This novel contrasts two sisters: Marianne, who, with her doctrines of love at first sight, fervent emotions overtly expressed, and admiration of the grotesque "picturesque", represents the cult of "sensibility"; and Elinor, who has much more "sense", but is still not immune from disappointments. Despite some amusing characters and true Jane Austen touches, it is not generally considered to be her best novel. According to Cassandra, it was probably the first of the novels to be started (sometimes before 1797, under the early name Elinor and Marianne); it was worked on in 1797, and probably again heavily revised before publications in 1811.

It was the first of Jane Austen's novels to be published, and appeared without her name on the title page (only "By a Lady"). It was advertised as an 'Interesting Novel', which meant (in the jargon of the day) that it was a love story. Jane Austen pledged herself to cover her publisher's losses, if necessary, but actually realised ? 140 in profit. It was one of only two novels that Jane Austen revised after publication, when a second edition came out in 1813. The first and second editions were probably not more than a thousand copies each, but the readership would have been very much larger, due to the institution of "circulating libraries" (book rental shops), and also the fact that the novel was published in three separately-bound volumes (as was the usual practice).

This novel contains the affirmation, not necessarily convincing, of the most characteristics theme of Austen: the behaviour, not the feelings, has to obey to the society forms. Marianne Dashwood believes in a romantic feeling's exhibition and she is not accepted. For a long time her older sister, Elinor, is not happier than she is with her groom, Edward Ferrars, but the moral is imposed when disappear the difficulties of Edward proposition (who is promised before with another woman) while Marianne learns to love sincerity, comprehension and an important fortune.