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Mansfield Park

Jane Austen

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Jun 12, 2012 Genia Lukin rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, 1001-books

I have come to conclude that some of Austen's works age better than others.

Here's why: I did not like Mansfield Park. This, in stark contrast to its predecessor in my reading schedule, Pride and Prejudice, which I liked a great deal. The difference is not that one's quality of writing is so far inferior - though it might chance to be so - but rather that two factors contributed to the one aging palatably for a woman born in the late 20th century, and the other had not.

Primarily, I should note fi I have come to conclude that some of Austen's works age better than others.

Here's why: I did not like Mansfield Park. This, in stark contrast to its predecessor in my reading schedule, Pride and Prejudice, which I liked a great deal. The difference is not that one's quality of writing is so far inferior - though it might chance to be so - but rather that two factors contributed to the one aging palatably for a woman born in the late 20th century, and the other had not.

Primarily, I should note first of all, my problem was not with the heroine, Fanny Price, and her temperament. One can expect little else in a person who was her entire life neglected and derided. To have her grow into a spunky, peppy teenager without complexes would be far beyond anything the rational mind proposes. Further, her tendency to be self-sacrificing doesn't bother me either. It is a good quality (thus I indicate t the readers that my own morality is somewhat old-fashioned) and should not be shoved into the closet in favour of selfishness disguised as the pursuit of happiness.

The problem is that Fanny's virtues, unlike those of, for example, Elizabeth Bennet, are largely social, moral, societal virtues. Fanny is a virtuous and good woman because she embodies morality; and the morality of the time simply isn't the morality of our days.

When we look at Elizabeth, we see qualities that are largely internal. Elizabeth, so to speak, makes her own morals. Fanny does not. And that is okay, for Fanny. But for us as readers this is less okay. Since the entire book then revolves on the contrast between virtue and vice, we begin to feel serious discrepancies the further into the book we go. We fail to evoke the feelings of horror and disgust one ought at the notion that someone is putting on a play. Fanny's refusal to participate in the enterprise seems less an embodiment of truly ingrained good qualities than a case of nerves. We fail to see what, precisely, is so dreadful about Mary Crawford's (relative) outspokenness and cynicism. Mary, in turn, becomes a much more palatable heroine for us than she could ever be for people to whom Austen had originally intended the novel.

In fact, our morality gets a kick in the teeth after Maria's affair with Crawford, not because an affair is not still a fairly sordid thing (old-fashioned, again), but because we can't see how it is justified that Mary should shun and condemn her own brother; how Sir Thomas feels obliged never to have his own daughter at home; how Mary's insinuation that, had Fanny at least been inclined to give Henry the opportunity he so desired, the thing might actually have been,a s she said, prevented. We are more shocked than Austen's readers would have been at Fanny's treatment in the hose where she grew up, and far less so at the disorder and noise in her parents' house. We, today, know that reformation like Crawford was trying to undergo, with whatever measure of sincerity, requires social and external support, where Austen may have thought it to be entirely an internal matter.

We see Fanny and Edmund as dreadfully moralistic and priggish. Not because they are moralistic and priggish, but because we can't help it. The fault, dear reader, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.

Nevertheless, I, too, admit that I had much rather see the bright, cynical Mary Crawford, or even Fanny's younger, sensible sister, Susan, in the center of the novel. Fanny's tendency to quiver, shrink, and "be guided by" the men in her life is irksome.

This is not, however, the main reason the book does not age well. For me, at least, the main reason for this was not the moral picture drawn by the author, but it's moralistic, moralizing tenor. It's as though this book and Pride and Prejudice were written by two different Austens - the Austen who observed people's follies and foibles, and managed to judge them without falling into lengthy, tiresome self-righteous sermons, and this writer, who did exactly that.

The thing that grated most to me about this book was that the author herself, not the characters, could not refrain from passing constant, moral judgment, and the fact that that judgement had neither balance nor subtlety, nor room for nuances. Every little thing was bad. no room was given to the fact that many of the "excuses" people used have much to recommend them. The example with Edmund acting comes to mind. The author tells us this is a poor thing, an excuse, an indiscretion, and yet, if he had not joined in, the situation likely would have really been worse. We are given no room to maneuver.

Perhaps Austen while writing the book was angry, or lonely, or tired. One can never tell the mental state of the author, but one can determine that it is very different than the Pride and Prejudice state, and that while the latter has borne well under the challenges of a new age - perhaps because pride, and prejudice, both remained unchanged - Mansfield Park succumbed much more to becoming something of a sour wine; if, admittedly, in a very fine oaken barrel. ...more

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May 13, 2013 Sera rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, literary-fiction, kindle, classics, 1001-books

My favorite Austen to date. Like Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park is different from Austen's other works to the extent that I found it to more akin to Dickens with all the twists and turns that the story took until it came together at the end.

Mansfield Park led me to appreciate Austen's ability to develop in depth characters. This book was also I believe the most well written of all of her novels that I have read to date, and I have been through all the most well known ones.

I highly recommend th ...more

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Jul 18, 2013 Rosana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bookish-s13-challenge, 2013, classic, audio-books

Once again I find myself baffled at the task of giving “stars” to a book. Just recently I gave Madame Bovary three stars, but today I am giving Mansfield Park 5 stars. I am tired of justify, if even to myself only, the inner workings of my logic. So, be aware that the stars I give have to do to a personal measure of the pleasure a book gave me, in addition to provoking in myself some form of reflection on humanity and/or enlarging my understanding of social norms or historical/political moments. Once again I find myself baffled at the task of giving “stars” to a book. Just recently I gave Madame Bovary three stars, but today I am giving Mansfield Park 5 stars. I am tired of justify, if even to myself only, the inner workings of my logic. So, be aware that the stars I give have to do to a personal measure of the pleasure a book gave me, in addition to provoking in myself some form of reflection on humanity and/or enlarging my understanding of social norms or historical/political moments.

Mansfield Park scored very, very high in personal pleasure. I actually listened to it in audio, and maybe part of the pleasure was in being carried to the time and place by the narrator. Jane Austen is such a great social commentator; her sharp wit in portraying the society around her, but also the emotional motivations of each character leaves me amazed.

I did play this game in my head, trying to figure out a different title for this book in the lines of other books by Austen (Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility), and the most apt title for this book in my opinion should be Rightness and Frivolity.

There is through this whole story the common tension of “the good and the bad”. And it is maybe too naïve and unrealistic that the good do win at the end. When I think of this book in these terms, I have to admit that Pride and Prejudice is maybe a more complex story, where the qualities of the characters are not so black and white as in Mansfield Park.

And yet, at this moment in my life, I am more prone to admire the fortitude of the righteous and to recognize the damaging power of the frivolous. The better example of it in the struggle of Henry and Mary Crawford to become better people who cannot however overcome their superficiality. And the strength of Fanny in not letting go of her moral principles even when faced with the great monetary advances of a marriage.

I will stop at this. The righteous don’t always gain my admiration. (it is too easy to be self-righteous) and the older I get, the less black and white, good and bad, the world has become. There are many shades of gray out there, and yet, it is nice to be reminded that good exists and that it wins at the end sometimes.
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Jun 22, 2016 Wendy rated it really liked it

Shelves: blooms-western-canon, classics, 1001-books, infp, audiobooks

It is official--I've now read all the Austen novels!

Apparently I prefer the more mature, bittersweet Austen to the young romantically-minded Austen. While I enjoy a spirited heroine as much as the next girl, I appreciate that Austen's heroines all have markedly different personalities, and Fanny Price strikes me as one of the more difficult types from which to craft a heroine. Perhaps unfortunately, I see a lot of my teenaged self (and my current self--who am I kidding?) in Fanny--highly introve It is official--I've now read all the Austen novels!

Apparently I prefer the more mature, bittersweet Austen to the young romantically-minded Austen. While I enjoy a spirited heroine as much as the next girl, I appreciate that Austen's heroines all have markedly different personalities, and Fanny Price strikes me as one of the more difficult types from which to craft a heroine. Perhaps unfortunately, I see a lot of my teenaged self (and my current self--who am I kidding?) in Fanny--highly introverted, non-confrontational, perhaps a tad too moralistic, and what many people will dismiss as passive. After all, we like our modern heroines extroverted (but bookish, always bookish), confrontational, feisty, opinionated, and willing to rock the boat. Fanny is none of these things, but I can still identify her strengths--strengths that are not celebrated nearly enough, and which I wish I'd see more of. She is actually quite smart and opinionated, but she keeps these things to herself. Because she is an introvert and fairly easy-going, other people assume that she's a doormat and try to treat her like one. But she has a firm idea of where her values lie, and surprises people when she digs in her heels when they insult her intelligence.

Remember in Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth initially fell for Wickham? Fanny Price sees through the Mansfield Park equivalent of the Wickham character in an instant. Everyone else thinks she's an idiot for not marrying the guy on the spot, coming from poverty (or "poverty" since they still have multiple servants) as she does. But guess what--shy little Fanny doesn't actually give a scallion's width for what other people think. She sticks to her guns...and guess what, she's right. That right there is inner strength.

Fanny also gets a bad rap for not actively pursuing what/who she wants, but I get where she's coming from. Fanny knows from the first chapter of the book who she wants to marry, but that person needs to come to realize it for himself. Filtered through her eyes, if she actively tries to get between the man she loves and the woman that man thinks he loves, she's doing him a disservice. Because if he finds happiness with someone else, then Fanny wasn't right for him. What can she do anyway, flirt? Flirting and pursuing a man is so inauthentic to who Fanny is, she would be betraying the very sense of herself if she did so, and drive the guy away. That probably doesn't make sense to anyone else but me.

Honestly, Mansfield Park probably has the most "downer" ending of all the Austens. Not being a hopeless romantic myself, I liked it for the honesty. Because coupling isn't a happily ever after. There's another 50+ years of ups and downs to get through as best we can, and I could tell from the vibe here that this is a mature Jane writing with a longer view of life and what marriage really is worth in the long scheme of things. Sigh. I'll miss you, Jane Austen. Thanks for the journey.
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Apr 28, 2011 Dawn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

After about 20 years I thought it was time for a re-read of Austen's books. My opinions of this particular book haven't really changed. I still can't appreciate the characters of Fanny and Edmund. The moral overtones of the story and characters really annoys me.
And in the end I rather wish Fanny hadn't gotten the man she wanted because I really think she deserved better. ...more

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May 30, 2020 Pamela rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: guardian-1000-read, boxall-1001-read

Not my favourite by Jane Austen, this book has a more moralising and judgemental tone and less sparkling wit than Emma or Pride and Prejudice .

Fanny Price, the heroine, is sent from her chaotic and indigent family home to be companion to her wealthy aunt. She is meek and submissive, a contrast with her livelier female cousins Maria and Julia. However, when the frivolous and careless Crawfords join the group, Fanny finds her feelings and character tested, and must find the strength to openly f ...more

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Feb 05, 2024 Lauren rated it liked it

Shelves: classics

For me at least, this book has not aged particularly well. I was prepared to grasp how the book would end within the first few pages. That's fine, I suppose. My problem is in hearing the story told through the eyes of two of the most boring characters in the story. Has someone written another version told through Mary Crawford's eyes? This would be a much more interesting book.

...more

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