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A review by michellewatson
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Fancy review: https://bookdevotions.com/book-review...
It’s been so long since I’ve read Mansfield Park that it might as well be the first time. Even though this is NOT my favorite Austen novel, I DID really appreciate it this time around. One of the big reasons why is because I listened to Angelina Stanford’s deep dive of Mansfield Park on the Literary Life podcast, and it set a great tone for my reread.
Fanny Price is NOT Austen’s most beloved heroine. She reminds me of how Dickens wrote Esther Summerson in Bleak House—as a purehearted, good-as-gold girl who has zero (and I mean ZERO) self-esteem. But far from being downtrodden or resentful, she’s all gratitude and deference. She cheerfully goes about her day, getting bossed around, overlooked, and mildly ridiculed. Yet, she holds her head up and finds joy where she can. Because she’s such a moral paragon, she’s been called prim and judgmental. Honestly, I can see why, but I don’t agree.
It’s easy for us to relate to Fanny in that she’s ill used and unappreciated—we’ve all felt that before. Add to that her unrequited love for Edmund, and you’d think we’d LOVE her. (Angelina asserts that Fanny Price is Cinderella, and I definitely see it. The book is loaded with echoes of Cinderella, complete with a ball and evil step-sisters.)
But, even though we can relate to Fanny in how she’s mistreated by others, it’s hard for us to relate to how lamblike she accepts it. We want her to show a little of Lizzie Bennet’s spirit—fly off the handle at Mrs. Norris, slap Henry Crawford, and give Mary a verbal dressing down. The ’90s movie paints her as very spirited, but that’s not really Austen’s Fanny. She’s the model of self-restraint and…
…discernment. Angelina pointed out that in every scene, Fanny sits still while the rest of the characters move around. Fanny’s morality and judgment are fixed, and everyone else is swayed by doubt, bad logic, self-promotion, and unchecked feelings. Fanny knows her mind, and she’s always right. This might be where most of us throw up our hands and say, “Ugh, she’s too good!”
Fanny is also a frail, tender thing, almost pathetic at times. This is where she differs the most from her closest cousin in the Austen canon, Anne Eliot in Persuasion, who is mistreated and undervalued but never pathetic. Fanny is shy and reserved where Anne is open and sociable, so maybe that’s why we tend to dislike Fanny, she’s too reserved and restrained, similar to Jane Fairfax in Emma.
I do like how Henry Crawford throws wrench after wrench into the book. Is he truly reformed? For a man who is constantly trying to “make improvements” on everything from Rushworth’s garden to William Price’s career, he never manages to improve his moral character. Ah, Henry.
It’s been so long since I’ve read Mansfield Park that it might as well be the first time. Even though this is NOT my favorite Austen novel, I DID really appreciate it this time around. One of the big reasons why is because I listened to Angelina Stanford’s deep dive of Mansfield Park on the Literary Life podcast, and it set a great tone for my reread.
Fanny Price is NOT Austen’s most beloved heroine. She reminds me of how Dickens wrote Esther Summerson in Bleak House—as a purehearted, good-as-gold girl who has zero (and I mean ZERO) self-esteem. But far from being downtrodden or resentful, she’s all gratitude and deference. She cheerfully goes about her day, getting bossed around, overlooked, and mildly ridiculed. Yet, she holds her head up and finds joy where she can. Because she’s such a moral paragon, she’s been called prim and judgmental. Honestly, I can see why, but I don’t agree.
It’s easy for us to relate to Fanny in that she’s ill used and unappreciated—we’ve all felt that before. Add to that her unrequited love for Edmund, and you’d think we’d LOVE her. (Angelina asserts that Fanny Price is Cinderella, and I definitely see it. The book is loaded with echoes of Cinderella, complete with a ball and evil step-sisters.)
But, even though we can relate to Fanny in how she’s mistreated by others, it’s hard for us to relate to how lamblike she accepts it. We want her to show a little of Lizzie Bennet’s spirit—fly off the handle at Mrs. Norris, slap Henry Crawford, and give Mary a verbal dressing down. The ’90s movie paints her as very spirited, but that’s not really Austen’s Fanny. She’s the model of self-restraint and…
…discernment. Angelina pointed out that in every scene, Fanny sits still while the rest of the characters move around. Fanny’s morality and judgment are fixed, and everyone else is swayed by doubt, bad logic, self-promotion, and unchecked feelings. Fanny knows her mind, and she’s always right. This might be where most of us throw up our hands and say, “Ugh, she’s too good!”
Fanny is also a frail, tender thing, almost pathetic at times. This is where she differs the most from her closest cousin in the Austen canon, Anne Eliot in Persuasion, who is mistreated and undervalued but never pathetic. Fanny is shy and reserved where Anne is open and sociable, so maybe that’s why we tend to dislike Fanny, she’s too reserved and restrained, similar to Jane Fairfax in Emma.
I do like how Henry Crawford throws wrench after wrench into the book. Is he truly reformed? For a man who is constantly trying to “make improvements” on everything from Rushworth’s garden to William Price’s career, he never manages to improve his moral character. Ah, Henry.