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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
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.
Too long! A narrator who is basically a wall flower and whose name in Ireland today is a naughty word, and wandering, meandering, and boring (sorry Jane) plot. I just... mostly didn't care. I was not invested.
I wish she had finished/beefed out Lady Susan and maybe some of the others, and let Mansfield Park fall to the wayside.
I see now why teenage me did not finish this book. Adult me nearly didn't either, and only managed it because of the audiobook.
I wish she had finished/beefed out Lady Susan and maybe some of the others, and let Mansfield Park fall to the wayside.
I see now why teenage me did not finish this book. Adult me nearly didn't either, and only managed it because of the audiobook.
Grade: B
I had to read this for my uni degree.
This one was so so slow! And where was the romance I associate with Austen, hm? Three pages at the end does not count! Still enjoyed myself at many times though. And I liked Fanny a lot!
I had to read this for my uni degree.
This one was so so slow! And where was the romance I associate with Austen, hm? Three pages at the end does not count! Still enjoyed myself at many times though. And I liked Fanny a lot!
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m not sure if Fanny was intended to feel like a caricature, but this was… tough. No one here who grew on me, no one with compelling energy. Not Jane’s best, and far too long and preachy.
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Esta obra es muy diferente a las otras de Jane Austen y creo que la aprecio muchísimo por eso. Fanny es una pequeña niña, muy educada y muy obediente, que es recibida por sus tíos ricos para darle una buena educación. Fanny crece con sus cuatro primos y, junto con ellos (o mejor que ellos) va adquiriendo buenos modales, buen gusto, educación.
Ella es el modelo de chica perfecta, muy educada, muy reservada, siempre atenta con todos. Es tan perfecta, tan educada, tan modesta, que es desesperante. Lógicamente, las personas a su alrededor no son tan perfectas. Cada uno de sus familiares y amigos tiene algo completamente reprochable. Yo creo que lo que se le puede reprochar a Fanny es su conducta tan pasiva ante todo lo que pasa. Creo que Austen hizo un trabajo excelente con esta novela. Hay mucha crítica social y, sobre todo, remarca mucho las diferencias entre clases sociales. Es una lectura que disfruté muchísimo.
Ella es el modelo de chica perfecta, muy educada, muy reservada, siempre atenta con todos. Es tan perfecta, tan educada, tan modesta, que es desesperante. Lógicamente, las personas a su alrededor no son tan perfectas. Cada uno de sus familiares y amigos tiene algo completamente reprochable. Yo creo que lo que se le puede reprochar a Fanny es su conducta tan pasiva ante todo lo que pasa. Creo que Austen hizo un trabajo excelente con esta novela. Hay mucha crítica social y, sobre todo, remarca mucho las diferencias entre clases sociales. Es una lectura que disfruté muchísimo.
I'm torn between 3 and 4 stars. I enjoyed most of the book, but the end seemed lazily written. Instead of observing any of the action, it is all told to us through letters. After that we have a quick chapter that mops up any loose ends, again without us observing the events-they are told to us, and then it's over. If the end had kept up the standards of the first 400 pages it would have been a lovely book.