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A review by booksjessreads
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
challenging
funny
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Perhaps one of my least favourite Austen novels, alongside Emma (I said what I said), I did certainly enjoy some of the themes explored in the book, I just couldn't quite get on with Fanny's character. I certainly felt like Edward was the absolute worst hero out of the Austen books. I'm not going to lie, I was annoyed that Fanny didn't refuse him. Sub-par in my opinion.
I felt like Fanny was the most quiet of the heroines in the Austen novels, she was more moralistic, but generally very passive, never speaking her mind. Due to her upbringing, its clear this behaviour is instilled in her. She is surrounded by more colourful characters which are clearly more dramatic and provide a lot of the plot-line due to their eccentricity, which Fanny, and therefore the reader, passively experiences. Although, in a way, this passivity of Fanny surrounded by her eccentric characters actually demonstrates an element of steadfastness and loyalty to her Christian virtues, rather than being swayed by the other's behaviour.
I also liked how the novel not only explored standard themes of marriage, friendship and class, but also added the theme of slavery in here with Lord Norris being a slave-trader, living in a house named Mansfield Park (named after a slave-trader who adopted a mixed-race girl and forcing her to live as an outsider). This novel was telling of the way in which richer families engaged with that aspect of their history and was an insightful element.
Despite these interesting elements of the novel, I found that Fanny's placidity meant there wasn't as much for the reader to engage with and generally found it hard to follow sometimes. The purpose is obviously to portray Fanny in a certain way, but for reader engagement and expectation, it does let it down a little.
I felt like Fanny was the most quiet of the heroines in the Austen novels, she was more moralistic, but generally very passive, never speaking her mind. Due to her upbringing, its clear this behaviour is instilled in her. She is surrounded by more colourful characters which are clearly more dramatic and provide a lot of the plot-line due to their eccentricity, which Fanny, and therefore the reader, passively experiences. Although, in a way, this passivity of Fanny surrounded by her eccentric characters actually demonstrates an element of steadfastness and loyalty to her Christian virtues, rather than being swayed by the other's behaviour.
I also liked how the novel not only explored standard themes of marriage, friendship and class, but also added the theme of slavery in here with Lord Norris being a slave-trader, living in a house named Mansfield Park (named after a slave-trader who adopted a mixed-race girl and forcing her to live as an outsider). This novel was telling of the way in which richer families engaged with that aspect of their history and was an insightful element.
Despite these interesting elements of the novel, I found that Fanny's placidity meant there wasn't as much for the reader to engage with and generally found it hard to follow sometimes. The purpose is obviously to portray Fanny in a certain way, but for reader engagement and expectation, it does let it down a little.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Misogyny
Minor: Slavery