Mansfield Park

Mansfield Park is a novel by Jane Austen. Written between 1812 and 1814. Mansfield Park was written at Chawton Cottage, and published in July 1814 by the Mr. Egerton who had given to the world its two predecessors. When the novel reached a second edition, its publication was taken over by John Murray, who was also responsible for bringing out its successor, Emma. It is, perhaps, the most satirical of Austen's works.

Critical Appraisal

Mansfield Park is not amongst the most popular of Austen's works. Many modern readers find Fanny's timidity and disapproval of the theatricals difficult to sympathise with, and the idea (made explicit in the final chapter) that she is a better person for the relative privations of her childhood rather unpleasant. Other critics point out that she is a complex personality, perceptive yet given to wishful thinking, and that she shows courage and grows in self-esteem during the latter part of the story. The story contains much social satire, particularly at the expense of the two aunts. It is also perhaps the most socially realistic Austen novel, with Fanny's family of origin, the Prices, coming from a much lower echelon of society than most Austen characters, and the novel's suggestion that the wealth of the Bertrams is derived from slavery in the West Indies.

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The novel has been adapted for the screen twice: a 1983 TV mini-series directed by David Giles and starring Sylvestra Le Touzel as Fanny and Anna Massey as Mrs. Norris, and a 1999 film directed by Patricia Rozema and starring Frances O'Connor as Fanny and Jonny Lee Miller as Edmund (interestingly, he also featured in the 1983 version, playing one of Fanny's brothers).

Related Topics:
1999 - Patricia Rozema - Frances O'Connor - Jonny Lee Miller

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