictures show the sisters' feelings when they don't speak them?
- By the end, what has each sister learned from the other?
Words to know
- Sensibility — (in Austen's time) strong, quick feelings.
- Inheritance — money or property passed down after a death.
- Reserve — keeping your feelings to yourself.
- Secret engagement — a promise to marry that is hidden from others.
- Cottage — a small house in the country.
Activities
- Two diaries. Write the same day as two diary entries — one by Elinor, one by Marianne.
- Advice swap. What advice would each sister give the other?
From graphic-novels.com — the Sense and Sensibility graphic novel. About the book