] The narrator also tells us in the first chapter that Elinor "had an excellent heart; her disposition was affectionate, and her feelings were strong : but she knew how to govern them."

Because of something I read in preparation for the GR, the above section about Elinor stood out for me as well as "Marianne's abilities were, in many respects equal to Elinor's. She was sensible and clever;" which pointed out something that I had not really thought much about in the past. For some reason, I had always thought of them as being more opposite than alike. I have tended to think more of one as 'sense' and the other as 'sensibility' when in fact they each are both. Maianne seems to be pretty much all that Elinor is except in the area of prudence/governing of feelings. Out of this rises their main oppositons as we see in their feelings, thoughts and discussions of Edward: their "opposing values of romance and practical realism". I also had not noticed your observation about how Maianne and her mother plop everyone into two categories but your're right and the thing is they are somewhat censurious of the people who do not fit into their category as if they are somehow lacking.