This is a very interesting thread. I agree with most of what has been written here. I agree with both Elinor and Marianne having the abilities of both sense and sensibility, it merely being a case of which they allow to govern.

It's interesting what you said about Marianne's appreciation of nature in Norland. While JA is gently mocking Marianne, what she is mocking is her *overindulgence*, not the appreciation itself. Many other JA characters have an appreciation of nature. In fact the introduction to Barton Cottage discusses the topology of the land around at length, showing how nature is an important consideration.

It's interesting to note that Marianne represents the Romantic movement partly through her love of nature, when it is the Romantic era which brings the industrial age, and the closing in of the village commons, two events which impacted on nature. I won't discuss further as I don't have references.

Speaking of the introduction to Barton cottage, I love the switch in the narrator:

(Elinor's view):
As a house, Barton Cottage, though small, was comfortable and compact;