19th Century novelists such as Emily Bronte and Charles Dickens deal with profound themes of human love, suffering and social justice in a dramatic manner, while Jane Austen's novels are often regarded as a somewhat gentler form of literature. In this course we shall examine two of her novels - Sense and Sensibility and Mansfield Park - and consider whether Austen deals with the same major themes in ways that are different in style but just as effective in impact.