A personal curriculum for Sense & Sensibility.

My favorite narration of Sense and Sensibility is by Rosamund Pike. She’s the actress who played Jane in Pride and Prejudice, and she’s brilliant! Her Elinor sounds exactly like Emma Thompson.

I died laughing when she reads Margaret and Mrs. Jennings gossiping about the mysterious Mr. F.

If you’re short on time, we’ve brought commentary from these books and more into our interactive Sense and Sensibility course on Scrivium, alongside Jane Austen’s original words in context.

If you’re going to read a biography, I recommend Lucy Worsley’s Jane Austen at Home. She’s very fun and easy to read. Runner-up is the classic from Claire Tomalin, published in 1997.

If you’d rather skip the biographies, listen to The Life and Works of Jane Austen by Devoney Looser, especially her lecture on the juvenilia. Austen is way more cheeky and irreverent than her public image would have you believe.

If you’ve read Sense and Sensibility before, try David Shapard’s annotated edition. It reminds me of Folger’s annotated Shakespeare, with the added benefit of making everyone around you think you’re reading War and Peace.

I recommend Tom Keymer’s Jane Austen: A Very Short Introduction, especially if you want to understand the culture war around neoclassical virtues and moral sentimentalism. It sets the stage for the whole “sense vs. sensibility” dynamic.

My favorite is Ian Mortimer’s The Time Traveller’s Guide to Regency Britain. He puts you right into the scene: approaching England’s coast after dark, then exploring Brighton. Runner-up is Roy and Lesley Adkins’ Jane Austen’s England.