Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen
Ok, so this is a re-read. I took a Jane Austen course in college, in which we read all six of her novels, and this was one of my least favorite. Since I took that course about six years ago, and at the urging of a friend who loves it, I decided to give it another try.
Mansfield Park tells the story of Fanny Price, a poor girl who is sent off to live with wealthy relations. She is brought up at Mansfield Park by her Uncle and Aunt Bertram, and her aunt Mrs. Norris, alongside her cousins Tom, Edmund, Maria, and Julia. As they all enter adulthood, their personalities and manners all prove to be the making (or unmaking) of them, especially when they make new friends in brother and sister Henry and Mary Crawford. Maria Bertram marries Mr. Rushworth even while carrying on a dangerous flirtation with Mr. Crawford, Julia chafes at being the younger sister, Tom indulges in wild behavior, and Edmund struggles between his plans to go into the clergy, and his wish to marry the worldly and wealthy Miss Crawford. Fanny, meanwhile, is audience to all these goings-on, until Mr. Crawford turns his attentions to her, and she must fend off his advances while keeping her own heart a secret. In the end, everyone learns a lesson and/or gets their comeuppance, and it all concludes quite tidily indeed.
When I brought Mansfield Park home from the library, my husband asked me, "Why isn't this one as well known as some of the others?" and my response was "Because it's boring." Having read it a second time, that's not entirely fair, although it's a reasonably accurate assessment of why fewer people have probably read this one than, say, Pride & Prejudice. If all of Austen's novels highlight the social behaviors and activities of the time, Mansfield Park focuses on them primarily. It's really the most moralizing of them all. When her uncle agrees to take her in, it is his intention to not accentuate the social differences between Fanny and her cousins, but this does not come to pass. The entire novel is essentially a narrative of how Fanny's behavior is far superior to that of all her cousins (save Edmund, who nevertheless has his own stumbling-blocks), and the implication is that the difference is due to the inherent nature of the difference in their social status. Fanny is brought up in wealth and comfort, but she is always reminded to feel grateful for what she has been given, whereas her cousins are, in essence, spoiled, and take everything for granted. As a poor girl with very little expectations for her future, it is much more incumbent upon Fanny to behave in the most proper manner possible. In contrast, her cousins can expect to continue to live in style regardless of their behavior ... to a point, as we eventually learn.
The language and the writing here are, of course, gorgeous. It's very enjoyable to read, even if it is a litany of manners. The biggest problem for me is that really, all of the characters, well-behaved or not, aren't particularly likeable. Fanny herself is a good character; a fairly typical Austen heroine. She has a bit more spine than might be otherwise expected, but so much of her story is internal that she's still not that interesting. Edmund, the other "good" character, is actually kind of insufferable. He preaches to Fanny throughout, "leading her" as it were, but when he gets distracted by a pretty girl, a lot of his own behavior falls by the wayside, yet Fanny still finds him to be an ideal specimen. The Bertram sisters are pretty annoying, and the Crawfords are interesting in their moral difference, but are sort of summarily dismissed when their behavior is finally proved to be undesirable to everyone who hadn't seen it before.
I think I can now say that I don't dislike Mansfield Park so much as I simply don't find it as enjoyable as the other novels. The story is a good one, but the characters are a little more allegorical (for lack of a better word) than usual, and the proselytizing just overpowers the narrative to too high a degree. It doesn't move in my overall hierarchy of Austen's work, but I am willing to give it more credit now for its good points. If you're looking to read some Austen, though, I don't recommend starting here. Try Emma or P&P, and then if you like those, keep going.
