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Holly Goguen's Reviews > Mansfield Park
Mansfield Park
by Jane Austen, Kathryn Sutherland , Tony Tanner , Claire Lamont
by Jane Austen, Kathryn Sutherland , Tony Tanner , Claire Lamont
Holly Goguen's review
bookshelves: literature, favorites
Jul 25, 08
bookshelves: literature, favorites
Recommended to Holly by:
hollygoguen@gmail.com
Read in July, 2008
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. Austen's world is full of societal values so foreign to us now, that perhaps we don't know how to appreciate the beauty of modesty when it is truly expressed, and not showcased......perhaps we are unable to look favorably on a woman that is not rebelling externally......for fear she is too prude. Is that now mutually exclusive for heroine status? But here is the truth to this world so concerned with appearances....Fanny Price is indeed a daring character after all. She was brought up in a world foreign to her, and was raised by a constant discussion of her inferior status. It is from this perspective that our heroine decides the only place she can rebel from is her heart....and in loving where she should dare not....she becomes one of Austen's strongest characters.
Personal strength does not equal likability...and so here perhaps is where the criticisms lie......but I'll take a strong lead character over a selfish, inconstant, or fickle one any day...so in my book....she's just right.
Personal strength does not equal likability...and so here perhaps is where the criticisms lie......but I'll take a strong lead character over a selfish, inconstant, or fickle one any day...so in my book....she's just right.
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Diana
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Sep 19, 2008 04:55pm
I have to admit that I am no fan of Fanny Price. She's a bit of a goody-two-shoes and lacks the sparkle and wit of Elizabeth Bennet.
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I agree with you (Holly) about Fanny. The least likeable for me (so far) has been Emma. I can't get into that book as much as I could the others because Emma annoys the crap out of me!
I'm in the midst of my first read-through of Mansfield Park and I have a general sense of Fanny as a likeable person, but so far she's just not as strongly present as Austen's other heroines. She doesn't act or speak very much and we don't hear that much of her thinking... although, again, I'm only a little bit into it so far. I would have nothing against her modesty, restraint and the beautiful spirit of service she has for the people around her; I'm just hoping she has a more active place in the story as it continues.
Fanny might not be active, but she is far braver than I have ever been in my life. She is like Queen Esther or Rosa Parks - your obedient servant as long as you are just a pompous, manipulative, selfish, petty hypocrite - but if you cross her moral line, be prepared to meet with quiet but completely firm resistance. The world is changed by firm, quiet resilient people - even if it's the people who make the speeches who are remembered.
We need both kinds of heroes. And yes, I know it's a Jane Austen novel - but every once in a while I get tired of reading about impatient, headstrong, garrulous heroines who resemble me and I want to read about one who embodies things that I aspire to - like modesty and integrity. I not only take something away with me that I hope helps balance my natural faults, but I enjoy reading about the triumph of the underdog who does nothing but persist in being who she is despite pressure to become someone else.
Some readers will never be Elizabeth Bennett, they should be allowed to look up to Fanny Price.
i find Fanny Price to be very witty actually... Some of her notions were very deep...and true. Her morals and values are of high standard. She's a very smart girl, not falling for any of Crawford's crap......People could really use a little of Fanny Price every once in a while..like everyday...i myself wish i could be more like her..... now that we're living in a world full of elizabeth's and marianne's.....
Grace wrote: "I agree with you (Holly) about Fanny. The least likeable for me (so far) has been Emma. I can't get into that book as much as I could the others because Emma annoys the crap out of me!"so true...personally i haven't read emma yet.i had some prejudices about actually reading it 'coz i was hella annoyed when i accidentally watched a movie version of it......i really didn't like the character of emma woodhouse.....
(pardon me Emma fans)
I'm totally with you guys on the value of Fanny Price's character, but I think you've misconstrued what I was saying when I said 'active.' Having finished the book I still feel like in the first half of the book we don't learn much of Fanny - we learn about everybody else. I wasn't looking for her to be an active person like other Austen heroines, but rather to be actively present in the story. I think in the 2nd half of the book we start to see that. I've thought in retrospect that this might have been intentional - that our focus is supposed to be the others in the book and not on Fanny, except by contrast. Almost like a reflection of the way Sir Thomas' attitude changes. To him, he doesn't recognize her value or really see who she is as a person until everything falls apart. Then in the 2nd part of the book we start to see the great impact of her quiet steadfastness, how she holds everyone together, how she helps others without concern for herself, and how perceptive she is with regard to the character and worth of the people around her.
Only read it once so far, and will probably reread in the next few months, in part to see if I still feel the same way about the 1st half, having read the end now.
and you know, I was just thinking, I could see Fanny and Elizabeth being close friends if they met. I'm not sure the contrast is the same.I meet far more Miss Crawfords or Lydias and, to my shame, they make me roll my eyes and want to find the world farthest from.
I think that's why, although in some ways I enjoyed the film Bridget Jones' Diary it bugs me that it's compared to Pride & Prejudice because the main character is so clearly missing the grace and poise that goes along with Elizabeth's quick tongue, and she's also missing Elizabeth's core sense of morality. I think this last is where Elizabeth and Fanny meet. And why, though I'm usually on the opinionated yet shy side in public, I could see sharing a lot of pleasant evenings with the whole group, probably including Marianne, who, although having a tendency for melodrama, is still kind at heart.
Wow, interesting thoughts. Fanny's condemnation of her birth family totally made me not like her. All the while praising the behaviour of a man blinded by his own lust- of course his behavior was perfect because she was in love with him. I just don't see what there is to admire about Fanny's judgement since it only appreciated those who she wanted something from.
Is Edward really any better than his sisters. He only escapes the clutches of a bad woman by luck, not by superior morals.
