] One can infer from the title that Jane Austen may have been attempting to, by this story, demonstrate the relative virtues or dangers of sense vs sensibility. One can say that Elinor stands for "sense" while Marianne for "sensibility".

] So if you buy into that premise, which do you think "won out" in JA's universe?

Quite the contrary, IMO. It's Sense and Sensibility...an important distinction.

---not Sense or Sensibility

--not Sense vs. Sensibility

I think the 'and' is the whole point there. One is not meant to 'win out' over the other or conquer the other. They are not mutually exclusive. The ideal is to strive for balance. Both Marianne and Elinor possess both of these qualities, as do their future husbands. Marianne may develop more sense, but she is still in full possession of her sensibility. Elinor always had a lot of sensibility, but it was under good regulation by her sense.

Lacking in one of the qualities, or allowing one to be expressed to the exclusion of the other is no recipe for happiness.