Mansfield Park, By Jane Austen Mansfield Park has the dubious distinction of being disliked by more of Jane Austen's fans than any of her other novels, even to the point of spawning "Fanny Wars" in internet discussion forums. Its themes are very different from those of her other books, which can generally be simplified into one sentence, or even one phrase: Sense and Sensibility is about balancing emotions and thought, Pride and Prejudice is about judging others too quickly, Emma is about growing into adulthood, and Persuasion is about second chances. The theme of Mansfield Park, on the other hand, can not be so easily described. Is it about ordination? Is it an allegory on Regency England? Is it about slavery? Is it about the education of children? Is it about the difference between appearances and reality? Is it about the results of breaking with society's mor�s? Any, or all of those themes can, and have been applied to Mansfield Park. The major problem for most of the novel's detractors is the lead character, Fanny Price. She is shy, timid, lacking in self-confidence, physically weak, and seemingly—to some, annoyingly—always right.

Austen's own mother called her "insipid", and many have used the word "priggish". She is certainly not like the lively and witty Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice. But Mansfield Park also has many supporters, whose admiration and loyalty can be attributed to the depth and complexity of the themes in the book and to the main character—a young woman who is unlike most heroines found in literature. One thing is certain, this novel is not like Jane Austen's others. The girl-gets-boy plot of her other work is mostly absent here, and the heroine's success in finding love is treated briefly, quickly, and for many readers—especially those who expected something like the romantic Pride and Prejudice—unsatisfactorily. Only in the final chapter—essentially the epilogue—does Fanny get the love she deserves. The story and themes of Mansfield Park are, therefore, not as closely tied with the heroine's road to marital bliss as in Austen's other novels. Jane Austen began planning Mansfield Park in February of 1811 and finished it in the summer of 1813.

It was published on May 4, 1814 and was Austen's third published novel; though, as with all of her novels, her name was not attached to it until after her death. This was also the first of her novels which was not a revision of an earlier work. Elinor and Marianne was probably written in 1795 and finally revised and published as Sense and Sensibility in late 1811. First Impressions was written between 1796-97, and was finally published in 1813 as Pride and Prejudice. Mansfield Park, therefore, was conceived from its very beginning by a more mature Jane Austen than the previous two novels—written, as they were, first by the young Austen (~ 20 years old) and then the older Austen (~ 36). By the time Jane Austen began planning and writing Mansfield Park she had passed through her eligible years and, at 36, into confirmed spinsterhood. Chapter descriptions are designed to be very vague and cryptic.

They are for people who are familiar with the book to help them find the chapter they want, and they are not designed for the student who might be looking for a quick way to get out of reading the novel. Below, and on the individual pages, there are two sets of chapter numbers. One set reflects the fact that the novel was originally published in three volumes with each volume beginning with Chapter 1. The other set has the chapters numbered in order from beginning to end. Thus, "Volume III, Chapter 4" and "Chapter 35" are the same. Chapter I — The Ward sisters marry. Mrs. Norris suggests an act of charity, Sir Thomas agrees. Chapter II — The ten-year-old arrives in the big house and meets her cousins. Edmund is reassuring, and a letter to William will help put her at ease. The Bertram girls think their cousin is very stupid. Chapter III — The Mansfield living passes to Dr. Grant. Will Mrs. Norris take Fanny with her? No, of course not. Sir Thomas and Tom leave for Antigua to take care of business. Chapter IV — The Miss Bertrams go husband hunting, with Mrs. Norris acting as their scout.

Edmund gets Fanny a horse. Tom returns, and Mr. Rushworth woos Tom's sister and wins her. Mr. and Miss Crawford join their sister at the parsonage. Chapter V — The brother was not handsome; he was absolutely plain, black and plain. He was also a flirt and learned from a bad example, but he grows on the Miss Bertrams. Is Miss Price out? Chapter VI — Mr. Rushworth discusses improving Sotherton, including changing the avenue. Miss Price would like to see it before the changes. Miss Crawford has difficulty finding a cart to carry her harp. To Sotherton they shall go. Chapter VII — Edmund and Fanny discuss Miss Crawford, who they find charming, but there is something lacking. Edmund is enamored. Mary borrows Fanny's horse and is very late in returning it. Fanny gets a headache after cutting roses in the sun and walking twice to the parsonage, and because someone had been riding her horse. Chapter VIII — How shall they get to Sotherton? Fanny gets to go too. Who will get to ride with Mr. Crawford? The scenery on the way there is very nice. Chapter IX — Mrs.

Rushworth shows off the house to her guests. They visit the chapel, and Edmund's future profession is discussed. They leave the house to view the grounds. Miss Crawford believes a clergyman is nothing. Chapter X — Miss Price is left all alone. Two people come by; a locked gate bars the way, but they find their way around it and go off on their own, another follows, and the key arrives too late. Fanny was left a whole hour. Chapter XI — Sir Thomas writes he is coming home. His eldest daughter is not joyful at the news. Miss Crawford again discusses Edmund's career with him. Such men do nothing but eat, drink, and grow fat; Fanny and Edmund say otherwise. Chapter XII — Miss Crawford prefers the wrong Bertram brother. Hunting season, and Tom returns. Fanny is critical of Mr. Crawford and thinks he is flirting with the wrong Bertram sister, while others think he is courting the right one. Chapter XIII — Mr. Yates is at Mansfield Park and brings with him theatrical ideas. A play's the thing! Edmund objects, but Tom outranks him. Chapter XIV — What play should it be? It must have the right number of parts to suit everyone.

Casting begins. The play has two female roles, but there are three ladies to fill them; one must be left out. Chapter XV — Edmund thinks the choice of play is bad and argues against his sister's part in it. Fanny will not act. Chapter XVI — Edmund is forced to take a part. Does Fanny agree with his decision? Chapter XVII — Julia is not pleased with the arrangements or Mr. Crawford. Chapter XVIII — Rehearsals and sets progress. Miss Crawford asks Fanny for help, Edmund joins them. Sir Thomas is home. Chapter I (19) — Sir Thomas warmly greets his family and Fanny. They sit around the fire and listen to his tales. Sir Thomas sees what they have been doing and is not pleased. Chapter II (20) — Sir Thomas lays much of the blame on the Aunt, and she is proud of Rushworth. Maria hopes to exchange one man for another, but nothing comes of it. Crawford leaves Mansfield for Bath. Chapter III (21) — Fanny must learn to be looked at, and she asks Sir Thomas about a certain trade. Sir Thomas gets better acquainted with Mr. Rushworth and is not pleased.

Maria tells her father she likes the man. It was a very proper wedding. Chapter IV (22) — Fanny gets caught in the rain and goes into the parsonage. Miss Crawford plays the harp. I had not imagined a country parson ever aspired to a shrubbery. Mary is better reconciled to a country residence. There is nobleness in the name of Edmund. He wishes only not to be poor. Chapter V (23) — But why should Mrs. Grant ask Fanny to dine? Mrs. Norris thinks it a great indulgence. Sir Thomas has the carriage brought round. Crawford has returned and looks back on the theatricals with pleasure; he also wishes to hear his friend's first sermon. Chapter VI (24) — Crawford tells his sister he shall begin a new flirtation. William Price is in England again and comes to visit his sister. Henry extends his stay and his interest in a lady. Chapter VII (25) — A game of Speculation. Edmund and Crawford discuss Thornton Lacey. Sir Thomas notices a gentleman's attentions. William would like to dance with his sister. Chapter VIII (26) — Sir Thomas decides to have a ball.

Fanny would like to wear her cross, but has no chain to put it on. Miss Crawford gives her a present. Chapter IX (27) — Edmund gives his cousin a token of his friendship, and thinks she must keep Mary's gift. William gets an invitation to ride to town with Henry and meet the Admiral. Edmund gets a partner for the first two dances. Everyone is ready to dance. Chapter X (28) — The ball begins, and Fanny is gratified to have a partner. She is to lead the way. The evening afforded Edmund little pleasure, as more was said disparaging the clergy. Chapter XI (29) — Breakfast comes, and William goes. Edward is off to his ordination. With all the men gone, Mary is bored and Fanny relieved. Chapter XII (30) — Crawford returns and tells his sister he has found the women he will marry. Mary is happy to hear it. Chapter XIII (31) — Henry brings news of William's promotion, and his role in it. He states his feelings to his love. Fanny receives and sends a note to Mary. Chapter I (32) — Sir Thomas visits the East Room to talk to Fanny.

Chapter II (33) — He will not take no for an answer, and Sir Thomas is encouraging. The aunts are told. Chapter III (34) — Edmund returns. Henry reads Shakespeare after dinner. Public speaking, sermons and liturgy are discussed. Chapter IV (35) — Edmund and Fanny talk things over. The ladies of the parsonage are not happy with Miss Price. Chapter V (36) — Perhaps a little more time will change her mind. Fanny and Mary meet again in the East Room. Mary discusses the friends she is going to visit. The truth of Mary's necklace. Chapter VI (37) — Fanny does not miss the Crawfords. Lieutenant Price comes to Mansfield Park, but is out of uniform. Fanny is happy to go to her parents'. Chapter VII (38) — A happy trip to Portsmouth. Home at last. The Thrush has gone out of harbour. Betsey has a silver knife. Chapter VIII (39) — You can't go home again. Noise and confusion. William and Sam go to sea. Chapter IX (40) — A letter from Mary with no little offering of love at the end. Susan becomes a friend.

Another silver knife. Fanny joins a library. Chapter X (41) — Henry comes to visit the Prices. They all take a walk to the dock-yard. Chapter XI (42) — Crawford joins them and goes to church. He offers to take Fanny to Mansfield in his carriage. Should he go home to take care of business? He knows what he ought to do. Chapter XII (43) — Mary writes that Mrs. Rushworth's first party was a success, and to offer her brother's carriage again. A party will keep Henry from Everingham. Chapter XIII (44) — Edmund finally writes. He tells of his dissatisfaction. She is the only woman in the world whom he could ever think of. Tom Bertram is ill. Chapter XIV (45) — Tom is back at Mansfield, and his brother takes care of him. Fanny knows where her home is. Miss Crawford would like to hear of Tom's condition. Chapter XV (46) — A most scandalous, ill-natured rumour has just reached Mary. Mr. Price reads the newspaper. Edmund writes with the particulars, and to say he is coming for the Price sisters.

Fanny is happy to be busy and to be headed for Mansfield with her sister. Chapter XVI (47) — The whole truth is known. Edmund describes his meeting with Miss Crawford; the charm is broken, his eyes are opened. Chapter XVII (48) — Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery (but Sir Thomas was longest to suffer.) Everyone gets what they deserve. Lovers Vows' : Read the play which is the focal point for much of the first volume of Mansfield Park. Includes a synopsis, an analysis with respect to Mansfield Park, and a cast list. Fanny's Tears : Fanny has often been accused of always being in tears. Here is a list of the times she actually is. Tirocinium : This is a poem by Cowper which is mentioned in Vol. III Ch. 14. The poem focuses on the way boys should be educated, and it is instructive to see how Jane Austen uses similar themes in Mansfield Park. An analysis of the poem with respect to Mansfield Park and the poem itself can be found here.

Mansfield Park : This is a website dedicated to Mansfield Park and includes a number of essays on the characters and the themes of the novel, as well as links to other Jane Austen and Mansfield Park resources. Prepared by Ann Haker. © 2000 Copyright held by the author. Fanny Price :: Jane Austen Character Quiz :: Jane Austen Heroines Quiz :: Which Jane Austen Character are You? :: Emma Adaptations Pages :: Jane Austen's Emma :: Emma Jane Austen Emma Movie Emma You are Fanny Price of Mansfield Park ! You are quiet, faithful, and moral, but those around you may think you priggish. You love deeply...and jealously. You Are...Fanny Price! All possible results: Elinor Dashwood , Marianne Dashwood , Elizabeth Bennet , Fanny Price , Emma Woodhouse , Catherine Morland , Anne Elliot Feel free to post this placard, with a link to the main quiz page , on your webpage or online journal. You may direct link the image for the purposes of the quiz, just don't abuse the priviledge, and be aware that the files may move. Please use the following code (just cut and paste!)...

<p align="center"><a href="" target="_blank"><img src="" width="200" height="300" alt="I am Fanny Price!" /><br /> <br /> Take the Jane Austen Character Quiz here!</a></p> SparkNotes: Mansfield Park: Characters Mansfield Park Summary Chapters 1-3 Fanny Price - The protagonist. The daughter of a drunken sailor and a woman who married beneath her, she comes to live with her wealthy uncle and aunt, Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram. They take her in as an act of charity to her parents. She is mistreated and always reminded of her "place" as a charity ward, but she eventually comes to be an indispensable member of the family. Modest, always proper, and, as she grows older, quite beautiful, Fanny is secretly in love with the Bertrams' son Edmund but is the subject of proposals by the slick Henry Crawford. Sir Thomas Bertram - A wealthy landowner and Fanny's uncle. He is authoritarian and rather hard on his children until a series of disasters show him the error of his ways. He owns slaves on his plantations in the Caribbean, a fact that hangs over the book.

He means well and eventually does right by Fanny. Lady Bertram - Fanny's aunt; her mother's sister and Sir Thomas's wife. She is neurotic, a hypochondriac, and lazy. A beauty in her youth, she values people's attractiveness over all else, yet she is honest enough to admit how much Fanny means to her. Edmund Bertram - The Bertrams' younger son. Since he will not be the heir to Mansfield, he will become a clergyman. The only one of the Bertrams' children with a good head and a good heart, Edmund is Fanny's closest companion. He rather blindly falls in love with Mary Crawford, which almost leads to his downfall. Maria Bertram - The Bertrams' older daughter. Vain and pretentious, she abuses Fanny and marries the odious Rushworth for his fortune. Her self-indulgence eventually gets her in quite a lot of trouble. Her name would have been pronounced "Mariah" (as in Mariah Carey). Julia Bertram - The Bertrams' younger daughter. She is equally vain but slightly less cocky, since she is younger and less beautiful than Maria.

She follows Maria around, and, upon Maria's elopement, she runs away with Yates, her brother Tom's friend. Tom Bertram - The Bertrams' older son and the heir to Mansfield. He lives to party and has gotten into debt, for which Edmund will suffer. Eventually, his lifestyle catches up to him, as he nearly dies from an illness caused by too much drinking. Mrs. Norris - Sister to Fanny's mother and Lady Bertram; wife of the first parson at Mansfield Parsonage. She has no children of her own and is an officious busybody, always trying to derive glory from her association with the family. She is horribly cruel to Fanny, whom she is always reminding of her "place" in the family. Mary Crawford - Sister of Mrs. Grant, who is the wife of the second parson at Mansfield. She is beautiful and charming, but also shallow and evil. She has been brought up poorly by an aunt and uncle and has been subject to the influences of her fashionable friends. She becomes friends with a reluctant Fanny, while Edmund falls in love with and nearly proposes to her. Henry Crawford - Mary's brother.

He is equally charming and possibly even more amoral, and he possesses a sizeable estate. First Maria and Julia fall in love with him, and he takes to Maria, despite her engagement. When Maria marries and the sisters leave Mansfield, he falls for Fanny and proposes to her. Everyone is convinced he is a changed man. Eventually, he meets up with Maria again, and the two run off, but their relationship ends badly. William Price - Fanny's brother. Sir Thomas has gotten him a commission in the Navy, and Henry gets him a promotion as part of his effort to seduce Fanny. William and Fanny are extremely close, and he impresses everyone as a bright, capable young man. He represents a sort of ideal companion for Fanny, although, as her brother, of course, he is not an eligible mate for her. Rushworth - Maria's fiance and then husband. He is an idiot and a bore, but quite wealthy. It is his estate that the group visits early in the novel. He provides some comic relief with his stupid comments. Susan Price - Fanny's younger sister, with whom she gets reacquainted when she returns to her family's home.

Susan is a diamond in the rough, a smart girl with essentially good manners who is stuck in a terrible home. Fanny brings her back to Mansfield Park with her, where she becomes a new favorite of Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram. Yates - Tom Bertram's friend, who proposes the amateur theatricals at Mansfield. He shows an interest in Julia, which continues in London. After Maria runs off with Henry, Julia and Yates elope and marry; they, however, are rehabilitated within the family. More Help In Defense of Fanny Price: Why You Don’t Like Mansfield Park as Much as You Should In Defense of Fanny Price: Why You Don’t Like Mansfield Park as Much as You Should March 23, 2014 By Haley 80 Comments Welcome to Carrots! I'm so glad you're here. This is where I share thoughts on liturgical living, faith, parenting, culture, and an extra dose of Jane Austen. You can sign up for my email newsletter here to stay in touch, or look me up on Facebook or Instagram! And psssst!! This week one of my favorite companies is giving away a cleaning kit of Mrs.

Meyer's products worth $40 for all new customers when they order $20 of household goods. Need some toothpaste, paper towels, and shampoo? Why not get some FREE great smelling green products while you're at it? 😉 Check out the deal here . I’m re-reading Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park for the fourth time as part of an online book club. As we make our way through the book, I’m hearing all the comments I expected to hear about the book: “This is my least favorite Austen novel.” “Fanny just isn’t likable.” “Why is she so boring and prudish?” “Mary Crawford would make a much better heroine.” “Lighten up, Fanny.” And those reactions are so understandable. Mansfield Park is hard to love. There’s no getting around that. The heroine, Fanny Price, is painfully shy, serious, and introverted. Elizabeth Bennet she is not! She doesn’t sparkle across the pages with witty banter (that’s Mary Crawford’s job). And she isn’t transformed throughout the course of the book like Emma Woodhouse or Marianne Dashwood. Fanny of Chapter 1 is very much the Fanny of the final page.

She’s hard to identify with and her strong moral convictions often makes her come across as a killjoy. What is Austen up to? I think she intentionally makes Fanny difficult to fall in love with. I think she planned for us to like the Crawfords best for most of the novel. Even though I know how it all turns out, when I get to the point when Henry appears to be reformed, I always find myself rooting for him to win Fanny. He’s so charming! But why would Jane Austen make it so hard for us to love the right characters? In A Jane Austen Education , William Deresiewicz claims that Austen’s main theme in MP is money and how it corrupts. He notes how the Crawfords both are skilled at playing a part–being charmers, being pleasant, knowing how to act to win someone over. But he explains their depravity with the boredom that comes with wealth: needing to be entertained and to always entertain others. He seems to miss the idea that it’s their moral education (and the Bertram siblings’ moral education) not their place in society that failed them. Without embracing Austen’s moral philosophy, Mansfield Park will always be misunderstood.

Perhaps that’s why every film adaption of the novel seems to get it wrong. Austen is masterful and complicated, so I’m not saying that themes of wealth and critiques of the aristocracy aren’t present in the novel. They are, and Deresiewicz is right to point them out. But I think Deresiewicz completely missed the main point. Mansfield Park is about superficiality versus substance. It’s about charm versus goodness. It’s about mere conventional propriety versus true virtue and it’s hard for an entertainment-obsessed culture that glorifies appearances and laughs at the idea of character to understand. All of the characters struggle and are tried and tested…but some fight the good fight and others reveal that they never had virtue to begin with. Let’s talk about Mary Crawford. Oh, Mary. She’s beautiful and funny and witty. She pokes fun at herself and other people. And sometimes she’s even thoughtful (when it makes her look good). But it’s clear by the end of the novel to the romantic hero of the story, Edmund, that she’s actually a selfish vicious woman who’s simply very skilled at making people like her.

It’s like that scene in High Fidelity with John Cusack when he attends a dinner party at an ex-girlfriend’s house. He’s always been under the spell of this beautiful, cultured, witty, and sparkling woman named Charlie. But listening to her conversations after not seeing her for several years, he realizes that’s it’s all a big show. She can manipulative people into liking her…but she has no substance. She’s just a petty, catty woman who wants to feel good about herself. In his character Rob Gordon’s words, “And then it dawns on me…..Charlie’s awful.” Edmund, all of the Bertrams, and we, the readers, are taken in by Mary. She’s so fun! She’s incredibly perceptive. She’s enchanting. It takes most of the novel for him (and us) to get there, but finally it dawns on Edmund: Mary’s awful. Everything she does is to promote her own interests. She does nice things when someone who matters is watching. She is so skilled at charming people that she probably even has herself convinced that she’s a kind person. Fanny sees through her from the very beginning.

It’s not that everything she does is vicious or cruel, but she’s only kind so that other people will like her, not kind out of genuine concern for them, not because she cares for them for their own sake. I can identify with Mary. I’m a people pleaser. I desperately want to be liked and I’m pretty good at getting people to like me. But if I’m not careful, that can become my all-consuming purpose. It’s an inner struggle to put virtue and genuine care for other people ahead of my desire to please, but Austen shows me what a monster I might become if I don’t keep fighting that battle within myself. And then there’s Henry Crawford. Easy to hate at the beginning, and hard to deny when he seems to be reformed from his life of selfishness and vice and truly in love with Fanny. Yet, Fanny’s moral intuition is right again. Henry Crawford’s vanity and selfishness isn’t merely a personal flaw that affects his own soul and his own prospects for a happy union with Fanny.

His obsession with being liked by everyone, or as Mary puts it, needing to “have a somebody” at all times, destroys his sister’s marital prospects, the Rushworth’s marriage, and the Bertram family’s reputation. Every sin is a sin against our community. No matter how secret we’d like them to be, our vices hurt people and we don’t like to be reminded of that. Austen illustrates that truth for us in Henry and Maria’s foolish affair. Mary’s claim that if only Maria had cheated on her husband with Henry without being detected, all would have been well, shows Edmund that she has no sense of the moral evil of their actions. Edmund is devastated by the crime itself, not merely that Maria and Henry’s affair has elicited a public scandal. Edmund notes that if only Mary had been given a good foundation in virtue, what a wonderful woman she would have been! Austen realizes how vital a good moral education is in order to develop virtue. The Bertram girls, Maria and Julia had a more complex problem than Mary and Henry’s very obvious lack of moral education. They seemed to understand what it meant to have character, but really they only learned how to behave.

They may have been elegant ladies but they had no sense of the gravity of marriage, faithfulness, and virtue. It was all superficial, all external. They could enter a room with an air of grace, but they had been taught (by their selfish Aunt Norris) to think of themselves first and others as an afterthought. And then there’s our quiet, shy, and unlikely heroine. Fanny is kind, thoughtful, smart, and passionate. She’s a devoted friend and a good listener. Although she isn’t taken in by charm, she wants to believe the best of people and treats everyone with respect, whether they deserve it or not. So why don’t we like her? First of all, I think we’re not used to introverted heroines. A shy, soft-spoken heroine is both unexpected and dissatisfying. And as a culture, we want to be perpetually entertained (just like the Crawfords….yikes). This is more true now than when Mansfield Park was published. Fanny isn’t the sort of “strong heroine” we like to extol. What we really mean when we say “strong” is “outgoing,” like Elizabeth Bennet.

But even though Fanny isn’t an extrovert, she is indeed strong. With a painfully shy temperament that dearly longs to please those she loves, she has the strength to stand up for what she believes to be right even when everyone (including Edmund) is participating. Even when she’s ridiculed for it. Edmund looks like a spineless whelp compared to Fanny with her unshakeable moral fiber and devotion. Developing a friendship with Fanny is slow going for the reader, but it’s worth it. She’s like the quiet girl in class that you didn’t talk to until halfway through the year and then turns out to be your new best friend. She’s the friend you can talk to for hours and who really listens. She remembers to call on your birthday and brings over a meal when there’s a crisis. Fanny knows that charming people only care about how others perceive them, not about what’s really inside. By the end of the book, at least after the second reading of the novel, I hope you like Fanny. Because I think that Austen is slowly and surely bringing us along to have better vision of the worth of others and our own obsession with being liked.

In some ways, Mansfield Park could also be understood as Austen’s indictment of herself. Every bit as clever as Elizabeth Bennet, Austen surely had the capability to mask pride or selfishness with wit and charm anyone she desired to charm. But as Elizabeth learns in Pride and Prejudice, a sharp tongue isn’t a virtue, even if it makes you entertaining. Austen surely knew this as well, and perhaps that’s why she created a character without wit and with true virtue. Fanny Price might be nearly impossible for our culture to understand, but that’s why we need her more than ever. How I Came to See Fanny Price�s Light How I Came to See Fanny Price�s Light By John Gould Presented at the Massachusetts Region of The Jane Austen Society of North America March 14, 2010 The first time I read Mansfield Park I remember nothing but disappointment. I know I�m not unique in this reaction; lots of people can�t stand its heroine, Fanny Price.

I remember a web discussion group on Jane Austen that specifically forbad any posts about Fanny, because of �Flame Wars� resulting from comments like, �How can anyone stand that insipid twit, anyhow?� And it�s Fanny that�s the problem. Ann Hacker wrote on a website called �Austen.com�: The major problem for most of the novel's detractors is the lead character, Fanny Price. She is shy, timid, lacking in self-confidence, physically weak, and seemingly—to some, annoyingly—always right. Austen's own mother called her "insipid", and many have used the word "priggish." ( ) So even Mrs. Austen didn�t like her! Maybe I shouldn�t be too hard on myself. Anyway, I knew instantly what was wrong with Fanny, and all of you know it, too. Fanny�s biggest problem is that she isn�t Elizabeth Bennet. I�ve spoken before of how I first read came to read Austen; it was Pride and Prejudice, and I was a senior in high school.

I found the book funny and uplifting, and I was drawn to the heroine much more quickly than that stuffy Darcy was. I won�t repeat here the paean to Elizabeth I sang in my earlier talk, but we all know how cool she is. She is clever, witty, spirited, really good looking (ah, those fine eyes!), observant, and principled, and right away I started dreaming that someday I�d find a girl just like her. In college I read a great deal of literature; fully three-quarters of my courses were British, American, and world literature – thirty semesters worth. In an 18th-century novel course, right at the end, we read P&P (again for me) and then Emma. I don�t want to break Marcia Folsom�s spirit, or those of any of the rest of you, but I was underwhelmed by Emma, and once again, it was of course Elizabeth�s fault. I�m afraid in those days my reaction to literature tended to be emotional rather than cerebral, and I thought Mr. Knightly needed to give her a spanking. As time went on, I read other Austen novels, and reread them as well.

I enjoyed them thoroughly, and taught myself to stop looking at Elinor Dashwood, Anne Elliot, Catherine Morland and even Emma through the prism of Elizabeth. The last one I read was Mansfield Park, last because I had heard that the heroine was something of a disappointment. Fanny was more, in fact; she was a shock. Not only was she nothing, NOTHING, like Elizabeth Bennet, but also the book contained the closest character to Elizabeth that Austen ever created: Mary Crawford! The villainess! Let�s begin by considering all of Austen�s heroines, the full spectrum, in order to set Fanny clearly among them. Six novels, six heroines. Interestingly enough, there are two distinct categories, divided evenly among the sextet. All of them have admirable qualities, or we wouldn�t like them, but three of them have distinct weaknesses. Catherine Moreland, Emma Woodhouse, and, yes, Elizabeth Bennet are flawed – not in character, for heaven�s sake, but in judgment. Catherine is na�ve, infected by the gothic novels of Horace Walpole and Mrs. Radcliffe, and her lack of experience leads her into deep trouble once she arrives among the Tilneys.

She is unable to judge clearly their motives, to say nothing those of the Thorpes�. As for Elizabeth, her judgment is too quick; it is arrived at before she has full possession of all the facts necessary to form it. She is, as the title makes clear, easily prejudiced. And Emma? She has the most dangerous flaw of all: arrogance, and the power to enforce it. She uses her judgments to direct the lives of others, something neither of the other two do, and she very nearly destroys the future happiness of Harriet Smith as she busies herself with that young lady�s affairs. Fortunately all three of these young women are provided with young (well, in one case, middle-aged) men that can guide them to judge properly. Henry Tilney sets Catherine straight, and Mr. Darcy writes Elizabeth a letter. Mr. Knightly most especially steps up to the plate in most disinterested fashion, rapping Emma�s knuckles firmly when she steps out of line. And finally all three understand. The other three heroines are created from their opening introductions with well-formed faculties of judgment. Their problems are that they are surrounded by other characters of imperfect sensibilities, and they lack the power to oppose them.

Anne Elliott finds herself in the midst of a dreadful family and advised by an older woman that does not have the insight that she does; Lady Russell doesn�t spot all the remarkable qualities of Fredrick Wentworth, and just as Emma does to Harriet, she almost ruins Anne�s future happiness forever. For a long time Anne wavers beneath her influence, but finally finds her way into Wentworth�s arms. Elinor Dashwood also knows exactly where her heart lies, and where her sister�s does not. She can recognize Willoughby as a snake in the grass long before Marianne gets that message. Elinor is the victim of her brother, her sister-in-law, and indeed the rest of her family, finally breaking down to her sister, revealing the pain she has been suffering silently during all of Marianne�s histrionics. And at the end she receives her reward in the form of the rather wimpy (to speak frankly) Edward Ferrars. Eventually I will sing the praises of the sixth heroine, Fanny, the third and greatest of the right-thinking heroines. But now, let�s consider the Elizabeth Bennet look-alike, Mary Crawford. Remember the characteristics I listed for Elizabeth?

There were six: clever, witty, spirited, really good looking, observant, and principled. Mary has four of them in spades. She is, we hear over and over, Really Good Looking. She even has fine eyes! Clever? She becomes an accomplished rider in a week. She learns lines of the play almost as quickly as her brother. Her wit sparkles: �Oh, do not attack me with your watch. A watch is always too fast or too slow. I cannot be dictated to by a watch.� Indeed, sometimes she sparkles a little over-bright: �Certainly my home at my uncle�s brought me acquainted with a circle of admirals. Of Rears and Vices, I saw enough. Now do not be suspecting me of a pun, I entreat.� Of course, not a hint of a pun. She demonstrates her spirit often enough, even calls attention to it.

As noted, sometimes her wit gets her in trouble, as when she is making fun of the clergy in the Rushworth�s chapel, only to discover that Edmund – for whom she has set her cap – will soon be taking orders: Miss Crawford, rallying her spirits and recovering her complexion, replied only, �If I had known this before, I would have spoken of the cloth with more respect,� and turned the subject. And in another scene, when she becomes nervous about Edmund�s repudiation of plans to improve his parsonage at Thornton Lacey, she finishes a game of Speculation (a game where players buy cards from others): [She] made a hasty finish of her dealings with William Price, and securing his knave at an exorbitant rate, exclaimed, �There, I will stake my last like a woman of spirit. No cold prudence for me. I am not born to sit still and do nothing. If I lose the game, it shall not be from not striving for it.� We all know that Mary Crawford fails utterly in the last two adjectives, i.e. observant and principled; and we also all know who succeeds in them.

I want to return to these, when I get to Fanny herself. But I want to go to a different place for a bit. My failure to recognize the admirable nature of Fanny Price is inexcusable, not so much because I was blinded by Elizabeth Bennet, or the Elizabeth Might-have-been Mary Crawford, but because I forgot the training I mentioned earlier, from all those literature courses in college. Fanny Price is not an isolated literary phenomenon. In fact, she is one of a lustrous sisterhood (with perhaps a brother tossed in) that originated with the very beginnings of the British novel. In1748, Samuel Richardson published his second novel, the eight-volume, thousand-page Clarissa: The History of a Young Lady. I read an abridged (though still very long) edition. Clarissa Harlowe is a na�f, a beautiful and moral young woman pursued by a rake named Lovelace, who tricks her into running away with him and who ultimately destroys her. Richardson earlier (1740) wrote Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, in which Pamela Andrews, also virtuous and beautiful, is pursued by the libidinous Lord B.

Pamela manages to hold out against him and, as the title suggests, receives a happy ending for herself. Quite clearly, Fanny�s ancestral roots lie in Samuel Richardson�s imagination, and Henry Crawford grows straight out of Lovelace/Lord B. The second antecedent in Fanny�s family tree comes hard on the heels of Richardson, and here we find her literary brothers. Henry Fielding wrote Shamela, a parody of Pamela in 1841, and the next year published another, Joseph Andrews, the story of Pamela�s brother, who is pursued by Lady Booby. (So that�s what Lord B.�s real name is!) Fielding�s greatest book was Tom Jones, A Foundling, which indeed has elements of the Fanny/Crawford story in it, although it goes far beyond the Richardson concept. Still both Joseph Andrews and Tom Jones fit right into the na�f-pursued-by-an-unprincipled-rou�(ette). There is a final branch to Fanny�s literary tree, and it remains an interesting question whether Austen ever read it.

In 1782, when she was 7, the French writer Pierre Choderlos de Laclos wrote an extraordinary novel titled Les Liaisons dangereuses. Here, a nobleman, Vicomte de Valmont, joins with a noblewoman, the jaded Marquise de Merteuil, to seduce a young virtuous girl named C�cile de Volanges. He does so, after many machinations, and the result is tragic for everyone. There�s a real question of how Jane Austen could have heard about Laclos�s work. F. W. Bradbrook in Oxford Journals, Feb. 1954, p. 75, suggests that Eliza de Feuillide, Jane�s most exotic cousin, who was married to a French nobleman during the 1780�s, might have introduced her to it. Bradbrook notes, �Lady Susan and Mary Crawford have the same polish, cynicism, and ruthlessness as la Marquise de Merteuil in Laclos� novel, while Henry Crawford possesses a combination of intelligence and heartlessness similar to Valmont.

Without question Richardson, Fielding, and Laclos created masterpieces; and although all three may seem a bit risqu� as sources for a country parson�s daughter, even one as clever, witty, spirited, observant, and principled as Jane, somehow their influence is present in Mansfield Park, most especially that of Laclos, who includes a Mary Crawford figure in the Marquise de Merteuil, I should have recognized at once where Mary came from, and it certainly wasn�t from Elizabeth Bennet. [Let me digress a tiny bit. One of my favorite women in fiction appeared in 1881, a direct descendant of the Clarissa/Fanny line: Isobel Archer, Henry James�s heroine of Portrait of a Lady. Isabel also meets another nasty couple, reminiscent of the Crawfords, very much like Valmont and Merteuil: Gilbert Osmond, a vicious aesthete; and Madame Merle, a vicious conniver. Isabel fares much worse than Fanny does, but she accepts her fate with admirable resolution. I don�t want to go any further here than to make clear that Fanny is an admirable sister in a proud literary heritage.

How could I have missed her!] Once I was able to put Elizabeth Bennet and Mary Crawford aside, I could see Fanny for what she is. Like Clarissa, Joseph Andrews, C�cile, and Isabel, she is put under tremendous pressure by unscrupulous cads who possess great power over her. For Fanny, it�s not just the Crawfords, either; all the Bertrams – Julia, Maria, Tom, Lady Bertram (in her whiny passive way), Sir Thomas, and even Edmund, to say nothing of the frightful Mrs. Norris – push her around like broomed dirt. There�s no hope from the Price quarter; even William effectually uses her for his advancement. She is absolutely alone. So now I return to the six adjectives I ascribed to Elizabeth Bennet: clever, witty, spirited, really good looking, observant, and principled. The first two are not immediately apparent. �Clever�? Well, for Fanny to have survived at Mansfield Park from the age of nine, among the indifference of three of her cousins and the active malevolence of her aunt Norris, suggests that she must have picked up some skills rapidly.

She certainly understands the implications of actions and remarks a lot more quickly than the others do. One of my favorite moments with Fanny comes when Sir Thomas insists that she take the coach to the Grants� dinner party, after Mrs. Norris has expressly told her that she should walk. Sir Thomas says, �Will twenty minutes after four suit you?� �Yes, sir,� was Fanny�s humble answer, given with the feelings almost of a criminal towards Mrs. Norris; and not bearing to remain with her in what might seem a state of triumph, she followed him out of the room, having stayed behind him only long enough to hear these words spoken in angry agitation – �Quite unnecessary! A great deal too kind! – (192) �Witty� may not at all seem to suit Fanny, yet once in a while she does reveal a sense of irony. As the young Bertrams, et al., debate which play should be performed, �Fanny looked on and listened, not unamused to observe the selfishness which, more or less disguised, seemed to govern them all�� But �spirited�? Watch her refuse to act in the play.

Or hear her stand up to Sir Thomas when he tries to tell her to accept Henry Crawford. It�s not spirit in the sense of Julia fighting for the part of Agatha (she loses, but she shows lots of ire before she does), but it�s that spirit of quiet indomitability. Fanny simply won�t budge. �Observant�? This adjective has described her all along. Her powers of observation allow her to survive, and to prevail. She sees through the meretricious, the perverse, the deceitful. When Edmund writes to her of his continued attraction to Mary Crawford, Fanny unbends, at least to herself: He [Edmund] is blinded, and nothing will open his eyes – nothing can, after having had truths before him so long in vain� �So very fond of me!� �tis nonsense all. She [Mary] loves nobody but herself and her brother�. Of course she is absolutely spot on. And as for �principled,� she is peerless among Austen�s heroines. Unlike Catherine, Elizabeth, and Emma, she never needs correction.

Like Anne and Elinor, Fanny remains faithful to the social contract, to that which she understands is right and proper; but among them Fanny suffers most for holding to her principles – and she resists most strongly all pressure to abandon them. Considered in this light, she is quite awesome. Oops. I nearly forgot the last adjective: �really good looking.� It seems hopeless for a while, but before the novel is half done, Fanny is looking better and better. When she is ready for the ball, Sir Thomas �saw with pleasure the general elegance of her appearance, and her being in remarkable good looks.� Consider this: Henry Crawford wouldn�t be sniffing around her if she weren�t reasonably attractive. Finally Edmund wakes up, and with him, so do I: �what was there now to add, but that he should learn to prefer soft light eyes to sparkling dark ones?� (409) Ah, we all have to let go of the eyes of Elizabeth Bennet! Even Edmund! Even I!

Mansfield Park: An Overview Mansfield Park: An Overview Home / Jane Austen's Works / Mansfield Park: An Overview Mansfield Park: An Overview Categories: Jane Austen's Works , Media Reviews Tags: Review , summary , synopsis 3 Comments Share this: Henry has finished “Mansfield Park,” and his approbation has not lessened. He found the last half of the last volume extremely interesting. Jane Austen to Cassandra March 9, 1814 Mansfield Park is a novel by Jane Austen, written at Chawton Cottage between 1812 and 1814. It was published in July 1814 by Thomas Egerton, who published Jane Austen’s two earlier novels, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. When the novel reached a second edition, its publication was taken over by John Murray, who also published its successor, Emma. The main character, Fanny Price, is a young girl from a poor family, raised by her rich uncle and aunt, Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram, at Mansfield Park.

She grows up with her four cousins, Tom Bertram, Edmund Bertram, Maria Bertram and Julia, but is always treated as inferior to them; only Edmund Bertram shows her real kindness. He is also the most virtuous of the siblings: Maria and Julia are vain and spoiled, while Tom is an irresponsible gambler. Over time, Fanny’s gratitude for Edmund’s kindness secretly grows into romantic love. When the children have grown up, the stern patriarch Sir Thomas leaves for two years so he can deal with problems on his plantation in Antigua. Henry Crawford and his sister Mary Crawford arrive in the village, which begins a series of romantic entanglements. Mary and Edmund begin to form an attachment, though Edmund often worries that, although her manners are fashionable, they hide a lack of Want to read the full article? Sign up for free Jane Austen Membership or if you are an existing user please login Existing Users Log In Fanny Price (Character) Fanny Price (Character) from Mansfield Park (1999) The content of this page was created by users. It has not been screened or verified by IMDb staff. There may be more photos available for this character.

To select more photos to be displayed in this character's gallery, click the Edit Photos link. Overview Fanny Price is the heroine in Jane Austen's 1814 novel Mansfield Park... See more » Alternate Names: Edmund Bertram : Your entire person is entirely agreeable. Fanny Price : Yes, well, tonight I agree with everyone. See more » Update You may correct errors and omissions on this page directly. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process. IMDb Everywhere Find showtimes, watch trailers, browse photos, track your Watchlist and rate your favorite movies and TV shows on your phone or tablet!

Question: Fanny Price is the main character in which Jane Austen novel?
Answer: Mansfield Park