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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
emotional
slow-paced
My third Austen novel this year and probably my favourite. Though the formula is similar to other novels, the characters and the moral and personal dilemmas feel more complex and less easily resolved. I like the hero, Fanny Price, with all her shyness, reserve and lack of confidence: utterly different from Elizabeth Bennet, but she feels more real to me and less an idealised heroine.
Amazing audiobook. The full cast really helped picture the story. But still not my favourite Austen
I read this as a teen and did not particularly like this Jane Austen. But the other day I saw it as an audiobook available to me and I decided to read/listen to it from an adult perspective and see what I thought now. It’s a well written social commentary and I enjoyed it. But the love story and ending leaves me cold. Edmund is so annoyingly pompous and clueless.. He is kind to Fanny, so I feel the whole love story was actually confused gratitude. I was actually hoping my memory did not serve me well and that Henry would behave himself and change into a worthy hero for Fanny. But alas, disaster strikes and Austen tidies everyone up in a brief chapter or two. I would have enjoyed reveling in Mrs. Norris’ discomfiture a bit more and having at least one scene that convinced me Edmund really loved Fanny and wasn’t conveniently transferring affections to an available and willing recipient.
Oh man, I really hated this book. I read it in high school but had forgotten the plot, which is a bit like Cinderella. Sir Thomas Bertram semi-adopts his poor niece Fanny Price, but everyone in the family is either condescending or mean to her, except her cousin Edmund, whom she consequently falls in love with. Edmund, however, is in love with the superficial Mary Crawford. The book is too long and the characters are flat.
With some of Austen's works, I feel like her genius overcomes the prejudices of her time. But in Mansfield Park, the rigid morality of early-1800's England is on full display. Oh no! The young people are performing a PLAY! Heaven help us! Oh no! Some of the characters are going to the evil big city! Whatever will become of their morals?
But as a true romantic, what I absolutely despise about this story is that Edmund is in love with a different woman for THE WHOLE BOOK and doesn't fall for Fanny until the last (let me check) five pages? :inarticulate sounds of rage:
With some of Austen's works, I feel like her genius overcomes the prejudices of her time. But in Mansfield Park, the rigid morality of early-1800's England is on full display. Oh no! The young people are performing a PLAY! Heaven help us! Oh no! Some of the characters are going to the evil big city! Whatever will become of their morals?
But as a true romantic, what I absolutely despise about this story is that Edmund is in love with a different woman for THE WHOLE BOOK and doesn't fall for Fanny until the last (let me check) five pages? :inarticulate sounds of rage:
medium-paced
Though I get the impression that many readers are not fans of protagonist Fanny Price, especially when comparing her to other Austen heroines, I simply saw her as different, not weak and annoying. She may be timid and hyper aware of her lower status at Mansfield Park, but she demonstrates incredible strength in her loyalty and in her steadfast principles. For someone who is incredibly shy and eager to please, the strength in which she turns down a seemingly advantageous marriage proposal, even at the bequest of her intimidating uncle, shows a solid backbone. I really enjoyed watching her character succeed. Interested now to watch some of the Mansfield Park adaptations, since I have heard that they vary considerably from the book.
I am exceedingly fond of this book. It was one of my set texts in my A-levels and I've read it a number of times, but not in fifteen years.
The interesting thing is how much my opinion has changed of the book, when I was reading it at age 18 I couldn't believe how much a wet lettuce Fanny is but on reading it at this distance, she makes more sense to me. I still wish she could be more assertive but she is trully sweet.
The other thing that is more visible is the level of humor that Jane Austen brings to her writing. I love the way she uses indirect speech in order to show the reader things in an economical way.
Yay Jane Austen.
The interesting thing is how much my opinion has changed of the book, when I was reading it at age 18 I couldn't believe how much a wet lettuce Fanny is but on reading it at this distance, she makes more sense to me. I still wish she could be more assertive but she is trully sweet.
The other thing that is more visible is the level of humor that Jane Austen brings to her writing. I love the way she uses indirect speech in order to show the reader things in an economical way.
Yay Jane Austen.
I've always been of the opinion that people are very hard on Fanny Price. Mansfield Park is not my favourite Austen but I do really enjoy it and the main reason for that is Fanny. She is often called too meek and shy and known for being a bit of a wet blanket but I'm of the mind that out of all the Austen heroines she is perhaps the most steadfast and principled. My major issue with Mansfield Park is the majority of the other characters, I'm not a fan of most of them to be honest and even Edmund is among the non favourites. Don't get me wrong, he isn't in the same league as the vile Mrs Norris or the horrid Mary and Henry Crawford but I personally don't think he deserves Fanny. Now I understand that the reason Fanny was 'oh so principled' was because of her love of Edmund but she still stayed true and strong in the face of some pretty non stop badgering from everyone, Edmund included, to just stop being so difficult and give into to Henry's pursuit. To be honest I don't think I'd have lasted for as long as she did.
One of my favourite Fanny moments comes when she is on her own and receives a letter from Edmund who has finally decided to write to her while she is away visiting her parents.
"There is no good in this delay," said she. "Why is not it settled? He is blinded, and nothing will open his eyes; nothing can, after having had truths before him so long in vain. He will marry her, and be poor and miserable. God grant that her influence do not make him cease to be respectable!" She looked over the letter again. "'So very fond of me!' 'tis nonsense all. She loves nobody but herself and her brother. Her friends leading her astray for years! She is quite as likely to have led them astray. They have all, perhaps, been corrupting one another; but it they are so much fonder of her than she is of them, she is the less likely to have been hurt, except by their flattery. 'The only woman in the world whom he could ever think of as a wife.' I firmly believe it. It is an attachment to govern his whole life. Accepted or refused, his heart is wedded to her for ever. 'The loss of Mary I must consider as comprehending the loss of Crawford and Fanny.' Edmund, you do not know me. The families would never be connected if you did not connect them! Oh! write, write. Finish it at once. Let there be an end of this suspense. Fix, commit, condemn yourself."
This is not a meek wet blanket. This is all kinds of sassy! She is both hilarious and kickass here and it highlights perfectly something people seem to do over and over again. Don't discount introverts. Don't class them as shy, meek and boring. Just because Fanny isn't as outspoken as Mary, spoiled as Maria or rude as Mrs Norris does not mean that she isn't sassy or have an opinion about anything. She is silently watching. She is cataloging and make no mistake she is judging, she just has more manners and only talks about it to herself. This, is the way of the introvert.
(But to be fair if this was Fanny of 2019 she would have at least one good girlfriend and this letter would've been picked apart with that friend and a bottle or two of wine. They'd be just as sassy though cause Fanny is full of the SASS!)
Loved it. I think this is the first time I've read Jane Austen without knowing spoilers, and it really kept me guessing although I suppose I should have known what would happen. As usual, the wit of the writing and the wonderful characters made this a joy. I guess a lot of people don't like Fanny, and yes, she is annoying sometimes, but I really feel for her! This makes me want to read all of Austen again (and Northanger Abbey for the first time).