Sense and Sensibility is a novel by Jane Austen, initially published anonymously in 1811. It tells the story of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne as they come of age. They have an older, stingy half-brother, John, and a younger sister, Margaret. 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. They have the opportunity to rent a modest home, Barton Cottage, on the property of a distant relative, Sir John Middleton. There they experience love, romance, and heartbreak.