Sense and Sensibility is a novel by Jane Austen, published in 1811. It tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor (age 19) and Marianne (age 16) as they come of age. They have an older half-brother, John, and a younger sister, Margaret, 13. 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.