Dorset is a coastal county located in Southwest England along the English Channel. Dorset is known for the "Jurassic Coast," a large stretch of its coastline that has revealed fossils from a span of over 185 million years. The county itself is widely regarded as an extraordinarily beautiful region, with tourism being a large part of their economy since agriculture began to decline in the area. Although not mentioned specifically in the excerpt of Sense and Sensibility we read for class, Delaford, the fictional estate from the novel, is largely influenced by Dorset. During the 18th century, when the industrial revolution was changing much of England, Dorset remained largely agricultural, lending to Austen's descriptions of the place as peaceful and old-fashioned with much natural beauty.
