lack*

The poet’s career is always full of pitfalls and difficulties. On the one hand, there is a danger of gaining popularity too easily, and on the other, the discouraging effect of a lack of audience. Mrs Greenock is in danger. Some of her poems, which from time to time appeared in a local newspaper, attracted a lot of undeserved attention. The book is about high art.

When Mr. Dashwood dies, he must leave the bulk of his estate to the son by his first marriage, which leaves his second wife and their three daughters (Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret) in straitened circumstances. They are taken in by a kindly cousin, but their lack of fortune affects the marriageability of both practical Elinor and romantic Marianne. When Elinor forms an attachment for the wealthy Edward...