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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
More a 3.5 but exceeded my expectations for sure, and like in Persuasion, Austen is perfect at writing a quiet protagonist. When Fanny does stand up for her principles, it means all the more when usually, she does her best to make everyone around her happy.
I found this book had a slow start. But once you get through Fanny’s childhood (which isn’t too long), it starts to move. Though for me, I really got into it, though, when I realized Edmund and Fanny were meant to be together. I do love myself a good romance, after all.
But I had to wait a long time. A really long time. Longer than I thought.
For most of the novel, I wanted to shake Edmund and make him realize Fanny was right there. And I wanted to send Mary Crawford far, far away. I believe pairing her with Edmund was supposed to be so obviously mismatched and wrong to the readers. To me, it shows how blind people in love (or infatuation) can be. For as a reader, I saw through Mary right away.I could probably go on forever about Mary Crawford as I really dislike her. All I can say was that I was glad Edmund finally saw her true nature. Even if it was way too late in the book for my tastes.
Fanny is a character who knows herself. She’s a very observational person, perhaps having the best understanding of people. She’s just not good at expressing herself. I hoped she would deliver truth bombs before the end, but on closer reflection, that is not Fanny’s personality. And that’s okay, though I can see why some people might write her off as a doormat or boring.
Going further, I believe Fanny is a character suffering from social anxiety and probably some emotional scarring from her childhood. She was taken from the only home she had ever known and forced to live with people she didn't know. People who didn't seem to give a damn about her, with the exception of Edmund. Especially since she isn't kissing their feet in gratitude like they expected her to. So they ignored her. Which was for her best since they were usually insulting her when they weren't. No wonder Fanny doesn't trust her own opinions. She's been told she's stupid and wrong her entire life. At least, though, her uncle starts seeing her for her true worth. He, at least, delivers a truth bomb at one point.
I like truth bombs, can't you tell?
Moving on...
Despite wanting to shake him, I think Edmund’s my favorite Austen hero. He’s smart, sensitive and a gentleman. He's just a sucker for a beautiful woman. But like Fanny, he has his principles and he (usually) sticks with them. He has a few moments of weakness (usually due to Mary's influence), but he remembers himself and apologizes for those moments.
If you like studies on people and their natures, I highly recommend this book. I just hope the slow, slow burn of romance doesn't annoy you.
But I had to wait a long time. A really long time. Longer than I thought.
For most of the novel, I wanted to shake Edmund and make him realize Fanny was right there. And I wanted to send Mary Crawford far, far away. I believe pairing her with Edmund was supposed to be so obviously mismatched and wrong to the readers. To me, it shows how blind people in love (or infatuation) can be. For as a reader, I saw through Mary right away.
Spoiler
It was when she had claimed she didn't know how to ride and so Edmund offered to teach her. When the groundskeeper makes a mention on how good Mary is after only a few lessons, I knew she had just been faking to spend time with Edmund. Which also then cost Fanny time on her beloved horse because they were using hers.Fanny is a character who knows herself. She’s a very observational person, perhaps having the best understanding of people. She’s just not good at expressing herself. I hoped she would deliver truth bombs before the end, but on closer reflection, that is not Fanny’s personality. And that’s okay, though I can see why some people might write her off as a doormat or boring.
Going further, I believe Fanny is a character suffering from social anxiety and probably some emotional scarring from her childhood. She was taken from the only home she had ever known and forced to live with people she didn't know. People who didn't seem to give a damn about her, with the exception of Edmund. Especially since she isn't kissing their feet in gratitude like they expected her to. So they ignored her. Which was for her best since they were usually insulting her when they weren't. No wonder Fanny doesn't trust her own opinions. She's been told she's stupid and wrong her entire life. At least, though, her uncle starts seeing her for her true worth. He, at least, delivers a truth bomb at one point.
I like truth bombs, can't you tell?
Moving on...
Despite wanting to shake him, I think Edmund’s my favorite Austen hero. He’s smart, sensitive and a gentleman. He's just a sucker for a beautiful woman. But like Fanny, he has his principles and he (usually) sticks with them. He has a few moments of weakness (usually due to Mary's influence), but he remembers himself and apologizes for those moments.
If you like studies on people and their natures, I highly recommend this book. I just hope the slow, slow burn of romance doesn't annoy you.
I can't lie this is probably my least-loved (not at all loved?) Austen novel. It's like she undercut everything she did in P&P, by making Maria Bertram such a shallow, avaricious character and criticizing her for it. And Fanny, seriously--I find it had to empathize with her, though it's certainly easy to sympathize with her situation as the ill-treated poor relation.
We love a good audio dramatization! And this one had Bermbadeck Culvertbunch (Edmund) AND David Tennant (Tom). Very much enjoyed.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fanny is a bit of an oddity for the lead of an Austen novel. She doesn't have any of the spark or determination of the female leads in S&S and P&P. She doesn't have any agency in her own story. She is just swept along by the decisions of others and has little control over her own life. I do think this is much more believable than some of Austen's earlier heroines - society would have allowed her very little control over her own circumstances, even if her personality had been inclined to want more.
All in all, it felt more like a precursor of Victorian novels, with more overt social commentary than in her earlier published works.
All in all, it felt more like a precursor of Victorian novels, with more overt social commentary than in her earlier published works.
For me, Jane Austen’s greatness was her ability to observe peoples behavior and their interpersonal and intrapersonal interactions. Though written in the early 19th century, the characters in her novels are not dissimilar from contemporary individuals. I see them in my family and in my environment. They have inhabited my lifetime—colleagues, friends, bosses, and acquaintances.
From today’s vista, Mansfield Park may seem moralistic and prudish. Yes, Fanny Price was overly ingratiating and shy, but she knew her own mind and trusted her judgement against a strong assault from those around her. A doormat she was not.
Certainly I live by modern values and reject the inferior position women held in the 19th century. Jane Austen wrote about her world; however, she was a keen observer of human personalities and characteristics.
From today’s vista, Mansfield Park may seem moralistic and prudish. Yes, Fanny Price was overly ingratiating and shy, but she knew her own mind and trusted her judgement against a strong assault from those around her. A doormat she was not.
Certainly I live by modern values and reject the inferior position women held in the 19th century. Jane Austen wrote about her world; however, she was a keen observer of human personalities and characteristics.
My Recommendation: Read it. If you’re interested in learning more about Austen as an adult and think her other novels are too ideal check this out, you might be surprised.
My Response: I finished reading Mansfield Park this weekend and I must admit that it’s still one of the best Jane Austen novels few people read. It’s a bit of a tome and the version I read with the tiny close quartered print was some times painful, but it’s well worth it. Mansfield Park counts for my Back to the Classics Challenge (Reread a classic of your choice) and also counts for The Classics Club. There will be an update later this week about where I am with my challenges and life.
My Response: I finished reading Mansfield Park this weekend and I must admit that it’s still one of the best Jane Austen novels few people read. It’s a bit of a tome and the version I read with the tiny close quartered print was some times painful, but it’s well worth it. Mansfield Park counts for my Back to the Classics Challenge (Reread a classic of your choice) and also counts for The Classics Club. There will be an update later this week about where I am with my challenges and life.
I first read Mansfield Park sometime during college, not for a course, but because I realized I was never required to read Jane Austen and she was this entity that I found fascinating. So many of the teen movies from the early 1990s were based on her books (and Shakespeare’s plays) that I just had to read the originals. I remember reading them back to back but not what order, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, and Emma—and I eventually read Lady Susan, The Watsons and Sandition. I’ve enjoyed all of them but Fanny Price remains one of those characters who sticks with me no matter what I read.
Continue reading on my book blog at geoffwhaley.com.
Continue reading on my book blog at geoffwhaley.com.
I wasn't very fond of any of the characters. I also thought some of the dialogue was a bit dull so the story drug on at times. I did, however, spend the whole book vacillating on how I hoped things would turn out.
Worth reading but so far my least favorite by Austen.
Worth reading but so far my least favorite by Austen.