Of all the ways an author has of telling us about a character, how do we learn about the characters in Sense and Sensibility?

Sense and Sensibility is narrated by a
third person omniscient narrator, but under the point of view of Elinor and how she would
visualize the events in the story.

That being said, it is
interesting to note how Austen has a penchant to always favor Elinor as her representative for
"sense", while putting down Marianne and her tendency for being overly
sensible.

Therefore, Austen is not impartial nor completely
objective when it comes to describing her characters and their actions. There is indeed a
partiality that tends to gear towards the character that mostly resembles Austen herself. In this
case, it would be Elinor.

An example of this is the way in which
Austen describes the sisters at the beginning of the novel. Notice how Marianne's youth and
bubbly behavior are definitely brought up, only to be "toned down" by a more sophisticated and
calibrated description of Elinor- even though Elinor is described first! That is how much more
emphasis Austen placed on the character of Elinor.

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Elinor, this eldest daughter
whose advice was so effectual, possessed a strength of understanding, and coolness of judgment,
which qualified her, though only nineteen, to be the counsellor of her mother, and enabled her
frequently to counteract, to the advantage of them all, that eagerness of mind in Mrs. Dashwood
which must generally have led to imprudence. She had an excellent heart; her disposition was
affectionate, and her feelings were strong: but she knew how to govern them: it was a knowledge
which her mother had yet to learn, and which one of her sisters had resolved never to be
taught.


Marianne's abilities were, in many respects, quite equal to Elinor's.
She was sensible and clever; but eager in everything; her sorrows, her joys, could have no
moderation. She was generous, amiable, interesting: she was everything but prudent. The
resemblance between her and her mother was strikingly
great.







• 
  

  Elinor
  saw, with concern, the excess of her sister's sensibility; but by Mrs. Dashwood it was valued and
  cherished.

  
  

In this example
it is evident that Austen already has an issue with the character of Marianne ,who shines for its
bright charisma, but is easily shut down and opaqued due to its lack of common
sense.

Therefore, from the very beginning of the novel, we can
actually see who is who: Those with sense will overcome all
sensibilities.