I really am. She's a sweet girl and all.
If you have seen the movie of Mansfield Park, but haven't read the book, you probably have the wrong impression of her. In the movie, they combine Fanny with Austen herself. All of those scenes of her writing away are from Austen's early stories. "Run mad as often as you choose, but do not faint," is from Love and Friendship, not Mansfield Park.
In the book, Fanny is very good, and little else. Austen's own mother found her insipid. I have to disagree with that. She grows into her own as her family pushes her to marry Crawford. She finds her backbone.
And upon rereading it, the thing about Mansfield Park that prejudices me against it( other than the whole cousin marrying thing, which really creeped me out when I read it at a family reunion once), is all the other characters. EVERYONE, except Fanny, is incredibly selfish and inconsiderate, especially to our heroine. This isn't uncommon in Austen's novels, but there is usually at least one redeeming relationship.
Take Sense and Sensibility. Poor Elinor. Everything is always dumped on her plate while her mother and sisters react emotionally. And yet, they at least care for her, respect her, and realize to some degree how much they owe her. And throughout the book, though Edward has to hide the depth of his admiration, he sees who she really is and loves her for it.
Then there's my favorite Austen novel, Persuasion. Anne's entire family takes advantage of her, but through it all Lady Russell respects Anne's opinion and loves her as a daughter. And even when Captain Wentworth returns, resenting their previous break, he isn't exactly uncivil to her.
But no one, I repeat no one, respects little Fanny. What about Edmund, you may ask? Well, the moment his care and respect of Fanny is put to the test when he meets Mary Crawford, it is always Fanny he slights. He finally realizes how inconsiderate he is being about giving her horse to Mary to ride. But it isn't too many pages later that we find her abandoning her in the garden at Rushworth's to spend an extra hour with Mary. Perhaps it is because these kinds of slights, the thoughtlessness of people who intend to do good, but somehow kind of forget to, or the kinds that the wound me the deepest that I find it hard to forgive in Edmund.
And what our Mary's charms? She's pretty. He keeps justifying over and over to himself that she speaks evil but does not think it. He explains that her character has been corrupted by education. But where is the evidence of this? She isn't as rude as his sisters to Fanny. Not exactly a shining character of virtue.
Mansfield Park is essentially an exploration of nature versus nurture. Edmund brings up the topic repeatedly in regards to Miss Crawford. And of course, then there's Fanny herself. In many ways, Edmund raised her (again, the cousin marrying thing is a bit weird). It says over and over that he "shaped her opinions." Those are the opinions he seems to respect, his own opinions parroted back to him in a feminine form. Because when she disagrees with him, he quickly brushes away her ideas. He's no better than the others, pushing her down.
And through all of this, Fanny remains good. She does find her backbone. I could love her for that. So, I think the thing that baffles me is why she falls in love with Edmund, except for the fact that he is the only character who isn't awful to her.
Well, I'm not done with my rereading. I'll keep giving her another chance. Though Edmund, you're on notice.
If you have seen the movie of Mansfield Park, but haven't read the book, you probably have the wrong impression of her. In the movie, they combine Fanny with Austen herself. All of those scenes of her writing away are from Austen's early stories. "Run mad as often as you choose, but do not faint," is from Love and Friendship, not Mansfield Park.
In the book, Fanny is very good, and little else. Austen's own mother found her insipid. I have to disagree with that. She grows into her own as her family pushes her to marry Crawford. She finds her backbone.
And upon rereading it, the thing about Mansfield Park that prejudices me against it( other than the whole cousin marrying thing, which really creeped me out when I read it at a family reunion once), is all the other characters. EVERYONE, except Fanny, is incredibly selfish and inconsiderate, especially to our heroine. This isn't uncommon in Austen's novels, but there is usually at least one redeeming relationship.
Take Sense and Sensibility. Poor Elinor. Everything is always dumped on her plate while her mother and sisters react emotionally. And yet, they at least care for her, respect her, and realize to some degree how much they owe her. And throughout the book, though Edward has to hide the depth of his admiration, he sees who she really is and loves her for it.
Then there's my favorite Austen novel, Persuasion. Anne's entire family takes advantage of her, but through it all Lady Russell respects Anne's opinion and loves her as a daughter. And even when Captain Wentworth returns, resenting their previous break, he isn't exactly uncivil to her.
But no one, I repeat no one, respects little Fanny. What about Edmund, you may ask? Well, the moment his care and respect of Fanny is put to the test when he meets Mary Crawford, it is always Fanny he slights. He finally realizes how inconsiderate he is being about giving her horse to Mary to ride. But it isn't too many pages later that we find her abandoning her in the garden at Rushworth's to spend an extra hour with Mary. Perhaps it is because these kinds of slights, the thoughtlessness of people who intend to do good, but somehow kind of forget to, or the kinds that the wound me the deepest that I find it hard to forgive in Edmund.
And what our Mary's charms? She's pretty. He keeps justifying over and over to himself that she speaks evil but does not think it. He explains that her character has been corrupted by education. But where is the evidence of this? She isn't as rude as his sisters to Fanny. Not exactly a shining character of virtue.
Mansfield Park is essentially an exploration of nature versus nurture. Edmund brings up the topic repeatedly in regards to Miss Crawford. And of course, then there's Fanny herself. In many ways, Edmund raised her (again, the cousin marrying thing is a bit weird). It says over and over that he "shaped her opinions." Those are the opinions he seems to respect, his own opinions parroted back to him in a feminine form. Because when she disagrees with him, he quickly brushes away her ideas. He's no better than the others, pushing her down.
And through all of this, Fanny remains good. She does find her backbone. I could love her for that. So, I think the thing that baffles me is why she falls in love with Edmund, except for the fact that he is the only character who isn't awful to her.
Well, I'm not done with my rereading. I'll keep giving her another chance. Though Edmund, you're on notice.
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