Mansfield Park

“We […] must prepare ourselves for gross ignorance, some meanness of opinions, and very distressing vulgarity of manner; but these are not incurable faults—nor, I trust, can they be dangerous for her associates. Had my daughters been younger than herself, I should have considered the introduction of such a companion as a matter of very serious moment; but as it is, I hope there can be nothing to fear for them, and every thing to hope for her, from the association.”

Here, Sir Thomas reveals his prejudice as he expresses his low expectations of his working-class niece, Fanny. Austen employs considerable irony, as Sir Thomas’s assumptions about Fanny’s coarse character are wildly inaccurate. His belief that his daughters will be a good influence on his niece demonstrates how little he knows Maria and Julia.

“But he recommended the books which charmed her leisure hours, he encouraged her taste, and corrected her judgment; he made reading useful by talking to her of what she read, and heightened its attraction by judicious praise.”

Edmund’s role as Fanny’s educator and mentor is described here. Edmund is instrumental in shaping Fanny’s intellect and values in her first years at Mansfield Park. However, as the narrative progresses, Fanny’s moral judgment surpasses that of her older cousin.

“I would have everybody marry if they can do it properly: I do not like to have people throw themselves away; but everybody should marry as soon as they can do it to advantage.”

Here, Mrs. Grant expresses her enthusiasm for matchmaking, underlining the novel’s theme of Love, Money, and Marriage. Throughout the text, Austen explores precisely what it means to marry to one’s “advantage,” weighing up the relative importance of love, economic considerations, and compatibility of values.

“Edmund was sorry to hear Miss Crawford, whom he was much disposed to admire, speak so freely of her uncle. It did not suit his sense of propriety, and he was silenced, till induced by further smiles and liveliness, to put the matter by for the present.”

This is one of many moments in the novel when Edmund is conflicted by his attraction to Mary Crawford and his principles. Edmund is shocked by Mary’s public criticism of her uncle at a dinner party, believing it shows a lack of decorum and gratitude. However, the strength of Mary’s charm soon persuades him to overlook the matter. The passage illustrates the ongoing conflict between Virtue and Vice in the narrative, which is perhaps most complicated in Edmund, as he was previously a representation of moral fortitude, like Fanny.

“I shall understand all your ways in time; but coming down with the true London maxim, that every thing is to be got with money, I was a little embarrassed at first by the sturdy independence of your country customs.”

Here, Mary expresses her astonishment that she could not hire a local horse and cart to transport her harp to the parsonage. Her remarks underline the theme of Stability Versus Change as her individualistic London values conflict with rural life's traditional and seasonal demands.

“Selfishness must always be forgiven, you know, because there is no hope of a cure.”

Mary’s comment to Fanny is made after she thoughtlessly borrows her horse for the day. The observation encapsulates Mary’s wit and unapologetic amorality. It also foreshadows the narrative’s ultimate trajectory, as neither Edmund nor Fanny’s virtues can “cure” the Crawfords of their vices.

“We do not look in great cities for our best morality.”

Austen explores the theme of Stability Versus Change as Edmund unfavorably compares the modern values of London with those of the countryside. He suggests that Mary’s negative view of the clergy is due to her experience with London clerics who do not take their roles and responsibilities as seriously.

“And for the world you would not get out without the key and without Mr. Rushworth’s authority and protection, or I think you might with little difficulty pass round the edge of the gate, here, with my assistance; I think it might be done, if you really wished to be more at large, and could allow yourself to think it not prohibited.”

In this passage, Henry refers to the locked gate in the grounds of Mr. Rushworth’s estate, Sotherton. The locked gate symbolizes Maria’s belief that her engagement is an unwelcome obstacle to her relationship with Henry. Henry’s speech is charged with innuendo, as he implies that he can help Maria circumvent marriage’s moral boundaries. The incident foreshadows the couple’s later adultery.

“I really believe […] I could be fool enough at this moment to undertake any character that was ever written, from Shylock or Richard III down to the singing hero of a farce in his scarlet coat and cocked hat. I feel as if I could be any thing or every thing.”

Henry’s confidence that he can play any role well reflects the essential instability of his character. Life is a constant performance to Henry, as he takes on different personas according to his audience. This passage highlights Henry’s key characteristics as a classic rake.

“Fanny looked on and listened, not unamused to observe the selfishness which, more or less disguised, seemed to govern them all, and wondering how it would end.”

The amateur theatrics are one of several incidents where Fanny remains Mansfield Park's sole guardian of propriety and moral principles. Austen highlights how her role as the lone voice of conscience often leaves her an isolated observer of events.

“She had no anxieties for any body to cloud her pleasure; her own time had been irreproachably spent during his absence; she had done a great deal of carpet work and made many yards of fringe; and she would have answered as freely for the good conduct and useful pursuits of all the young people as for her own.”

Lady Bertram’s character traits are encapsulated in her complacency on Sir Thomas’s return from Antigua. Her parental negligence and lack of involvement in the household's activities mean she is oblivious to the upheaval caused by the theatrics.

“In all important preparations of the mind she was complete; being prepared for matrimony by a hatred of home, restraint, and tranquility; by the misery of disappointed affection, and contempt of the man she was to marry.”

This passage captures the witty and often cynical tone of Austen’s third-person narrator. Referring to the central theme of marriage, the narrator suggests Maria’s married life is doomed. Despite detesting Mr. Rushworth, she goes through with the ceremony, motivated by unrequited feelings for another man and desperation to escape her father’s authority.

“A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of.”

Mary’s cynical observation expresses her materialistic view of marriage. However, she goes on to contradict her own advice when she abandons her plan to marry Tom Bertram and falls in love with his younger, less wealthy brother. Austen explores the fine balance between marrying for love or money throughout the novel.

“There, I will stake my last like a woman of spirit. No cold prudence for me. I am not born to sit still and do nothing. If I lose the game, it shall not be from not striving for it.”

Austen uses the card game Speculation to symbolize her characters’ different approaches to life. Mary is an aggressive and highly competitive player, taking reckless risks in her determination to win the game. Meanwhile, Fanny is reserved and unwilling to take unnecessary risks.

“What was tranquility and comfort to Fanny was tediousness and vexation to Mary. Something arose from difference of disposition and habit—one so easily satisfied, the other so unused to endure.”

Fanny and Mary are foils in the novel, and this passage emphasizes their contrasting traits. Fanny values stillness, serenity, and calm. Meanwhile, Mary is restless, active, and easily bored.

“Sir Thomas, indeed, was, by this time, not very far from classing Mrs. Norris as one of those well-meaning people who are always doing mistaken and very disagreeable things.”

Mrs. Norris’s character plays an insidious role at Mansfield Park. While appearing charitable and useful to the Bertram family, she encourages Maria’s vanity and persecutes Fanny. Gradually, Sir Thomas realizes that he has allowed Mrs. Norris too much power, and she has contributed to the moral decline of the household.

“I think it ought not to be set down as certain that a man must be acceptable to every woman he may happen to like himself.”

Although Fanny is a timid character, her moral courage is tested when she displeases Sir Thomas by declining Henry’s marriage proposal. Fanny’s decision flies in the face of the societal notion that women are duty-bound to accept an economically advantageous marriage. Her argument that a woman should be permitted to follow her preferences is surprisingly subversive.

“As for any society in Portsmouth, that could at all make amends for deficiencies at home, there were none within the circle of her father's and mother's acquaintance to afford her the smallest satisfaction: she saw nobody in whose favour she could wish to overcome her own shyness and reserve. The men appeared to her all coarse, the women all pert, everybody underbred; and she gave as little contentment as she received from introductions either to old or new acquaintance.”

Fanny thinks of Portsmouth affectionately while she lives at Mansfield Park. However, when Sir Thomas sends her to stay with her family, she realizes Mansfield Park has become a spiritual home. Fanny is in social limbo, as she has become too refined to be comfortable with her family but has been cast out of Mansfield Park. The dilemma brings her dangerously close to accepting Henry’s marriage proposal.

“It often grieved her to the heart—to think of the contrast between them—to think that where nature had made so little difference, circumstances should have made so much, and that her mother, as handsome as Lady Bertram, and some years her junior, should have an appearance so much more worn and faded, so comfortless, so slatternly, so shabby.”

Here, Fanny reflects on the similarities between her mother and Lady Bertram and their contrasting fates. Her observations emphasize that, in 19th-century England, marriage provided the only opportunity for a woman to alter her social status—for better or worse. The passage highlights the complex dynamic between Love, Money, and Marriage.

“We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be.”

Fanny’s advice to Henry illustrates Austen’s theme of Virtue and Vice. Fanny is the unfailingly accurate moral compass of the novel, while other characters lack principles or, like Edmund, occasionally ignore their consciences. Fanny naively believes that Henry’s conscience will guide him back to his duties as a landlord in Norfolk. However, his lack of moral integrity leads him to stay in London, where he commits adultery with Maria.

“He had meant them to be good, but his cares had been directed to the understanding and manners, not the disposition; and of the necessity of self-denial and humility, he feared they had never heard from any lips that could profit them.”

When Maria and Julia’s affair and elopement are revealed, Sir Thomas experiences an epiphany. He realizes that his daughters have learned social etiquette and accomplishments but have not been educated in the moral principles that should accompany them. To halt the decline of his household, he must confront his own parental negligence.

“I purposely abstain from dates on this occasion, that every one may be at liberty to fix their own […] —I only intreat every body to believe that exactly at the time when it was quite natural that it be so, and not a week earlier, Edmund did cease to care about Miss Crawford, and became as anxious to marry Fanny, as Fanny herself could desire.”

Toward the end of the novel, Austen disrupts the narrative's realism with this authorial intrusion. The author draws attention to the fictional nature of the story by urging readers to imagine Edmund falling in love with Fanny according to their expectations. The technique suggests a desire to avoid the cliches that often characterize the happy endings of romantic fiction.

“She was of course only too good for him; but as nobody minds having what is too good for them, he was very steadily earnest in the pursuit of the blessing.”

Here, the narrator drily points out Edmund’s good fortune in marrying Fanny. The observation emphasizes Fanny’s narrative arc as she progresses from being her cousin’s devoted pupil to being more than his equal.