This volume looks at Jane Austen’s famous novel from many points of view. Beginning with a discussion of Austen’s own life and times and their relevance to understanding Sense and Sensibility, this title goes on to explore the enduring popularity, especially in recent decades, of Austen’s writings in general and of this novel in particular. Important past critical analyses are summarized, illustrating the historical, social, and cultural forces that helped shape both the writing of the novel and the ways in which it has been received. Comparison to other literary texts helps readers explore Sense and Sensibility through the lens of the many literary theories currently available to serious students and readers of literature. Discussions of various film versions reveal how these visual versions can illuminate Austen’s novel, and vice versa. How this book succeeds (or fails) as a work of art is also examined, as is its continuing relevance in the twenty-first century to present-day concerns over gender, class, and race.