Sense and Sensibility was the first novel Jane Austen published. Though she initially called it Elinor and Marianne, Austen jettisoned both the title and the epistolary mode in which it was originally written, but kept the essential theme： the necessity of finding a workable middle ground between passion and reason. The story revolves around the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne. Whereas the former is a sensible, rational creature, her younger sister is wildly romantic——a characteristic that offers Austen plenty of scope for both satire and compassion. Commenting on Edward Ferraris, a potential suitor for Elinor's hand, Marianne admits that while she loves him tenderly, she finds him disappointing as a possible lover for her sister.
Soon however, Marianne meets a man who measures up to her ideal： Mr. Willoughby, a new neighbor. So swept away by passion is Marianne that her behavior begins to border on the scandalous. Then Willoughby abandons her； Meanwhile, Elinor's growing affection for Edward suffers a check when he admits he is secretly engaged to a childhood sweetheart. How each of the sisters reacts to their romantic misfortunes, and the lessons they draw before coming finally to the requisite happy ending forms the heart of the novel. Though Marianne's disregard for social conventions and willingness to consider the world well-lost for love may appeal to modern readers, it is Elinor whom Austen herself most evidently admired； a truly happy marriage, she shows us, exists only where sense and sensibility meet and mix in proper measure.
《理智与情感》是简奥斯汀出版的第一本小说。虽然她最初称之为埃利诺哈马和玛丽安，但奥斯汀放弃了最初的书面标题和书信方式，但保持了基本主题：在激情与理性之间必须找到一种可行的中间地带。故事围绕Dashwood姐妹，埃利诺和玛丽安，前者是明智的，理性的人，她的妹妹是疯狂浪漫的——这个人物，它给了奥斯汀大量的机会来进行讽刺和同情。评论爱德华法拉利，一个潜在的埃利诺的追求者，玛丽安坦承，虽然她“爱他的温柔， ”她认为他令人失望的是他可能的爱人是她的妹妹。
然而不久，一名男子符合玛丽安的理想标准：威洛比，一个新的邻居。所以激动地冲到玛丽安对她说，她的行为开始跨越边界的丑闻。然而威洛比放弃了她;与此同时，埃利诺对爱德华日益增长的感情经受了考验，他承认他秘密与童年的心上人定终身了。两个姐妹反应他们的浪漫的不幸，并吸取经验教训，她们终于在未来皆大欢喜的核心形式的小说。虽然玛丽安无视社会公约，想要让现代读者知道世界上的失去爱情也可发生在他们身上，埃利诺明显是奥斯丁本人最钦佩的;一个真正幸福的婚姻，她告诉我们，只有理性与感性满足并以适当的方式混合时才存在。
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