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A review by trin
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
3.0
To imagine having such a friend as Elizabeth Bennet is a delight. I have a feeling that I would have a blast with Catherine Morland and enjoy the company of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood a great deal. Emma Woodhouse would probably elicit some eyerolls, but I know she'd throw great parties, and even if some of Anne Elliot's problems might make me privately text one of the others "YIKES," I'd still lend her a sympathetic ear.
Fanny Price would find me repellant and the feeling's kind of mutual! The first third of this novel, it's agonizing to watch her be mistreated -- Mrs. Norris can fall down a convenient well, anytime -- but for the rest, the teeth-grinding comes in seeing what a judgmental snob she's grown up to be. Edmund is much the same, so they probably do deserve each other.
Other, smarter scholars have no doubt written wisely on Austen's intentions with this book and these characters; I look forward to tracking some of those down. But there's a reason this is the one of Austen's six main novels that I hadn't made it through till now.
The writing -- and the vividness, the fullness and consistency of the characterization -- is still so good though. Damn, Jane.
Fanny Price would find me repellant and the feeling's kind of mutual! The first third of this novel, it's agonizing to watch her be mistreated -- Mrs. Norris can fall down a convenient well, anytime -- but for the rest, the teeth-grinding comes in seeing what a judgmental snob she's grown up to be. Edmund is much the same, so they probably do deserve each other.
Other, smarter scholars have no doubt written wisely on Austen's intentions with this book and these characters; I look forward to tracking some of those down. But there's a reason this is the one of Austen's six main novels that I hadn't made it through till now.
The writing -- and the vividness, the fullness and consistency of the characterization -- is still so good though. Damn, Jane.