Jane AUSTEN : Mansfield Park

Adopted into the household of her uncle, Sir Thomas Bertram, Fanny Price grows up a meek outsider among her cousins in the unaccustomed elegance of Mansfield Park. Soon after Sir Thomas absents himself on estate business in Antigua, Mary Crawford and her brother Henry arrive at Mansfield, bringing with them London glamour and the seductive taste for flirtation and theatre that precipitates a crisis.

It has been years since I first read this novel, in French, and I don't remember much what I thought about it at the time, except that if there hadn't been a TV adaptation (I own the BBC Jane Austen boxed set), I wouldn't remember it at all. Since I planned last year on reading and/or re-reading all of Jane Austen's works, Mansfield Park came in line (in English this time) and, as it is the general consensus, it is not my favourite novel by her - but it has its sparks.

This has been written in her mature years, while Sense and sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey had been written earlier (I'm to read Northanger Abbey next). And funnily enough, the whole story made me think of those writers of the Georgian period who had been favourites of Jane Austen's, Fanny Burney and Maria Edgeworth. Funnily enough, again, those two names appear in this book. I haven't read Maria Edgeworth (yet) but DNFed Evelina and Ann Radcliffe : young, defenceless, angelic, righteous and highly moral heroin dealing with a dreadful family. And who is Fanny ? A young, defenceless, angelic, highly moral heroin with a weak constitution and a dreadful family.

First, I'll start with defending Fanny from one thing she has been accused of : not having enough backbone. She's very young when she comes into the Bertram family, her original family background is not the best, in her new family she has a precarious part, that of the poor parent - above the servants, below the other children. She is treated more like a servant, by the way, and doesn't feel any love and consideration except from her cousin Edmund. She has been accused of not defending herself, but how could she ? What would happen to her if she did ? I don't see how she could talk back to anyone or stand up for herself. That said, I didn't like Fanny very much. She was so moral and righteous that she looked like one of those clichéd heroins, pure and above reproach and therefore less human and likeable. However, she did show a backbone by refusing to marry Henry Crawford. Repeatedly. Even when Sir Thomas climbs up the stairs that lead to her east room, when she's almost shivering and the sound, she stands up to him to refuse Henry. She never wavers yet she's under a good deal of pressure ! Good for her.

To be honest, I didn't like many characters in there. Edmund ? Bland and boring. Him and Fanny married ? I can almost imagine them old before their time, a clock ticking in the silent room, them covered in spider webs. Julia and Maria ? Superficial. Mr Rushworth is so stupid he's funny ! Sir Thomas is a good person but is so severe he frightens people off. Mary and Henry Crawford are more interesting, more complex. They are not unfeeling and whatever happens with their (bad) decisions is blamed mostly on their education. They are interestingly more complex characters, even if in my opinion, Henry Crawford would be now labelled a stalker. They are more interesting than the others, they are trouble bringers, brilliant, selfish, shiny people not adapted to a quiet country living. Oh, not true, I liked at least one character : Susan, Fanny's little sister, she springs to life from the page, even if we don't get to see her long.

But my real, real favourites, those that gave 3.5 stars to this novel, were Lady Bertram and Mrs Norris. They were hilarious ! Mrs Norris especially, the control freak. Her reaction when she learns that Sir Thomas has organised a ball without consulting her :

"Mrs. Norris had not another word to say. She saw decision in his looks, and her surprise and vexation required some minutes silence to be settled into composure. A ball at such a time ! His daughter absent and herself not consulted ! There was comfort, however, soon at hand. She must be the doer of every thing ; Lady Bertram woud of course be spared all thought and exertion, and it would all fall upon her. She should have to do the honours of the evening, and this reflection quickly restored so much of her good humour as enabled her to join in with the others, before their happiness and thanks were all expressed."

Mrs Norris is at the origin of Fanny coming up to Mansfield Park, but just criticizes her all the time and keeps repeating how grateful she should be of being there. Mrs Norris's highest preoccupation in life is to rule everything and to save money in any possible way. The only time I felt Fanny and William to be more human was when they were horror-struck at the idea of travelling alone with her for several hours ! Mrs Norris I would be tempted to kill in real life. As a character, she's priceless, a wonderful though irritating comic relief.

And Lady Bertram ! Who almost seems to just exist quietly (and comfortably), hovering in the background, dozing on her sofa with her precious pug, sending Fanny on errands, and whose heart "almost fluttered" when her husband comes back after several months abroad - that made me laugh so much ! I'm trying to remember if I ever saw her standing up, not seated or lying on the sofa... Not sure.

As a conclusion : this will probably be my least favourite novel by Jane Austen. I still have to re-read Emma, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, but I'm pretty sure of the result. The heroin is different here, she is ill fitted to our XXIst century standards. However, there were interesting second characters, the Crawfords and, of course, Lady Bertram and the awfully funny Mrs Norris. I'll probably read it again, to see if my opinion changes, but not in the near future.