Though not the first novel she wrote, Sense and Sensibility was the first that Jane Austen published. Austen pursues a central theme: the necessity of finding a workable middle ground between passion and reason. The story revolves around the Dashwood sisters, Elinor, a sensible, rational creature, and Marianne, who is wildly romantic -- characteristics that offer Austen plenty of scope for both satire and compassion. How each of the sisters reacts to their romantic adventures and misfortunes, and the lessons they draw before coming finally to the requisite happy ending, forms the heart of the novel. While Marianne's disregard for social coventions and willingness to consider the world well-lost for love is appealing to modern readers, Elinor is the sister most admired by Austen herself. A truly happy marriage, we are shown, exists only where sense and sensibility meet and mix in proper measure. Sense and Sensibility is introduced by Professor H.M. Daleski.