“She had…a fondness for reading, which, properly directed, must be an education in itself.” Fanny Price’s sentiment was shared August 29 by thirty-one attendees who logged into Zoom for the JASNA-NC Virtual Book Club’s meeting on Mansfield Park. Austen’s first novel composed entirely in adulthood has long sparked debate among her fans, and this occasion proved no exception. Erin Handly ably steered members through the plot.
Members’ familiarity with Mansfield Park ranged from first-time perusers to veterans who’ve slogged through the novel four or more times. Some of the virgins were surprised to discover they liked the book, especially since, in one poll cited, only 2% ranked Mansfield Park as the favorite among Austen’s works. Even many of the veterans admitted not caring for it at first, finding it annoying and feeling frustrated with Fanny’s wimpy and priggish nature. But the novel, and Fanny, grew on them.
Fanny earned sympathy for her abusive upbringing, her suffering under Mrs. Norris, and her near-servantlike status at Mansfield Park. Her quiet convictions elicited applause. When Fanny declares, “I was quiet, but I was not blind,” she reveals her character.
The novel earned high praise for psychologically astute characterization throughout. Characters are layered: the Crawfords are not all bad, given Mary’s kindness to Fanny and Henry’s decent treatment of the Price family, including his securing a promotion for William. Mrs. Norris, however, borders on evil, though the Price household could benefit from her organizational skills.
Nor is Edmund the perfect hero. His Pygmalion-like molding of Fanny earned the group’s disdain, as did his obsession with Mary—a character whom Austen may have based on her cousin Eliza Capot, Comtesse de Feuillide. And the fact that he is Fanny’s cousin and has been raised as a brother also troubled some readers, although marriage between cousins at the time was not uncommon.
Characterization also reveals status in Mansfield Park. The Ward sisters’ marital choices early in life led them to vastly different lives, and their choices serve as a prelude to the fortunes of the next generation.
Key scenes in the novel provided fodder for lively discussion. How scandalous was Lovers’ Vows? Very, the group found. The consensus was that Fanny is justified in objecting to a plot that centers on illegitimacy, stage directions that call for close physical contact, ample opportunities for couples to engage in flirtation, and disrespect for Sir Thomas’s authority.
Fanny acts as a gate-keeper both during the theatricals and at Sotherton. While Fanny is benched and sits in judgment, Mariah squeezes through the gate to frolic with Henry, Edmund and Mary wander in the woods unchaperoned, and poor Rushworth rushes about with the key nobody wants.
Members agreed that the theme of entrapment permeates the novel. Mariah squeezes through those bars to escape her dullard fiancé. Fanny is trapped in Mansfield Park like a bird in a cage. Even the tone of this mature novel is claustrophobic. The novel is shady, if not dark. That’s to be expected, since Austen wanted to depart from the “rather too light & bright & sparkling” Pride and Prejudice.
The question of film adaptations of Mansfield Park led to the general conclusion that the 1983 version is faithful but plodding, the 1999 version is lively but inaccurate, and the 2007 version is awful, largely because Billie Piper plays Fanny—with that hair.
Time prevented the group’s anatomizing the novel’s commentary on religion and the role of slavery in Antigua—a subject for a later session. (Don’t miss September’s meeting!)
Alas, Erin Handly’s last session as facilitator is November, as she’ll be relocating at year-end. The members all appreciate her facilitating our discussions and will sing her praises fully in November. (And for those who mentioned on the survey that they were interested in facilitating the book club, we’ll will in touch!)
November’s book will be a fan-fiction novel, Wit and Prattles, by Nancy Martin-Young, which explores the Palmers’ relationship in Sense and Sensibility. The book is available at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh and through many sites online.
