Historical fiction book · Curated
Sense and Sensibility
Jane Austen · historical fiction
When Henry Dashwood dies, his widow and daughters are turned out of Norland: Elinor conceals her attachment to Edward Ferrars, while Marianne throws her heart at the dashing John Willoughby—until secret engagements, a broken ankle at Cleveland, and the marriage market of Barton and London test both sisters. Jane Austen’s 1811 novel is Regency historical romance of sense mixed with sensibility, and of two women who will not be saved by feeling alone.
Why read it: A perennial title-search Regency novel—the Austen classic readers still look up by name, and a Dashwood-sisters counterpart to Pride and Prejudice already on the shelf.
About this historical novel
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen is historical fiction set around 1792–1797 in the Regency / Napoleonic period with key settings including Norland Park, Barton Cottage, Devonshire, London. When Henry Dashwood dies, his widow and daughters are turned out of Norland: Elinor conceals her attachment to Edward Ferrars, while Marianne throws her heart at the dashing John Willoughby—until secret engagements, a broken ankle at Cleveland, and the marriage market of Barton and London test both sisters. Jane Austen’s 1811 novel is Regency historical romance of sense mixed with sensibility, and of two women who will not be saved by feeling alone.
On HisFic we tag it under 2. Historical romance and 1. Literary historical fiction so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include marriage, sisters, money, feeling, and courtship. A perennial title-search Regency novel—the Austen classic readers still look up by name, and a Dashwood-sisters counterpart to Pride and Prejudice already on the shelf.
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Plot summary
When Henry Dashwood dies, his widow and daughters are turned out of Norland: Elinor conceals her attachment to Edward Ferrars, while Marianne throws her heart at the dashing John Willoughby—until secret engagements, a broken ankle at Cleveland, and the marriage market of Barton and London test both sisters. Jane Austen’s 1811 novel is Regency historical romance of sense mixed with sensibility, and of two women who will not be saved by feeling alone. A perennial title-search Regency novel—the Austen classic readers still look up by name, and a Dashwood-sisters counterpart to Pride and Prejudice already on the shelf.
Subgenres
Eras
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More like this on HisFic
Curated titles that share era, story type, or themes.
- Pride and Prejudice · Jane Austen
When wealthy bachelor Mr. Bingley takes Netherfield, Mrs. Bennet is determined to marry off a daughter—but it is the proud Mr. Darcy, and Elizabeth Bennet’s first impression of him, that turns a Hertfordshire season into the most famous courtship in English fiction. Jane Austen’s 1813 novel is Regency historical romance of manners, money, and a woman who will not marry without respect.
- The Grand Sophy · Georgette Heyer
When diplomat Sir Horace Stanton-Lacy is posted to South America, he parks his high-handed daughter Sophy on her aunt in Berkeley Square, where cousin Charles is engaged to a grim bluestocking, Cecelia is in love with a useless poet, and the younger Ombersleys are starved of fun. Georgette Heyer’s 1816 novel is Regency historical romance: a managing heroine, a furious hero, and the London season rearranged at pistol-point and on horseback.
- Jane Eyre · Charlotte Brontë
Orphaned Jane Eyre survives Gateshead and Lowood, then takes a governess post at Thornfield Hall, where she falls in love with the brooding Edward Rochester—and discovers the secret locked on the third floor that makes their wedding impossible. Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel is Regency gothic historical romance: a woman who will not be owned, and the most famous governess courtship in English fiction.
- The Duke and I · Julia Quinn
In the 1813 London season, Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, fake a courtship to solve their marriage-market problems—then the performance becomes real. The first Bridgerton novel is Regency historical romance: ballrooms, gossip sheets, and a marriage of convenience that refuses to stay convenient.
- Middlemarch · George Eliot
In a Midlands town on the eve of the 1832 Reform Act, idealistic Dorothea Brooke marries the dry scholar Casaubon, while ambitious doctor Tertius Lydgate is drawn to beautiful, expensive Rosamond Vincy—two marriages, and a whole province of clergy, bankers, and gossips, testing what a life is for. George Eliot’s novel is Reform-era historical fiction of vocation, money, and the unhistoric acts that shape an English town.
- Vanity Fair · William Makepeace Thackeray
Becky Sharp leaves finishing school with nothing but wit and climbs Regency England beside gentle Amelia Sedley—through London drawing rooms, a disastrous marriage, and the chaos of Waterloo. Thackeray’s novel without a hero is Napoleonic-era historical fiction of class, hypocrisy, and a social war fought as fiercely as the one on the Belgian field.
Regions & places
Britain & Ireland
Norland Park · Barton Cottage · Devonshire · London · England
Themes
- marriage
- sisters
- money
- feeling
- courtship
Tags
classic · romance · bestseller