Mansfield Park

Oct 26, 2010 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: in-by-of-england, reviewed, virginia-woolf-recommends, boston-janeites, jane-austen-made-me-do-it

Vladimir Nabokov didn't like Jane Austen. He didn't appreciate her minimalist approach to writing. Why spend time on imagery or metaphor? It's not like there were a lot of examples around for her to work from. Besides, the story is supposed to amuse ones family and friends by holding a mirror to them, without their realizing it, not really anything more. Well, of course, there was the possibility of also making money from the book but she had seen little of that so far. But he wasn't wrong when...more

69 likes · like · see review

Jun 04, 2007 Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: only hardcore Austen fans

Shelves: fiction, brit-lit, owned, 19th-century, its-the-quiet-ones

Dear Jane,

Please accept my profound apologies for what I am about to write. I would be most grateful if you would be inattentive to the following review. Please believe in my most profound respect and adoration for you.

Yours & etc,

Kelly

So, the writing is fine. But the heroine is... difficult to like. I'd have more sympathy for her if there was more of a personality in there. But her major character traits seem to be moralizing, correctness and dullness. It is nothing like Austen's usual impr...more

52 likes · like · see review

Aug 12, 2007 Greyeyedminerva rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was astounded to find that many of the reviews on this site criticize this book for the main character, Fanny Price, & her timidity and morality. It is very different from Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, whose smart, sensible heroines make the novels, but I actually enjoyed this book immensely for its social commentary.

Most of the characters in this book singlemindedly pursue wealth, status, and pleasure regardless of their personal and moral costs. Their antics are pretty...more

68 likes · like · see review

May 21, 2010 Eric rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: unexpected

My reading of Mansfield Park was attended, part of the way, by two poets talking about the difficulty of writing (or to me, reading) Austen’s kind of novel:

A young poet’s ignorance of life will go unnoticed. Meter, rhyme, felicitous phrases, and what not mask the underlying weakness or banality. With fiction, where dissimilar characters suffer and grow and interact, there is no place to hide. One either knows what people go through or doesn’t.

(James Merrill)

Then she’s a novelist. I don’t know w

...more

23 likes · like · see review

May 14, 2013 Jason Koivu rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"I can not but think good horsemanship has a great deal to do with the mind." Jane Austen always did a great job of planting ridiculous declarations in the mouths of characters she wished to discredit. Character was her strong suit and there's some good'uns here in.

Within Mansfield Park there are characterizations so delicate and actions of importance utterly unassuming. Some seem meaningless in their modesty. Excellent work by a diligent author. Dangerous pitfalls for the casual reader.

The who...more "I can not but think good horsemanship has a great deal to do with the mind." Jane Austen always did a great job of planting ridiculous declarations in the mouths of characters she wished to discredit. Character was her strong suit and there's some good'uns here in.

Within Mansfield Park there are characterizations so delicate and actions of importance utterly unassuming. Some seem meaningless in their modesty. Excellent work by a diligent author. Dangerous pitfalls for the casual reader.

The whole novel overall moves along steadily with a dim flash of excitement here or a trying time there, never altering much above or below its middling pace. That's no a ringing endorsement, but neither is it condemnation. No, this is condemnation...

There is too much time taken up in mundane description: the planning of a play that never comes off, for one. Oh yes, certainly the play held importance in that it provided Austen a stage to showcase her principal players. But could that not have been accomplished with another scene, one that drives the narrative with more force?

Fanny Price, our heroine is too prudish to warm up to, and the main object of her - I'd say "desire," but that's putting it far stronger than Austen did - is a man setting himself up for a parson's life. They are both a couple of moral, goodie-two-shoes and you long for some mild vice to surface and show them to be human.

Heros and villains appear on the scene too obviously. Hovering halos and black hats are almost more than imaginary. Some 'gray area' is introduced in the main "villain," but it's slight and see-through. Intentionally so? Yes, but it could've been handled with more art and the skill Austen showed she possessed in other works.

The end is wrapped up all too quickly and with criminal simplicity tantamount to saying, "I don't like her after all, I like you, so let's get married!" An end which left this reader shrugging his shoulders at a pleasant enough diversion that he'd wished had more pride or even sensibility.
(less)

22 likes · like · see review

Mar 19, 2011 Sherwood Smith added it · review of another edition

Most Austen aficionados agree that Pride and Prejudice is a great book. Jane Austen thought it might be too "light and bright and sparkling"--that its comedy might outshine its serious points--but its continued popularity today indicates that her recipe for brilliance contained just the right ingredients.

Yet a lot of modern readers loathe Mansfield Park, despite its being thought by others the greatest of all Austen's work. What's going on here?

Frequently leveled criticisms:
* Fanny is a stick...more

23 likes · like · see review

Nov 25, 2011 Kim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, re-read

This review contains some spoilers.

About a year ago I started a Jane Austen project, which has involved listening to the six major novels on audiobook, most of them narrated by Juliet Stevenson, who is simply wonderful at bringing Austen’s characters to life. It says something about me that in this period I have listened to Persuasion twice. It says something else about me that I left this book until last. That I did so won't come as a big surprise to admirers of Jane Austen's novels. This is th...more
This review contains some spoilers.

About a year ago I started a Jane Austen project, which has involved listening to the six major novels on audiobook, most of them narrated by Juliet Stevenson, who is simply wonderful at bringing Austen’s characters to life. It says something about me that in this period I have listened to Persuasion twice. It says something else about me that I left this book until last. That I did so won't come as a big surprise to admirers of Jane Austen's novels. This is the novel which is most likely to be disliked, even by readers who would otherwise call themselves fans of the author. That includes me. I have read Jane Austen’s other novels innumerable times, but this one only twice before: once at school and once at university. Until this week it was not a novel that I would have described in positive terms.

One of the main reasons for the unpopularity of Mansfield Park is the heroine, Fanny Price. A lot of what is perceived to be wrong with Fanny comes from the fact she is so unlike other Austen heroines. She lacks the wit and liveliness of Elizabeth Bennett, the warmth of Anne Elliot, the energy of Elinor Dashwood, the passion of Marianne Dashwood, the self-confidence of Emma Woodhouse, the youthful high spirits of Catherine Morland. Fanny is shy, quiet, nervous, physically weak and very serious. She has a strong sense of right and wrong. She lacks a sense of humour and many would describe her as unbearably self-righteous and a prig.

Fanny’s character has always divided opinion. According to Austen’s biographer Claire Tomalin, Austen’s mother thought that Fanny was insipid. Austen’s niece and one of her nephews couldn’t bear her. Her sister Cassandra was fond of Fanny but wanted her to marry Henry Crawford. So, the problems with Fanny as a character are not merely a result of her moral principles being at odds with a modern sensibility. Fanny is just not a good fit with the Austen heroines readers know and love.

However, even though Fanny has some unattractive personality traits, she is still a very interesting character. It’s not hard to see the scared, lonely and frightened little girl in the reserved young woman she becomes. In addition, it’s clear that Fanny’s dislike of Henry and Mary Crawford is not just because of her good principles. It’s also because she is in love with Edmund (and therefore can’t love Henry) and Edmund loves Mary (so Fanny is jealous of her). So while Fanny proves to be a good judge of character, she also has her very human flaws.

My own response to Fanny shifted back and forward during the novel. I felt for the unloved child, but I wanted to shake the passive young woman. I understood her love for Edmund and I wished she liked Henry. She would annoy me and then say something profound. My reaction to the other characters was also complex. I loved Edmund’s care and compassion for the young Fanny, but found his self-righteousness annoying. I was charmed by the Crawfords, but deeply aware of their very considerable flaws. There was nothing complex about my response to Mrs Norris and Lady Bertram, though. Mrs Norris’ malevolence and Lady Bertram’s stupidity are worth the purchase price of the book.

There’s so much more to say about Mansfield Park than I have written in this review. Maybe the best thing I can say is this: it is a novel which has made me think a lot, both as I was listening to it and since. That’s not my usual reaction to Austen. Normally, I read Austen and simply enjoy the writing, the characters and the wit. This time was different. I found Mansfield Park interesting, engaging, frustrating and puzzling. It’s gone up to a four star read and I won’t be waiting another thirty years before I read it again.
(less)

20 likes · like · see review

view all 80 comments

Gary McTiernan It seems that we came to similar conclusions but your review has a great deal more depth than mine. I'm glad that some of us are standing up for Fanny...more
Oct 25, 2012 07:59am

Kim Gary wrote: "This is a cautionary tale for those who believe that true love trumps more practical considerations. After having read Thomas Hardy over...more
Oct 26, 2012 01:55pm

Jan 03, 2013 Margaret rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: british-literature, favorites, austen, authors-ab

Mansfield Park is perhaps not the one of Austen's novels which appeals the most to modern sensibilities; after all, reasonably faithful adaptations have been made recently of several of Austen's other novels, while Mansfield Park was changed into something Austen lovers barely recognized. Mansfield Park is the home of Fanny Price, the poor relation of Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram (Fanny's mother's sister), who took her to live with them from her impoverished Portsmouth home; Fanny is largely over...more Mansfield Park is perhaps not the one of Austen's novels which appeals the most to modern sensibilities; after all, reasonably faithful adaptations have been made recently of several of Austen's other novels, while Mansfield Park was changed into something Austen lovers barely recognized. Mansfield Park is the home of Fanny Price, the poor relation of Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram (Fanny's mother's sister), who took her to live with them from her impoverished Portsmouth home; Fanny is largely overlooked and taken for granted by the Bertrams, her other aunt Mrs. Norris, and the Bertram children, but she finds solace in the friendship of her cousin Edmund Bertram. When the Crawford siblings, Henry and Mary, come to Mansfield parsonage to stay with their sister, the wife of the clergyman Dr. Grant, they unsettle Mansfield society with gay doings and flirtations which lead to more serious events.

Fanny is self-effacing to the point of passivity, in marked contrast to Austen's more lively heroines, like Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice or Emma Woodhouse of Emma, which I think is one reason Mansfield Park is somewhat difficult to like on first reading (and why it was changed so drastically for the film version); yet her moral sense and voice pervade Mansfield Park, and gradually, one grows to realize that she is a woman of deep convictions. When the others decide to put on a play of dubious moral quality and even Edmund joins in, Fanny resists everyone's blandishments to persuade her to take part; when Sir Thomas tries to convince her to marry a man she doesn't love, she resists that as well. She's no Lizzy, but she holds fast to her beliefs more than anyone else in this novel and emerges as a truly worthy heroine.

I wish that Austen had seen fit to match Fanny with a more interesting hero, but I guess you can't have everything. Mansfield Park does have much else to savor: the brilliant episode of the play-acting and the scenes at Portsmouth, unlike anything else Austen depicted in their portrait of family life among the not-so-well-off, are particularly masterly. It may be slower than some of the other novels, but Mansfield Park is one of the deepest and most rewarding of Austen's books.
(less)

14 likes · like · see review

Jul 25, 2008 Holly Goguen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Holly by: hollygoguen@gmail.com

Shelves: literature, favorites

I have seen no small amount of reviews toting Fanny Price as Austen's least likable heroine, and to be honest...I'm not sure where they get that impression from. Granted, Fanny's characteristics often shine by what they are not, next to the undesirable character traits of those around her.....but does this appropriateness of demeanor, attention to honor and morals, and respect toward elders (especially the ones least deserving of it) truely mean she is not fit for her lead status? I think not. A...more

38 likes · like · see review

Jan 17, 2008 Rebecca rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Brit lit lovers

I don't think this book would have been so disappointing if I hadn't just seen the movie adaptation of it (specifically, the 1999 version). I saw the movie first, and liked the plot so much that I started the book. I enjoyed reading P & P and S & S, so I assumed I would enjoy Mansfield Park also. I quickly found out that the movie was much more entertaining -- but more importantly than that, its social/political message was more palatable to me than the book's.

In the movie, the protagoni...more I don't think this book would have been so disappointing if I hadn't just seen the movie adaptation of it (specifically, the 1999 version). I saw the movie first, and liked the plot so much that I started the book. I enjoyed reading P & P and S & S, so I assumed I would enjoy Mansfield Park also. I quickly found out that the movie was much more entertaining -- but more importantly than that, its social/political message was more palatable to me than the book's.

In the movie, the protagonist, Fanny Price, is a spirited, independent-minded, witty, and fiercely smart girl of 18 or so who loves reading and has a secret crush on her cousin Edmund. Everyone around her is vain, selfish, and superficial, but she remains a voice of reason and kindness throughout. In the end, of course, she gets Edmund and lives happily ever after.

In the book, Fanny does still get the man and sees her foolish relatives get their just desserts, but her personality is so different from the Fanny of the movie that I felt a bit cheated and deprived. It quickly became apparent that the movie had taken radical liberties with Fanny's character -- but they were liberties that I felt improved the story and maybe they were necessary for a '90s audience. At least, they felt necessary to me.

The Fanny of the book is subservient, repressed, and suffers from "nerves," to the point that I could not respect or like her. Her "virtue" (so Austen calls it) is in putting everyone's needs and desires (as stupid as they may be) ahead of her own welfare and happiness. Austen obviously came from a time when women were idealized as being domestic angels that were meant to serve and be silent, but I had had higher hopes for Austen's subversive potential. Not only was Fanny unrealistically pure and virtuous, she let others walk all over her, even when speaking her mind would have been justified. The narrator also repeatedly described Fanny's frailty, mentioning several times that strolling leisurely for more than an hour was enough to make Fanny exhausted and completely dependent on the nearest male, lest she collapse in the garden. In addition, Fanny's intellect and interest in reading is downplayed, and her time appears to be spent sewing, talking, and taking exhausting strolls in gardens. In other words, she has a completely bland and prudish personality that only distinguishes itself in contrast to her reprehensible relatives.

Overall, Austen's message seems to be: "If you neglect your own health and happiness for long enough, in the name of serving and submitting to those who consider themselves your superiors, you will eventually be rewarded by a decent income and a handsome husband."

One other change made in the movie, in addition to Fanny's character, is the nature of slavery. In the book, very slight mention is made of the fact that Fanny's uncle and guardian owns slaves in Antigua (in fact, Austen never uses the word "slave," you just have to infer). No mention beyond this is made of the issue. In the movie, however, Fanny comes across some of her uncle's notes about the plantation and is morally outraged, and in the end, her uncle (partially because of her influence), decides to give up his plantation. This was totally absent from the book, and is yet another example of Austen's claustrophobic and circumscribed focus on domestic and trivial issues to the exclusion of significant historical factors that should influence her character's lives, but don't.

I must admit that this book has lowered my regard for Jane Austen, but that aside, it has several funny and touching moments, and has some of the best insights into human stupidity that I've ever read, making it well worth a read by anyone. (less)

16 likes · like · see review

Jul 02, 2011 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Austen fans, regency fans

Shelves: female-writers, classics, english-writers

I'm really not surprised that not a lot of people like Fanny Price. She's timid, moralistic and extremely passive. But really, what were people expecting her to do, exactly? Tell her cousin she loves him? B-slap Miss Crawford? Fanny is low in society, brought up to be grateful to everyone, and has no independence (dowry, etc,.). A lot of women were like that in those days. Many shy people also have a higher regard for authority than others, because of authority's 'better' judgement, and that is...more

18 likes · like · see review

Mar 15, 2013 Maggie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, 2008

In my opinion the most difficult of Austen's books to get through. Fanny, while similar to other Austen heroines, is a borderline curmudgeon, so staunch is she in her convictions. Of course, the villians (if they can be called that) are so terribly naughty by the standards of the day that this almost becomes a comedy of extremes. But, all's well that ends well, and one day the heroine's beloved suddenly notices her and they all live happily ever after. Sorry, Jane, this isn't one of my favorites...more

7 likes · like · see review

Nov 19, 2010 Mariel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: animals in my play

Recommended to Mariel by: a sight to behold

I read Mansfield Park in high school (probably around fourteen or fifteen). I viewed the 1999 film when it came out and the recent tv version (ugh) more recently (the casting couch must've won that battle. Hope they raided the change 'cause I doubt it did anything for anyone's career). It's hard to separate the movies from my old memories.

Fifth wheel Fanny Price isn't a part of the reindeer games of her jerk-off cousins. They are the bitchy girls in my neighborhood who thought they were cool be...more I read Mansfield Park in high school (probably around fourteen or fifteen). I viewed the 1999 film when it came out and the recent tv version (ugh) more recently (the casting couch must've won that battle. Hope they raided the change 'cause I doubt it did anything for anyone's career). It's hard to separate the movies from my old memories.

Fifth wheel Fanny Price isn't a part of the reindeer games of her jerk-off cousins. They are the bitchy girls in my neighborhood who thought they were cool because they smoked cigarettes on the sly. Or hung around and watched skeezy boys skateboard (not to mention the sex as early as middle school. I just wondered what they were getting out of it themselves. What was the point?). That was totally lame. Those boys often lived in our house, and I could attest to their total lack of real cool. I'd hide from them and other, more awful, people. They may have had difficult circumstances, but I became the charity Fanny instead, avoiding bullies from school in my own home, and snakes in the tub relatives. Anyway, they did those things because they thought it made them cool, I guess. Probably more like uncerebral joy in a demented moment of fun. Crowd mania of twos and threes. My take on Fanny is it isn't being a prude if you aren't doing what you don't want to do. I don't intellectualize it for myself. It's all unthinking and sort of mystical bloodpumping juices flowing. It's weird, I wasn't prudish but I hated more than anything being forced to see or do things I didn't want to do. I'm fascinated by breaking points. I liked that about Fanny, that she had those layers to her. I put up with fucked up beyond fucked up things and it is weird to me now which things were what made me snap instead of other things. I can't judge Fanny for hers. There are times in life when the desire to let 'em have it is at war with being grounded in everyday dull realities. It wears you down, the constant sameness. I may have stopped acting as my mom's personal suicide hotline (she wanted me to do it more) when twenty-one, but I'll have setbacks when I feel guilt, real fear, self-hatred, all sorts of nasty things like that that overide the other shit I know, like self-preservation. I could be the cheekiest of bastards when others would probably just call the police (my sister did. Taught her a lesson. Wish I'd thought of it). I really get asshole families. I can't judge dueling sides. It's a moment to moment thing. One "Fuck off" moment is not all your life. (One of the most comforting realizations I've ever had is that nothing is all your life.)

I remember living in Mansfield Park like being stuck there with those jerks (this might be like adding to memories. I'm legally blind. No 20/20 even in hindsight. It either still feels like now or it's like it happened to someone else). (How come glasses don't make me smarter? I'm like Homer Simpson doing his neverending math equations wrong when he put on someone else's glasses.) (My teen self hated it when jerks would steal my glasses. "I can't see anything! Hah hah your vision sucks and mine doesn't!" Sometimes I'd kick or bite and take my glasses back. Other times I'd suffer the blindness headache. I could be a Fanny pushover.)

I wouldn't have found Fanny boring if she didn't like their stupid plays. (If she didn't like the plays my twin and I did, well, I might say she was lame. We were pretty awesome.) I don't know if I'd have hung out with her. This might not be a point but I still think it now, and I DEFINITELY thought about it back then. Potentials in hanging-out with fictional characters. Hey, it's one of my chief reasons for reading. The living between the lines stuff is what interested me most. I didn't care about Edmund much, and I wasn't afraid for Fanny getting sucked in by the Crawfords because they were TOO obviously scuzz buckets (I'd have scorned her if she fell for it, back then). What I was afraid of was that there was never going to be anyone interesting to act with. There probably wasn't. That's why the ending isn't much of one. The things that Austen did best were the senses of being torn. Maybe it wasn't ever really put together if I couldn't sense it too. Maybe I read it too long ago.

Mansfield Park is not my bad ass book. It's my self-pity book. I hated those days.
(less)

7 likes · like · see review

Dec 09, 2011 Jeannette rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, austen, books-i-own

2nd review December 2011

I started this read of Mansfield Park with the goal of determining why this is my least favorite of Austen’s works. I also decided to give Fanny a closer scrutiny, to see if my opinion of her is unjust.

What I found to be sorely lacking in Mansfield Park is Jane Austen’s snarky humor. In her other works, there is always someone or something to laugh at or about. In P&P we have Mrs. Bennet’s flutterings, and Mr. Collins’s groveling. Mrs. Jennings brings the comic relief...more 2nd review December 2011

I started this read of Mansfield Park with the goal of determining why this is my least favorite of Austen’s works. I also decided to give Fanny a closer scrutiny, to see if my opinion of her is unjust.

What I found to be sorely lacking in Mansfield Park is Jane Austen’s snarky humor. In her other works, there is always someone or something to laugh at or about. In P&P we have Mrs. Bennet’s flutterings, and Mr. Collins’s groveling. Mrs. Jennings brings the comic relief in S&S. But, In MP all the reader is given is Mrs. Norris. Mrs. Norris is not funny; she is mean-spirited, selfish and greedy. She gets her just reward in the end, but at the expense of Maria Bertram. Even Lady Bertram fails to amuse.

The “villainous” male character is also lacking in humor. Mr. Collins, Mr. Elton, Mr. Thorpe were all cast as the bad guy, but they were also “overdrawn” in a way that the reader could laugh at. But, what’s funny about Henry Crawford? He’s the most charming man in the book, and, yet, he is really cold-hearted and calculating. Even with the prospect of winning Miss Price before him, he goes astray, just for the pleasure of the game. Even Willoughby is a more sympathetic character.

And, then there are Fanny and Edmund. Through this reading I developed a true sympathy for Fanny. Hers was a case of nature vs. nurture. Her sweet temper and pure heart were a blessing and a curse for her. She was neglected and put upon by the entire family, her beloved Edmund included. And, yet, he becomes her prize at the end. No Captain Wentworth, or Charles Bingley to be gained, but Edmund, who esteems her, but cannot truly love her.

So, that sums up why I will never rate Mansfield Park as highly as I rate the rest of Austen’s novels. The tenderness, the beauty, the humor are all missing here.

October 2009

This is not one of my favorite Austen books. I enjoy it, but it's a little bit difficult for me to stick with it if I'm not in the mood. I prefer to watch this one on film.(less)

14 likes · like · see review

Jan 14, 2008 Yennie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This one's a little more drawn out than I'd like (and incongruously abrupt at the end), but it's sweet. Many people are highly critical of Fanny Price because she's so timid (and she lets things happen to her rather than set about making a life for herself), but my heart went out to her quite a bit. True, we may prefer to read about Lizzy Bennets and Jane Eyres-- strong-willed women with wit and independence-- but aren't there a great number of Fanny Prices in the world whose stories need to be...more

7 likes · like · see review

Feb 13, 2008 Charity rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who want to end their love affair with Jane Austen

Shelves: 1001books, brit-lit, austen, blah

Argh! I am very surprised that I was able to finish this book. I found it to be completely tedious. If this had been the first book I had read by Jane Austen, it would have been enough to turn me off from the rest of her works.

Fanny was too virtuous a character to be likable. She was dull as powder and entirely too submissive. I would have much more enjoyed reading about the spunky Miss Mary Crawford. She would have proved to be a more approachable heroine and her high jinx could never be boring...more

9 likes · like · see review

Aug 24, 2009 Sandy Tjan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: british-literature, classics, 2009, pemberley

I initially thought that this novel is not on par with the other Austens that I have read, it being nothing more than a didactic novel about morality and propriety as conceived by the provincial English gentry at that time. Fanny Price's timidity, shyness and physical weakness did not endear her to me. Edmund, the oh-so-proper clergyman, who disapproves of theatricals and other improprieties, seemed to be an incredibly boring 'leading man'. His sudden turn from being a big brother to Fanny to he...more

7 likes · like · see review

Jun 18, 2008 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This has become one of my favorite Jane Austen books. I could not get through it as a teenager, but now that I am older, I like it and find myself re-reading it often.
The heroine, Fanny Price, is unusual for Austen; unlike the confident, clever heroines like Elizabeth, Emma, and the Dashwood sisters, Fanny has no real talents, except that she is kind, a good listener, helpful, and tries to do the right thing. This is sometimes a nice change, though occasionally as a modern women I sometimes find...more

9 likes · like · see review

May 23, 2008 Amber rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first part of this book is a little slow but as you come to the end of the book all of this background information makes the story and characters much more complete in my opinion, and therefore worth the effort. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was sad to see that so many did not because they were expecting Fanny to be like Elizabeth, or Emma, from Austen's other novels. I, as many, did not first love Fanny but as I came to understand her more I really came to admire her strengths and want...more The first part of this book is a little slow but as you come to the end of the book all of this background information makes the story and characters much more complete in my opinion, and therefore worth the effort. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and was sad to see that so many did not because they were expecting Fanny to be like Elizabeth, or Emma, from Austen's other novels. I, as many, did not first love Fanny but as I came to understand her more I really came to admire her strengths and want to be more like her in many ways. I also don't find her character weak. She stands up for what she believes in and is not so easily swayed as many of the other characters in the book are. She is soft-spoken but I think this just adds to her strength and self control. I would have liked to see her a little more self-confident, but I find her character more believable as it is. I also think that she does become much more confident by the end of the book and I am glad that she doesn't turn out to go to the other extreme of being very vain and self-centered.
I also enjoyed that this book wasn't just a romance novel. I think romance is great but I think it is even better when it is coupled with a true and constant love - especially when the book ends in marriage.
I haven't really seen many other comments about this but I personally think that this book also carries a moral about being an active parent and practicing what you preach. Maria and Julia are given every advantage, education, status, etc. but they don't truly learn virtue from their parents and this effects what they end up doing with their education and status. Fanny on the other hand was humble when she came to Mansfield Park and really did seem to learn virtue from Edmund (and perhaps she already had a lot of virtue, but we do not know really what she was like before.) Also at the end of the book her uncle takes a much more active role as her guardian. It really inspired me to teach my children to be well mannered and educated, but first and foremost to teach and be an example of morals and virtue.
(less)

8 likes · like · see review

Feb 22, 2008 Oceana9 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who can stand nineteenth-century British novelists.

Fanny Price. Yes, the protagonist's name is really Fanny Price. This book is uber-Austen, so expect all the Austenish things: a saintly heroine, clever talkin', love triangles and love squares. Much walking amongst the shrubbery. Letter-writin'. Good brother vs. bad brother. (Both are hot.) Evil rich sisters (both are hot.) Poor, destitute cousin taken in by "charitable" impulses (Fanny is not hot, but then, of course, gets hotter and hotter as people begin to notice her. She is hottest when blu...more

14 likes · like · see review

Aug 31, 2012 Sheila rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, classic, boxalls-1001, reviewed

Remember, wherever you are, you must be the lowest and the last.

Such is Fanny Price's fate in Mansfield Park, where, as the consummate poorer relation, she grew up in constant reminder of her position in her mother's sister's family, the Bertrams. There she lived with her four cousins, the kindest of whom is the younger son, Edmund. He calls her My very dear Fanny and treats her like his very own sister and friend.

When Sir Thomas Bertram leaves Mansfield Park to attend to business abroad and w...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 25, 2010 Ian rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: did-not-finish, wish-i-could-like-it

Okay all my English Lit friends, please be patient with me and cut me some slack. I want to enjoy classic English literature, and some of it I do, but for the most part it's really tough for me to maintain concentration and absorb it in any meaningful way. Jane Austen in particular is one I wish I could enjoy because she just seems so ... I don't know, foundational? Fundamental? Insightful? Real? Maybe even sexy in her own early-nineteenth-century way? But when it comes down to it I always fail....more Okay all my English Lit friends, please be patient with me and cut me some slack. I want to enjoy classic English literature, and some of it I do, but for the most part it's really tough for me to maintain concentration and absorb it in any meaningful way. Jane Austen in particular is one I wish I could enjoy because she just seems so ... I don't know, foundational? Fundamental? Insightful? Real? Maybe even sexy in her own early-nineteenth-century way? But when it comes down to it I always fail. The book is always too daunting, too difficult, or just too not-my-thing for me to make it all the way through. I feel like the Achaeans, marching forward with confidence that the gods are on my side this time, only to find I was merely a pawn in some divine squabble when Hector and his army of determined Trojan defenders drive me back to the shores of Ilium.

Part of my problem this time was the poor quality of the Librivox reading. The first two chapters were read by someone decent; I was enjoying her voice and her portrayal of the characters, then a new reader shows up for chapter 3. I don't like her as much as the first reader but I'm starting to get used to her when, in chapter 5, yet a third reader takes go at it. Well the third reader sucked and she read three chapters. A fourth reader takes over in chapter 8 but by that time I had taken all I could take, and had to admit defeat.

Yes, it is true the poor quality of the audiobook clouded my perception but, by the time I quit, the story also had completely lost my interest. I can take only so much of rich spoiled brats talking about nothing to one another and feeling very good about themselves for doing so.

On that note--and I'm sure this sounds absurdly basic to you English Lit types but consider that I've had a hard time with this stuff and am humbly imploring you to grant me some leeway in that regard--it seems to me Jane Austen deplores the nineteenth-century English upper class as much as I do. Correct?

In a world full of objectionable people, two sets of people in particular spark strong negative reactions in me. First are those who, either deliberately or through willful ignorance, perpetrate injustice upon others. Second are those who believe they are entitled to wealth, power, respect, and/or service merely due to an accident of birth. I didn't get far enough to know if Mansfield Park addresses the first set, but it certainly addresses the second. The idea of a class of people who hold nearly all of a nation's wealth and power, and to whom society pays respect and service, and membership in which is determined by birth, is utterly objectionable to me on every possible grounds.

Don't kid yourself into thinking we don't have a wealthy, powerful, privileged, and exclusive class of people in these United States. We sure as shit do. I deal with them at work. When you think of people who rely on government services your mind might first go to America's poor and elderly: the people on welfare and social security. But the people receiving the real benefits from our government are the ultra wealthy. They're wealth and power is made possible and maintained by our government-funded judicial, educational, law-enforcement, and physical infrastructures. Without courts schools, fire and police and military, not to mention utilities and an interstate highway system, America's Privileged Class would not have their privileged lives.

And with all their wealth and privilege, and for all they owe the government for making it all possible, America's Privileged Class go to great lengths to hide their income and invent ingenious schemes to evade taxation. Their sense of entitlement even extends to thinking the government should do all it does for them for free. That's where people like me come in. I work for a state government and part of my job to make sure America's Privileged Class are paying what they legally owe to the government.

So what does my job have to do with me not finishing Mansfield Park? I think it's just that I've acquired a jaded, cynical, often disgusted attitude towards people who think (sometimes, it seems, literally) the world revolves around them. So, when those type of people sit around congratulating one another on their awesomeness, I can only listen to so much. I reached my limit in chapter 8 (apparently I have pretty low tolerance) and, thus, couldn't finish the book.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Jun 29, 2011 Valerie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Valerie by: The movie

Shelves: classic

I remember watching Mansfield Park on the TV before I knew it was called Mansfield Park, before I knew it was a Austen novel, before I became a reader and even knew who Jane Austen was. Some years later, when I found out about all this I was excited about reading Mansfield Park. I've been meaning to ever sense reading P&P.

But...*sigh*...Fanny, Fanny, Fanny, she is one of the most difficult heroines that I've ever encountered. I just didn't know how to take her. All the characters are kind o...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 01, 2013 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Some of you will agree, some may disagree, some of you may get just a bit pissed-off (that's American for angry)...but here goes.

I love Jane Austen. I love her use of the English language, and I am happy that her work is still available for me to embrace. I could not have written KING JOHN'S LADY without having been previously exposed to Ms Austen. Part of my personality is like Strider in Tolkien's trilogy: another part is like Bilbo Baggins. Jane introduced us to Fanny Price who over-came much...more Some of you will agree, some may disagree, some of you may get just a bit pissed-off (that's American for angry)...but here goes.

I love Jane Austen. I love her use of the English language, and I am happy that her work is still available for me to embrace. I could not have written KING JOHN'S LADY without having been previously exposed to Ms Austen. Part of my personality is like Strider in Tolkien's trilogy: another part is like Bilbo Baggins. Jane introduced us to Fanny Price who over-came much in her life....she rolled with the punches and was the last gal standing.

I'm going to get personal again......when my David graduated from the University of St. Andrews, his mother, who is my wife, Cathy and I were there for the ceremonies. We saw actor Michal Douglas get his honorary degree in Humanities and saw our youngest son get his Master's degree in a ceremony that is a thousand years old in that institution. Later, that evening we threw a party for David and about 20 of his peers in a basement restaurant in the city of St. Andrews. I had to speak loudly to be heard over the din of 300 people talking, ice clinking in glasses, forks scraping over plates...yada yada yada...so to ensure that I was heard, I spoke loudly. I was talking about a beautiful dog I once had....an Old English Sheepdog named Fanny. Soon, I realized most of my young friends, who except for David, were from some part of Great Britain, were giggling and David was telling me to shush!!! It turned out that 'Fanny' had become another modern slang term for a vagina......who knew, not me.

As Jane Austen schooled us about her characters, I fell in love with Fanny. Yet, I couldn't get that graduation party out of my mind......Fanny now is another way to talk about a girl's pussy, twat, cunt, honey hole...whatever. I was appalled. I tried to sleep, but sleep was denied me. I thought about how I would explain this travesty to Jane if we were allowed to have a conversation.

"Hi Ms Austen"
"Hello Michael."
"You made even the discussion of plays and balls enjoyable to an ole hard-ankle like me. I do find it odd, however, that our beloved Fanny's name has been so abused as to now commonly be synonymous with that of the female genitalia."
"Thou surly jest. I shall file protests with the literary society."
"No Jane....don't bother. The 200 odd years since you released your work have seen too many changes in the language you knew. It would require much from you to understand the usage of the words as they are now employed. I am forever grateful to you and those who published your work for preserving a reference to language that was used with skill and love. Perhaps those in the 21st century will become so affixed to their hand-held devices that they will only communicate in 140 characters of less. They seldom even look away from that that they hold. It's a real wonder they get home safely.".........mgc

(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 17, 2010 THE rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Now how well do we know Jane Austen? I suggest that her writings are among the most significant in English literature because of her subtle characterization, ironic language, and brilliant dialogue. Even better, like all great works, we can see within them qualities that their author never envisioned in her wildest NORTHANGER ABBEY nightmares. Of feminism, we must accept that its influences were tenuous and not radical like her contemporary Mary Wollstonecraft, who wrote A VINDICATION OF THE RIG...more Now how well do we know Jane Austen? I suggest that her writings are among the most significant in English literature because of her subtle characterization, ironic language, and brilliant dialogue. Even better, like all great works, we can see within them qualities that their author never envisioned in her wildest NORTHANGER ABBEY nightmares. Of feminism, we must accept that its influences were tenuous and not radical like her contemporary Mary Wollstonecraft, who wrote A VINDICATION OF THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN (1792). Nor was she a Marxist (since Karl Marx was born a year after Austen's death), and in fact, she displayed no inclinations to unravel the socioeconomic details of her world. Nonetheless, it is possible to see the seeds of a pre-Marxist feminist critique in Austen's most underestimated work, MANSFIELD PARK.

Fanny, the protagonist, is a child of extreme poverty, but linked by kinship to the wealthy Bertram family, whose fortune derives largely from a plantation in Antigua. Fanny is sent to live with the Bertrams in the hope of raising her social and economic propects. She is surrounded by her uncle, family patriarch Sir Thomas, a slaveowning, protocapitalist member of the emerging bourgeoisie, and two aunts, Sir Thomas's wife, who is dazed and detached, and Mrs. Norris, who is caustic and mercenary. She also has four cousins; Maria and Julia, who are represented as preening daughters of the materialistic Sir Thomas, as is Tom, his ne'er do well son. Only Edmund, the younger brother is portrayed as a sympathetic, if slightly pompous, young man of integrity as he prepares to join the clergy. It is only Edmund who pays attention to Fanny and attempts to mitigate her near serf status with regard to her aunts. Even his efforts, however, falter when he encounters a lovely and charming newcomer, Mary Crawford, a social-climbing schemer, and her dilettante brother, Henry, a lothario unthwarted by Fanny's loathing.

Without detailing plot and additional characters, this novel employs pithy dialogue and a highly crafted narrative structure to reveal the nature of gender inequality in which the subordination of women (specifically Fanny, but not exclusively) is determined by the incipient capitalist mode of production (evidenced by Sir Thomas's West Indian plantation, the nature of labor relations at Mansfield Park and nearby estates, and hints of the socioeconomic aspects of life in cosmopolitan London). Austen clearly indicates (without bombastic description) that the system that maintains the Bertrams and their coterie serves the interests of capital and the ruling class...not people of substance and integrity like Fanny. Thus, Fanny's triumph, hard fought (but inevitable) is a revolutionary coup on a miniature scale that overthrows the capitalist and patriarchal system of Mansfield Park. Sir Thomas is defeated and (we are led to believe) reformed in his attitude to both women and society in general. Mary is disgraced for her mercenary ways, Henry suffers ignominy, young Tom sees the errors of his wastrel ways, and even Fanny's aunts and female cousins are chastised for their behavior. Most importantly, Edmund finally realizes the genius of Fanny and defers to her judgment. In essense, Fanny Price becomes the spiritual leader of the family, establishing a matriarchy in all but name. The bourgeois veneer remains, but the world of Mansfield Park has been turned upside down. The "withering away" of the the patriarchal capitalist class structure has begun according to the revolutionary rhetoric of Ms. Austen. (less)

2 likes · like · see review

May 20, 2013 Mark rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: heroes-who-are-up-their-own-bums

My wonderful English teacher at school, Mr Flint, encouraged us to always read around the writer. So at A'level, studying 'Emma' he urged us to read the other five Austens.

Thus 'Mansfield Park' first read at 17. Fanny = Put upon heroine of epic proportions, noble, insightful, courageous and brave. Re-read at 32. Fanny = self righteous prig, judgemental little minx, singularly unattractive whinger. Another 15 years on and I opted for 'Murder at Mansfield Park' instead.

(This results in something...more

12 likes · like · see review

Oct 12, 2008 Annalisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, chick-lit, audiobook, romance

Of all the Jane Austen, I've read, this is the one that shows the distance of time the most. I smiled at terms like "knocked up" or "fagged" for tired and "conjugal felicity" and "making love" as completely innocent terms. Certainly not word choices one would use today without someone misinterpreting your meaning.

And the characters seemed removed as well. Most of Jane Austen's heroines seem strong, against her social ideal in that day and therefore beyond her time. But that Fanny. If her extreme...more Of all the Jane Austen, I've read, this is the one that shows the distance of time the most. I smiled at terms like "knocked up" or "fagged" for tired and "conjugal felicity" and "making love" as completely innocent terms. Certainly not word choices one would use today without someone misinterpreting your meaning.

And the characters seemed removed as well. Most of Jane Austen's heroines seem strong, against her social ideal in that day and therefore beyond her time. But that Fanny. If her extreme shyness did not bother me enough instead of endear me, her weakness did. And I'm not just talking about her weak character, but her inability to even walk for 15 minutes without tiring out. In that day it may have been ladylike and appealing, but to me it is lazy and damsel in distress. Fainting spells and getting "knocked up" is so 19th century.

Even Edmond who is supposed to be the sweet hero, the one you are supposed to root for in the story, wasn't all that appealing to me. He was alright, but he seemed to enable Fanny's weakness to much. It's alright to be understanding and I appreciated him speaking up for her when she felt cornered by her acquaintances, but to encourage her all the time to stop walking and to rest and sit down, to encourage her to be weak, I didn't like. And his moral guide (as well as Fanny's) is all well and good, but it was a little too stringent for my liking. Their big objection to the scandalous inappropriate behavior of rehearsing a play made me smile. All that opportunity to act and flirt, so improper.

Even the storyline is one I doubt most modern-day authors would follow. When the Peter Pan character grabs the attention of the unsocial nerdy main character, that character nowadays would be in awe, not turned off by his incessant flirting. The modern novel is loaded with love stories of girls who finally catch the eye of the uncatchable one. But then again our decorum holds nothing against something as harmless as flirting (ok not all flirting is harmless, but amongst single looking-for-spouse crowds it is). I kept imagining modern remakes in my head and as much as I imagined the shy nerdy girl getting the best friend in the end, I could picture her getting the good-looking one everyone wants too.

The book was alright. I liked it enough. Once again I listened to it in audio format which had me impatient with lengthy description often and it's much harder to rewind than it is to glance up a few paragraphs. It's a fairly complicated twisting story. For my memory, more than anything, I included a synopsis of the tale. If you don't want to know what happens, don't read the following:

A girl, Fanny Price, raised by her wealthy aunt, Lady Bertram, and uncle, Sir Thomas, watches her cousin, Edmond, whom she is in love with (still can't get over the cousin thing) fall in love with a spoiled shallow girl, Mary Crawford. Mary's brother, Henry, sets out to make Edmond's sisters, Maria (who is engaged) and Julia, fall in love with him for sport. But after the girls compete with each other for attention and he, disinterested in both, leaves the company, Maria begrudgingly marries her wealthy fiance and Edmond becomes engaged to Mary. Our flirty womanizer Henry returns to make Fanny fall in love with him. We all know what would happen with the one girl who won't fall at his feet. He falls in love with her and she thinks he is a disgrace and is embarrassed by his advances and refuses his offer to marry to the dismay of her uncle. So Henry takes off to London where he runs into Maria and they take off after having an affair and consequently Julia elopes. When Mary is upset that Fanny didn't distract him and only worried that they got caught, not that they were sinful, Edmond the clergyman realizes her true character and breaks all ties with her. And it is then that he finally sees the girl he has always loved like a sister who is completely devoted to him. (less)

7 likes · like · see review

Jul 28, 2012 Martha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, books-i-own, read-for-school, 2012, ebooks

This is my favourite of Jane Austen's novels. I appreciate the wit of Elizabeth Bennett, and I understand why people might be put off by Fanny Price, but I don't find Fanny at all weak or priggish. Fanny is every bit as strong as Elizabeth Bennett, if in a quieter and more thoughtful way. She shows great insight into the people around her and maintains her integrity in the face of overpowering disapproval from those who hold a lot of power over her.

Jane Austen is more than Elizabeth Bennett. Eac...more

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 16, 2007 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This has always been my least favorite of Austen's novels. I cannot fault her writing (perish the thought!). The social commentary is fascinating, as always. It is simply that I cannot stand the heroine, Fanny Price.

I was certainly too young to appreciate it when I first read it, but even recently when I listened to an audiobook version I kept wanting to slap her.

On the other hand, I adore the movie, Mansfield Park, precisely because the filmmakers departed from the book and made Fanny more lik...more

5 likes · like · see review

Feb 17, 2009 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The edition I have is actually different and has several commentaries, and the full script for the play "Lovers Vows."
One of the commentaries stated how many people didn't like this story because they felt the heroine, Fanny Price to be "too moral" and not as interesting as other characters. When they accused her of being excessively moral I thought of Dorothea from Eliot's Middlemarch who sucks joy out of life in a desire to be devote and useful to the world. Fanny isn't ridiculously devote,...more

6 likes · like · see review

topics	posts	views	last activity
What if Fanny and Henry end up together?	16	196	May 27, 2013 04:59pm
Books2Movies Club: AUSTEN 03 -- Mansfield Park	19	34	Apr 25, 2013 08:57pm
The Ultimate Teen...: Mansfield Park - Jane Austen	2	12	Apr 09, 2013 02:00pm
Is Fanny Price a typical Jane Austen character?	6	56	Mar 24, 2013 06:37pm
The (Not-So) Aust...: Mansfield Park - March Read Discussion	2	6	Mar 17, 2013 05:03am
The Most Awesome ...: Mansfield Park	1	4	Jan 14, 2013 10:16pm
Better Criteria for Rating Books	8	102	Jan 03, 2013 05:03pm

title link	preview: Mansfield Park
avg rating	preview: Mansfield Park Goodreads rating: 3.77 (120090 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2381389.Mansfield_Park?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1198467046l/2381389.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2381389.Mansfield_Park?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Mansfield Park by Jane Austen[/url]

Mansfield Park

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (484)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Jane Austen

Books by Jane Austen

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Mansfield Park

Quotes from Mansfield Park