Ways of Seeing:
It is a love story, Fanny and Edmund overcoming obstacles of family, other attachments and demonic temptations before finding love and marriage in a rectory; it is a satire on Regency England, holding the inconstancy and playfulness of London, as represented by the Crawfords, up to ridicule; it is a plea for peace, a deeply conservative attack on the vigour of the 'improvers'; it is a tale of a social climber, Fanny, who coats her own desires in the language of piety; or perhaps it is even a sustained attack on poor parenting.
Characters:
Fanny |
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a pious, good-natured girl who suffers everything without a murmur |
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is the living, breathing representative of Mansfield Park - orderly and righteous |
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unbearably self-righteous killjoy |
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is an insipid character with no spark or imagination |
Edmund |
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an exceptionally strong sense of duty |
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considerate and kind, especially in his care of Fanny |
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dull, dull, dull - and with no apparent sense of humour |
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falls for Mary, who is clearly very wrong for him |
Mary |
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clever and witty, with sparkling conversation |
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full of life and energy |
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a corrupted representative of London licentiousness |
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as shallow as a paddling pool |
Henry |
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charming and witty, with a way of making everyone love him |
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falls for Fanny - and is improved by his courtship of her |
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fundamentally amoral |
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represents all that is dangerous in the world of that time |
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is a dedicated 'improver' |
Maria and Julia |
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foolish young women who are easily seduced |
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uncaring towards Fanny |
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selfish and with no sense of duty - either moral or familial |
Sir Thomas |
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upright and moral man who wants the best for his family |
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allows his daughters and his eldest son to become dissolute, with no sense of morality |
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far too distant from his children to understand them |
Mrs Norris |
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an odious, interfering busybody |
Major Areas of Study
Improvement... |
Love and Money... |
The Theatricals... |
Sotherton... |
Portsmouth... |
London versus Mansfield Park... |
Duty, duty, duty... |
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Sample Questions
In what ways does the trip to Sotherton prepare the reader for the dramatic events later in the novel?
To what extent might Fanny Price be described as a truly Christian heroine?
How are the Crawfords presented as dangers to the world of Mansfield Park?
Discuss the importance of the house at Mansfield Park in the novel.
In what ways is Fanny's stay in Portsmouth important to our understanding of the novel?