Customer Reviews

Penguin Classics Mansfield Park

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Even the best authors in the world sometimes put out something that... well, isn't up to their usual standards. For Jane Austen, that book was "Mansfield Park" -- her prose is typically excellent, and she weaves a memorable story about a poor young lady in the middle of a wealthy, dysfunctional family. But put bluntly, Fanny Price lacks the depth and complexity of Austen's other heroines.

As a young girl, Fanny Price was sent from her poor family to live with her wealth relatives, the Bertrams, and was raised along with her four cousins Tom, Edmund, Maria and Julia.

Despite being regarded only little better than a servant (especially by the fawning, cheap Mrs. Norris), Fanny is pretty happy -- especially since Edmund is kind and supportive of her at all times. But then the charming, fashionable Crawford sibilings arrive in the neighborhood, sparking off some love triangles (particularly between Maria and Henry Crawford, even though she's already engaged.

And the whole thing becomes even more confused when Henry becomes intrigued by Fanny's refusal to be charmed by him as the others are. But when she rejects his proposal, she ends up banished from her beloved Mansfield Park... right before a devastating scandal and a perilous illness strikes the Bertram family. Does Fanny still have a chance at love and the family she's always been with?

The biggest problem with "Mansfield Park" is Fanny Price -- even Austen's own mother didn't like her. She's a very flat, virtuously dull heroine for this story; unlike Austen's other heroines she doesn't have much personality growth or a personal flaw to overcome. And despite being the protagonist, Fanny seems more like a spectator on the outskirts of the plot until the second half (when she has a small but pivotal part to play in the story).

Fortunately she's the only real flaw in this book. Austen's stately, vivid prose is full of deliciously witty moments (Aunt Norris "consoled herself for the loss of her husband by considering that she could do very well without him"), some tastefully-handled scandal, and a delicate house-of-romantic-cards that comes crashing down to ruin people's lives (and improve others). And she inserts some pointed commentary on people who care more about society's opinions than on morality.

And the other characters in the book are pretty fascinating as well -- especially since Edmund, despite being a virtuous clergyman-in-training, is an intelligent and strong-willed man. The Bertrams are a rather dysfunctional family with a stern patriarch, a fluttery ethereal mother, a playboy heir and a couple of spoiled girls -- Maria in particular develops a crush on Henry, but doesn't bother to break off her engagement until it's too late. And the Crawfords are all flash and sparkle: a pair of charming, shallow people who are essentially hollow.

"Mansfield Park" suffers from a rather insipid heroine, but the rest of the book is vintage Austen -- lies, romance, scandal and a dance of manners and society.

For Mansfield Park you will need a lot of patience to get through the book, as few parts are slow, but then the book picks up. Overall, this book is a good read.

After having read (and loved) Jane Austen's more famous novels EMMA and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, I found MANSFIELD PARK a true delight despite its smaller feel. Fanny Price is taken in by her wealthy aunt and uncle as charity to her more lowly-married mother, and is raised with her cousins with the idea she needs refinement and education to become as good a woman as her lesser social standing will allow. Fanny is nervous and self-effacing, struggling with her new situation until her cousin Edmund makes her feel more at home. Gradually, she feels like a part of the family, although the nagging sense of unworthiness always asserts itself. As cousins marry and suitors appear, as scandals arise and emotions become known, Fanny finds herself in the equivalent of a Victorian soap opera.

Fanny is undoubtedly one of Austen's less assertive characters, although she does mature into a woman who knows what she wants and will accept no less. I loved Fanny and her honesty, the little girl who fears the stars in her eyes and still manages to grow up into a respectable - and respected - woman. Her complexities are subtle and understated, making the reader work at times to understand her motivation, although anyone who has felt like an outcast even once, or anyone who respects honesty, will identify with her. In true Austen fashion, the observations are witty, with pointed social analysis and cynicism dressed up in sly humor. Fanny's aunts in particular are skewered, but no one, not even Fanny, is spared.

Readers picking up this novel for the sheer delight of it will find it difficult to put down, as its language is accessible and free-flowing. Students and book club members who must pay closer attention to themes and other literary issues may want to consider the role social standing and money play; the evolution of Fanny's character (and whether she is sympathetic); the techniques Austen uses to evoke humor; and the courtship protocol for Victorian England and how the characters both work within, and violate, the social rules.

I highly recommend this book for teenagers and adults alike, especially those whose literary tastes run toward the classics.

In this somewhat atypical Jane Austen novel, Austen abandons her precise characterization and carefully constructed plots, usually designed to illustrate specific ethical and social dilemmas, and presents a much broader, more complex picture of early nineteenth century life. Though the polite behavior of the middle and upper classes is always a focus of Austen, and this novel is no exception, she is more analytical of society as a whole here, casting a critical eye on moral issues which allow the upper class to perpetuate itself. Fanny Price, the main character, is the daughter of a genteel woman who married for love but soon found herself in poverty. When Fanny's aunt and uncle, the wealthy owners of Mansfield Park, invite Fanny alone, of all the children, to live with them, Fanny enters a new world, where she is educated, clothed, and housed, but always regarded as an "outsider."

Through Fanny's two cousins, Maria and Julia, Austen shows the complex interactions of the upper class as they negotiate marriages, try to maintain the family's reputation and wealth, and react to those "beneath" them socially. Fanny, having experienced both poverty and plenty, comments on what she sees, and though she lacks the witty charm of some of Austen's other characters (such as Elizabeth Bennett), she shows an intelligence and conscience lacking among her cousins. Only Edmund, the youngest of the Bertram sons, pays genuine attention to her, and her love for him is real, though secret.

This is a darker novel than Austen's others, showing conflicts between late eighteenth century rationalism and the growing romanticism of the nineteenth century. Sir Thomas maintains his wealth through his expedient participation in the slave trade, a business that his sons Thomas and Edmund abhor. Often unfeeling toward his own family, Sir Thomas also shows cruelty toward Fanny when she rejects a marriage he has negotiated for her to a man she does not love. Cousin Maria chooses to marry Rushworth for his fortune, but she succumbs to her passion for someone else, and introduces a romantic, new sexuality into the novel. Unfortunately, Fanny, though sweet and reasonable, is also quiet and predictable, while Edmund, the only other potentially empathetic character, is naïve and often appears to be weak. Austen's light touch and quiet humor, which make her other novels vibrate with life and come to a satisfying ending, are less obvious here, and the abrupt conclusion leaves many questions unanswered. Mary Whipple

I've read that Mansfield Park was Jane Austen's favorite of her marvelous works. The heroine, Fanny Price, is virtually flawless. Fanny Price is not boring, even in a quiet country setting. The exciting circumstances around her keeps the novel flowing and her strength under pressure and integrity makes her likable. Austen also puts in the regular amusing characters as she does in all her novels (i.e. Mr. Collins, Miss Bates, Lucy Steele, etc.) In Mansfield Park, a thoughtless aunt and guardian, vain and competitive cousins, an indolent aunt, and so forth test the character's goodness. It is one of my favorite books.

While this isn't the greatest of Jane Austen's novels and is somewhat light on external action, it is certainly a fine example of characterization, by which I mean that the action takes place inside the heads of the main characters, especially Fanny Price, the heroine. Fanny is 10 years old when she comes to live with her mean-spirited relatives at Mansfield Park, and grows to womanhood in an environment full of condescension and personal challenge. Her story, and her resulting triumph over prejudice and emotional greed, was an inspiration to women when it was written, and continues to be so today.

If you are not familiar with Jane Austen's work, don't be put off by the comments of others. Start with one of her more well-known novels, such as Pride and Prejudice or Emma, and then work up to Mansfield Park after you've come to love Austen.

If you are one of those women who, like me, devoured Austen's more well-known novels and are now searching for the lesser known work, will enjoy Mansfield Park as well. I give it five stars just for the simple fact that it was written by Austen, arguably one of the greatest writers in the English language, male or female.

I found when reading this book the story strayed from it's main character, Fanny, and went on for several pages, and sometimes entire chapters, about points which are irrelevant to the story. I also found the writer using excessively long sentances, and drawing out passages which could have easily been put in many less words.
I also found that the story seemingly goes nowhere. There is little or no character change, and there really is no conflict in the story line.
So if you want a dro pdead boring story with no action whatsoever, read on, dear reader, read on.

I have read all of Austens books, excluding Persuasion, and I think that this was the worst of her novels. The main character was boring and a pushover if not unlikeable. However, that is not my reason for not liking it. I found it boring and last 3 chapters or so scandal breaks. Not only are the chapters leading up to these scandals dull but when they occur they happen to people who have been so far removed from the plot that one cannot sympathize with them. The movie was actually better than the book. A rare occurance and one I did not expect from the acclaimed Miss. Austen.

Mansfield Park got better as I read on...

The characterizations are typical of Jane Austen: alive, distinct and vivid. Sir Thomas Bertram as Fanny Price's father is vindicated especially when compared to Mr. Price (Mansfield vs. Portsmouth is a part of this distinction). Mrs. Norris's treatment of Fanny is deplorable; her move to the morally banckrupt permanently cements her personality. Fanny herself is not my ideal heroine. Her timidity and repression could use a good dose of Elizabeth Bennet's wit and Emma Woodhouse's confidence. Then again, she would not be Fanny anymore. ..

Mansfield Park might indeed be the crowning novel of Jane Austen's cannon; in which all of her authorial merits are present and paramount. Where Pride and Prejudice sparkles, Mansfield Park is solid gold. Pride and Prejudice can pass as a whimsy, an entertaining story, but Mansfield Park has pure heart. It ventures slightly deeper into the human condition and emerges slightly higher, ringing slightly truer than what is often considered to be Austen's most popular novel.

For reasons already mentioned, Pride and Prejudice is still my favorite of Austen's books, though Mansfield Park is right up there with it. It would be like comparing the two heroines of each novel; Elizabeth Bennet and Fanny Price. Elizabeth is witty and beautiful and idependent; Fanny is good and wholesome and always considerable of what is right. We, the readers, have more fun tailing after the sparkling Elizabeth, but we admire and advocate Fanny.

In short, Mansfield Park is arguably Jane Austen's best and definitely a must-read for Austen and Victorian fans. And although the cousin-love thing is slightly unnerving to our modern sensibilities, Edmund's final confession can't be rivaled by either Darcy's or Knightly's at all.