In this episode, we finish up reading Mansfield Park, with Chapters 46 to 48. We talk about contrasts within the book, the attitude to Maria and Henry, Edmund and Fanny’s views of Mary, Sir Thomas’s reflections in the final chapter, the wrapping up of the other characters and how we are told about Edmund falling in love with Fanny.
We discuss Fanny Price, then Ellen talks about principle and education, and Harriet looks at how adaptations and modernisations treat these chapters.
Things we mention:
General and character discussion:
- Margaret Drabble, “Introduction”, Mansfield Park (1996 – Signet Classics edition)
- Anthony Powell, Casanova’s Chinese Restaurant [volume 5 of A Dance to the Music of Time] (1960)
- William Shakespeare, Henry IV Parts 1 and 2
- Sheila Kaye-Smith and G.B. Stern, Talking of Jane Austen (1943) and More Talk of Jane Austen (1950)
- Tony Tanner, various works including “Introduction”, Mansfield Park (1966 – Penguin Books edition)
- Marvin Mudrick, Jane Austen; irony as defense and discovery (1952)
- Mary Brunton, Self-Control (1810)
- Linda V Troost and Sayre N Greenfield, “A History of the Fanny Wars”, Persuasions 36 (1), 2014, pp. 15–33.
- D W Harding, ‘Regulated Hatred: An aspect of the work of Jane Austen’, Scrutiny, 8 (4), 1940, pp. 346–362.
- C S Lewis, ‘A Note on Jane Austen’, Essays in Criticism, IV (4), October 1954, pp. 359–371.
- Lionel Trilling, “Mansfield Park“, Partisan Review 21 (September-October 1954): 492-511. Also published in Encounter, September 1954: 9-19.
- Kingsley Amis, “What Became of Jane Austen?”, The Spectator, 4 October 1957 – republished in What Became of Jane Austen? And Other Questions (1970)
Historical discussion:
- Maria Edgeworth, Moral Tales: Angelina; Or L’amie Inconnue. the Good French Governess. Mademoiselle Panache. the Knapsack (1801)
Popular culture discussion:
- Adaptations:
- BBC, Mansfield Park (1983) – starring Sylvestra Le Touzel and Nicholas Farrell (6 episodes)
- Miramax, Mansfield Park (1999) – starring Frances O’Connor and Jonny Lee Miller
- ITV, Mansfield Park (2007) – starring Billie Piper and Blake Ritson
- Modernisations:
- YouTube, Foot in the Door Theatre, From Mansfield With Love (2014-2015)
- D.E. Stevenson, Celia’s House (1943)
Creative commons music used:
- Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 12 in F Major, ii. Adagio.
- Extract from Joseph Haydn, Piano Sonata No. 38. Performance by Ivan Ilić, recorded in Manchester in December, 2006. File originally from IMSLP.
- Extract from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sonata No. 13 in B-Flat Major, iii. Allegretto Grazioso. File originally from Musopen.
- Extract from George Frideric Handel, Suite I, No. 2 in F Major, ii. Allegro. File originally from Musopen.
- Extract from Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 28 in A major. File originally from Musopen.
Thank you for all your hard work. I love listening to you both chat about Jane Austen’s works. I have to disagree with you about Fanny though! Upon my first reading and subsequently too, I feel she has been horrible abused verbally and emotionally as she is raised, and she’s even deprived unnecessarily (no fire) which is cruel. Considering these things, she grows feeling unworthy and there’s no wonder she wants to be good and prove that she worth more than even she believes herself to be. However, my opinions won’t surprise you I’m sure, considering the many decades of conflict out there already on the subject. Thank you again, can’t wait for Emma, whose character I dislike and everyone else seems to love!!
An absolute delight from beginning to end. Thank you so much for this series. Mansfield Park is my favorite (well, tied with Pride and Prejudice), and you discussed so many interesting aspects and introduced so many new ideas. Thanks for introducing me to the From Mansfield With Love web series, which I’d somehow missed — as you say, it’s even better than one or two of the true period adaptations, and shows so much deep appreciation of the novel. I even *tried* Charlotte Yonge (got through enough chapters of Heartsease to identify the Lady Stornaway character, at least). Enjoy your break, and I guess I’ll be re-reading Emma — I, too, admire its brilliance in the abstract while actually taking it down from the shelf less often than the others. I trust you two will explain why that is!