What up, chapter five?
…yes, five. I know I said chapter ten, but isn’t five a nice stopping place? Also, because this is a place of honesty: I kept falling asleep. (Not Jane’s fault. Mine, for trying to read in bed. At night. In my jammies, while sleepy. And clutching a glass of warm milk.)
So…how’s it going, Mansfield folks? Is it too late to make a “Man’s field” joke here?
All narcolepsy aside, and with the understanding that things might go sour later—turns out an awful lot of you are not fans of Mansfield Park, so I’m sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop—I’m really enjoying it so far. Various and sundry thoughts:
– Fanny is…well, she’s no Elizabeth Bennet, or any other booty-kicking heroine, is she? But she’s not all bad: she likes pragmatism, horses, and her cute cousin, and what’s not to like about any of those things (besides the “cousin” part)? I keep wondering what Jane Eyre would think of Fanny. What’s the opposite of Jane Austen Fight Club? Jane Austen Slumber Party? Where they braid each other’s hair and talk about how they’re surrounded by drama queens (sorry, Rochester)?
– Does it make me a contrarian if I say I sort of wish Edmund would give it a rest? JEEZ. We get it. YOU’RE AWESOME.
– On the other hand, why don’t handsome men ever give ME horses?
– Jane’s little diatribe about who’s out and who’s not out—how it’s so hard to tell and nobody’s raising their daughters right these days—is…basically a blog post, right? It’s gotta be Jane working out the repercussions of some ultra-embarrassing moment. It also assures me that Jane would appreciate this site and our moments of occasional crankiness. Get off Jane’s lawn!
– Mrs. Norris cracks me up despite being Jane’s favorite lady-trope (see: Mrs. Bennet). I assume the connection between Fanny’s embarrassing aunt and Filch’s cat at Hogwarts is intentional.
– The Crawfords have just arrived on the scene, and I have to say: I’m intrigued. If Fanny’s a wimp and Edmund’s a goody-goody, who are these interesting and independent (and possibly evil) people? TIME WILL TELL.
If you’re reading along, how’s it going? If you’re not, what do you think?
austenacious 
Unfortunately I can’t read along with you – I’m studying English Lit at uni, so all my reading is related to my course – but you have basically summed up my feelings about Mansfield Park. I find both Fanny and Edmund incredibly annoying and the Crawfords much more engaging as characters because they’re not so unremittingly good all the time.
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Phew…there was no way I was going to get through 10 chapters. But I did read 5.
I keep waiting for my brain to accept Mrs. Norris as funny rather than just a self-centered bitch. But that hasn’t happened yet.
I’m trying to be open-minded, but so far I’m simply appalled at how horrible the Bertram family is. Mr. B tries, but then he gives in to everyone. Mrs. B is lazy and detached about everything and everyone except for her dog. Tom needs an intervention from Suze Orman. I’ll refrain from commenting about the daughters because we haven’t seen enough of them yet.
I’m trying to figure out why the family bothers me so much. After all, I love Persuasion, and her family is also a horror show. But perhaps Anne Eliot’s sensible nature is elevated that much more when you consider her family, whereas Fanny doesn’t really come off as much other than a timid girl.
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Miss Osborne, I venture to say that you will probably feel this way about the Bertrams and other characters for the remainder of the book. This is–no matter how many times I force myself to re-read it–consistently the book I like least of Jane’s.
I hate everyone in it pretty much impartially. Even taking into consideration poor Fanny’s situation of complete dependence and her blind devotion to her cousin, she’s very little more than a mouse in a field surrounded by hungry, vicious cats. Without having the self-preserving instincts of said mouse–or at least, without having the will to act on them.
Poor thing. That’s pretty much the kindest comment I can make on Fanny. She’s so beaten down. To compare her to another animal, she’s like the stray dog you (the figurative “you”) kick when nothing is going your way, and pat on the head when you’re having an okay day.
The Crawfords add a bit of spice to the book, but in the end, they’re no better than the Bertrams.
I apologize if any of this is spoiling the book for you!
I’ve always felt that Jane Austen was commenting as much on Fanny’s failings (and the treatment that produced them) as on the moral failings of everyone around her, Edmund included.
I always finish reading Mansfield with the feeling that it’s altogether a mean-spirited book. And then I read P&P again and forgive Jane.
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Stephani, it’s been a few years since I’ve read Mansfield Park, so some of the details are a bit foggy for me. But yes, I think you’re right…I’m unlikely to find that the Bertrams improve upon further acquaintance.
Now I’m curious to go back and rent the 1999 version of the movie. I remember liking it at the time (and I liked it better than the recent one on BBC w/Billie Piper–love her on Doctor Who, disliked her as Fanny Price). What I remember in that 1999 movie was them showing just how poor Fanny’s family was.
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I’ve been thinking about the differences between the Bertrams and the Elliots. My impression of the Elliots has always been that they’re totally self-absorbed, shallow, and only care about their own prestige. However, they’re relatively harmless. Sure, they might snub someone socially and pressure Anne to give up the person she loves–but I think that without Lady Russell’s added pressure, Anne may have defied them. Perhaps they’re only harmless because of Anne’s strength of character and will. She doesn’t bow to her family’s whims when she knows what’s right and what’s due to others.
Fanny doesn’t have that strength. She can’t. If she was born with it, it was stamped out of her by being raised in the Bertram family. The Elliots as a family are pretty horrible, but Anne has others in her life who do truly care for her and value her.
The Bertrams on the other hand are a different sort of horrible. They are also selfish and interested in their own prestige, but when the chips are down they’re also truly malicious (except Lady Bertram, who is just too lazy to be malicious). They are not harmless, and not just because Fanny is so weak. They go out of their way to remind Fanny of just how much she owes them and punish her when she finally does defy them. I think even Anne Elliot would have difficulty rising above this family. Even Edward is too weak-minded to really stand up for what’s right against his family–even in defence of Fanny, who he genuinely cares for. He’s no hero. And Fanny’s no heroine. She’s a victim who in the end gets lucky.
I always feel beaten myself when I finally get through Mansfield.
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I’m glad you only went through chapter 5, actually, because that’s about as far as I’ve gotten. Anyway, like you, Miss Ball, I’ve been pleasantly surprised so far. It’s a fairly easy read and I like Edmund well enough and I like Fanny well enough and I find Lady Bertram’s total lack of interest in everything really funny. But I’m also fairly sure things will go sour at some point, based on what other people say.
However, the whole conversation about who’s out and who isn’t was really hard to follow and I got bored and started skimming.
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I know I’m late, but I just finished chapter 6… The people in this book are horrible – they’re the people we’re afraid people are like when we’re little kids – mean, selfish, abusive & stupid! Though I can’t relate to most of the characters, I can appreciate Fanny & Edmund & chock all their stupid behavior up to a niave belief that everyone ought to do what they ought to do, simply because they ought to do it. I can appreciate the sense of decency they have & that they expect people to be good, even when they are clearly awful.
As for edmund’s severe lapse in judgement regarding Miss Crawford… Well, he is a man & she is pretty. Pretty girls bring out the most intelligent man’s STUPID! 😉
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