READY FOR TOMORROW'S MEETING?

Tomorrow is Manfield Park day for our reading group. Our meeting is at 5 p.m in the afternoon. I must confess - I have already written this somewhere, I think - I always fear one of our meeting might  turn out something like this ... (watch the video below)

What disappointment for the Vicar! But what fun for us watching them!

While I was  getting my notes and videos ready , suddenly something came to mind: I hadn't posted the answers to the questions!  So, here they are at last.

Answers to the questions posted here

I / I How many children do the Price family have, and what are theirnames and ages at the start of the novel's main narrative?

Mrs Price (poor woman) has ten successful pregnancies in all, and Mary dies, leaving nine surviving Price children. They are, in descending order: William, Fanny, John (offstage), Richard (offstage), Susan, Mary (deceased), Sam, Tom, Charles, and finally little Betsey. When the sisters, as recorded in the opening pages, renew contact, Mrs Price has eight children (Mary still being alive) and is expecting her ninth, Charles.  Fanny, going then to Mansfield Park and never revisiting her home, does not meet Charles and Betsey until she returns to Portsmouth years later.

1/2 How recently has Mrs Norris seen her sister, Mrs Price, at the time of the novel's main action? 

She says 'she had not seen her poor dear sister Price for more than twenty years'. Even after the reconciliation which was sealed with the dispatch of Fanny, and despite the fact that she is Betsey's godmother, she has not made the relatively short (thirty-six-hour by coach) trip to Portsmouth. Presumably, (wealthy) skinflint that she is, Mrs Norris begrudges the expense of travel and overnight accommodation at an inn. Nor has Mrs Price ever been received at Mansfield Park. Which raises the question: after Fanny marries Edmund, will she be invited?

1/3 What argument does Mrs Norris adduce for the safety of introducing a girl into the Bertram family—specifically with regard to the two young sons of the family?

'Breed her up with them . . . and suppose her even to have the beauty of an angel, and she will never be more to either than a sister.' Mary Crawford, much later, observes that Fanny does indeed have a look of Edmund sometimes—a brother-sister similarity of feature.

I/4 Where does Miss Lee teach her three charges (Maria, Julia,and—latterly—Fanny) and what happens to the school-room?

It is the East room: so chosen because it will get the early morning light—when lessons begin. Facing east, it will also be cold, which is why Mrs Norris's prohibition on a fire being lit there, after Fanny takes it over as her study on Miss Lee's departure, is so cruel.

1/5 Who does Mrs Norris declare can help Fanny dress herself?

Either of the housemaids (that is, not a personal attendant, but a skivvy whose normal work is room cleaning).

1/6 How much older are Julia and Maria than Fanny?

Two and three years, respectively. Tom (a Cambridge man—who evidently spent more time at the racecourse at Newmarket than in his classroom) is seven years older, and Edmund (whose absence at

Eton and Oxford is only summarily described) is a couple of years younger than Tom.

1/7 How often does Fanny see William in the nine years she spends at Mansfield Park, and how often other members of her family?

She sees William twice. On the second occasion, when she is 18, they return together to Portsmouth. She has seen no member of her family—even on the occasion of the death of a favourite sister, Mary—in the intervening years.

1/8 How much income does Mrs Norris have?

Six hundred pounds a year, and free tenancy in the estate's 'White House'. She is rich. Presumably her elderly husband was as frugal as she.

1/9 What advantageous physical attributes does Henry Crawford possess?

He has good teeth, a pleasing address, 'so much countenance', and is 'well made' (that is, he has an athletic figure). But he is said to be 'plain' and, as the lofty (but stupid) Mr Rushworth points out, is short in stature—ambiguously five foot eight or  nine inches. From which we may assume that Rushworth is a bulky six-footer.

 

I / IO What does Dr Grant think to be 'an insipid fruit at the best'?

Apricots, thus condemning Mrs Norris's boasts about her superior Moor Park tree.

 

I / I I Why has Mary Crawford never ridden a horse, before coming to Mansfield (and appropriating Fanny's steed)?

It is odd. One assumes that her life has been entirely metropolitan and that she has never even spent any time at Everingham. But riding is not a universal attainment among the women in Jane Austen's world (can Emma ride, or Elizabeth?).

1/12 Who sits alongside Henry on the 'barouche box' on the visit to Sotherton?
 'Happy Julia'. Maria seethes. It is, of course, Mrs Grant who has placed Julia there as the eligible sister, hoping, evidently, that a match might be made. Maria is spoken for.

1/13 What are the 'curious pheasants'?

Ornamental breeds, as opposed to the preserved birds which Mr Rushworth's keepers raise at Sotherton. The ornamental birds were for ladies, as decorative garden pets. The preserved pheasants, in the nearby woods and moors, were for gentlemen to shoot.

1/14 Why did Mrs Whitaker, the housekeeper at Sotherton, turn away two housemaids?

For wearing white gowns—a privilege reserved for the ladies of the house. Fanny, for example, has a

white gown at her first dinner party; as Edmund gallantly says on that occasion, 'A woman can never be too fine while she is all in white.' A woman, but not a maidservant.

1/15 What is Fanny Price's favourite reading?

Poetry, biography,and improving essays. Not, definitely not, fiction.

1/16 Who is driven from home by a green goose?

Henry and Mary. Their reverend brother-in-law takes offence (becomes violent, indeed) when served a bird which has not been hung long nough. Without refrigerators it is a complex thing to have a bird 'mature' enough for the table—particularly the table of the epicurean Revd Dr Grant. At least, being fifteen years older than his wife, and a glutton, he will dig his grave with his teeth in a few years.

1/17 Where did Tom Bertram meet the Honourable John Yates?

At Weymouth, playground of wastrels in Austen's fiction.

1/18 Who divulges to Sir Thomas that private theatricals were inprospect?

Lady Bertram, who has lazily not followed the rehearsals and knows scarcely more about it than her amazed

husband.

1/19 Who says, pathetically, 'Every body gets made but me?

William. Promoted in the naval service, he means. He is, thanks to Admiral Crawford, eventually 'made' a lieutenant, and his career takes off.

1/20 What does William bring Fanny from Sicily?

 A 'very pretty amber cross'. Mary, symbolically, gives her a 'chain' to go with it. As she does so, Mary has a look around her eyes that Fanny 'could not be satisfied with'. As the reader will understand, Miss Crawford is scheming to capture the young girl for her brother.

1/21 What vessel is William posted to, after his promotion to lieutenant?

'H.M. sloop Thrush*.

1/22 Who thinks the alphabet 'hergreatest enemy'?

Little Betsey.

1/23 When she says 'what a difference a vowel makes \ what vowel is Mary Crawford thinking of?

The Hon. Mr John Yates 'rants' in his performance as Baron Wildenhaim. But he has not the 'rents', or income, to claim Julia as his bride.

1/24 How much does Sir Thomas give Fanny on her departure for Portsmouth?

Ten pounds. She does not, as she might, give the money to her mother. Part of it she expends on a silver knife for Betsey, another part on membership of the Portsmouth circulating library.

 

1/25 Where does Tom have the accident which precipitates the fever which leads, eventually, to his moral regeneration?

At Newmarket, drunkenly we presume, after a day at the races.

(Screencaps from angelfish /spikesbint Live Journal)

Questions & Answers from

MAIN THEMES IN MANSFIELD PARK - ANY SUGGESTIONS?

I've been searching and reading to find ideas to animate our debate about Mansfield Park next Friday. I've got some themes and topics to propose. Few of them are the same you can find in Austen's other major novels but there are also new ones in this controversial novel.

Here are my proposals. I'd really appreciate if you had and suggested other threads for discussion.

Principles

While characters like Edmund and Fanny feel that morals are universal rules, and are right for everybody, others take a much more relative view of morals.

Many characters reflect on what is good and proper behaviour and what is  wrong, lax behaviour.

Language and communication

This miscommunication and lack of communication play a bigger role in Mansfield Park than good communication. Whether communicating verbally or non-verbally, characters are frequently misunderstood, fail to make themselves clear, and misunderstand others. (The role of letters)

Comedy

Mr Rushworth and Mrs. Norris . They are funny in their pomposity and their lack of intelligence but  their place in the plot is deadly serious. Rushworth represents the negative side of marrying for money; he is dreadful to know and completely incompatible with Maria.  Mrs. Norris is a deliberate caricature. Her hysterical insistence on preserving social distinctions is responsible for much of the mistreatment Fanny receives.

Passivity

One of the major divides in Mansfield Park is between action and passivity. Characters are largely defined by their active or their passive natures, and this division extends over into other contrasting traits: talkative characters versus silent ones, moving ones versus still ones, etc.

Marriage

Many of the marriages in this novel are based on money and social position.  Austen depicts many of her characters as caught up in either money or extremes of emotion.

For women in particular, marriage is an opportunity to rise up the social ladder. Lady Bertram, for example, becomes a wealthy woman through marriage, while her sister Mrs. Price ends up in poverty after marrying a sailor. As a result, when considering marriage, love often takes a backseat to more practical concerns. The ideal marriage, in this world, is one based on companionship. Despite their flaws, Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram truly seem to value each other's company. The ideal mate for someone like Fanny would be a man with whom she is intellectually and emotionally close without physical attraction playing too excessive a part. Edmund is perfect, since he is like a brother in his manner toward her but not actually her brother.

Love

Love is not logical, predictable, or even controllable. In Mansfield Park, characters constantly fall in love with people they'd rather not love. They fall for people who don't love them back, they try to love people whom they can't, and they try to fall out of love with people and fail. Love is very messy and very confusing here. It challenges characters' attitudes and preconceptions.

Family

What kind of role does family play in the development of an individual's character? Can a good person come from a bad family, or vice versa? Which is more important--someone's innate qualities, or the way they were raised? Are the characters that end up revealing some serious character flaws born that way, or is it a result of their parenting? In addition, most of the families we see aren't very happy ones. Blood may be thicker than water, but it isn't thicker than things like income or clashing personalities in this novel.

Slavery

Slavery in Mansfield Park is background, not foreground. The allusion to slavery used to suggest the fatuity and ignorance of each and every member of the younger generation at Mansfield Park. Fanny  would have liked to ask Sir Thomas a question about the issue  except everyone else is so bored to tears by any serious subject so she drops it.
There is not such emphasis on slavery in Mansfield Park. Rather the allusions to slavery are used emblematically to tell us things about the characters which are not necessarily to tied to any notion that a slaveowner is necessarily evil or corrupt or deeply wrong in his character or values. Far from the more simple interpretation that Sir Thomas is to be taken as corrupt because his wealth is based on slavery, Austen presents him as a complex real man in a real world; he is a serious person who works hard, and is weary and exhausted and has had severe caustic moral lessons dealing with the whole of his experience in Antigua .

Theatre
Jane Austen's inclusion of Lovers' Vows in Mansfield Park has engendered a debate about her attitude torward drama and stage performances. (Interesting essay:  Penelope Gay, Theatricals and Theatricality in Mansfield Park )

KEY TO THE GAME ON EDMUND BERTRAM'S TIMELINE (see previous post)
 
1. O   2. P   3. E    4. S    5. B   6. Q   7. A   8. G  9. C  10. M  11. F  12. D   13. J   14. H  15. N 16. I   17. L  18. R   19. K

THIS MONTH'S HERO - EDMUND BERTRAM

I found this interesting comparison in an analysis of Edmund Bertram's character on line: Edmund has a lot of things in common with a Greek guy named Pygmalion. In the myth, Pygmalion was a sculptor who made a piece representing his ideal woman and then fell in love with her. In a sense, Edmund, too, created his own ideal woman – Fanny – and eventually chose her over the real, complicated, and imperfect Mary. Speaking to Fanny, Edmund notes, "I am glad you saw it all as I did." The narrator adds, "Having formed her mind and gained her affections, he had a good chance of her thinking like him" . I totally agree with it. What about you?

As Fanny is - in a moralistic outlook - the prototype of the model heroine, Edmund can be considered her male counterpart:

she is modest, generous, good-hearted and he is the moral conscience  of the book – he disapproves of the play, he lectures people, he becomes a clergyman, and he's often judgmental. Though, he has got a flaw (not in my opinion!) : his love for wordly Mary Crawford . In his relationship with Mary, he shows signs of changing . Edmund opens himself up to someone new and different , he is passionately in love with her, totally intrigued, and sincerely wants to marry her. But Edmund never fully seems to be willing or able to change himself in order to compromise with Mary. Rather, he expects her to do all the changing: "The issue of all depended on one question. Did she love him well enough to forego what had used to be essential points – did she love him well enough to make them no longer essential? "

In Mansfield Park we watch Edmund mostly through Fanny's eyes and we know she can't be objective.

What is puzzling is that we get very limited details about Edmund's relationship with the woman he eventually marries- he acts like an affectionate older brother to Fanny until the very end of the book, where the narrator gives us a brief account about how he fell in love with Fanny. Definitely unsatisfying to those who seek for romantic moments in Austen ( there are still so many!). We know a lot about Fanny's love for Edmund, but we don't get much of the reverse at all.

 

Anyhow, we can say he is a romantic hero, at least, in Fanny's eyes. He seems to live two parallel lives: one in the reality of facts in his turbulent relationship with Mary, the other one in Fanny's mind and heart, where he is irreprehensible, affectionate, sensitive.

 

Edmund can be considered an improvement of the character of Edward Ferrars (Sense and Sensibility) as properly suggested in an interesting essay by Ellen Moody, a Lecturer in English at George Mason University, titled In Defense of Edmund Bertram.

 

 

Now a game to play with Edmund. I messed up the timeline of his life in the novel. Can you re-arrange it? (put the letters in the right order). The key in my next post!

 

a. Edmund opposes the play but decides to act in it in order to avoid inviting a stranger over.

b.He and Mary have a major debate about the clergy while visiting Mr. Rushworth's house

c. Edmund accepts blame for the play when his father returns home.

d. Edmund then leaves to take his orders in the church

e. He often speaks up for Fanny when his mom and Aunt Norris mistreat her.

f. Before Fanny attends her first ball, Edmund gives her a chain for her cross.

g. He has a part opposite Mary and the two have a love scene together that they rehearse with Fanny's help.

h. Edmund writes to Fanny in Portsmouth and updates her on his trip to London to see Mary
i. Edmund then cares for his brother Tom when Tom falls ill
j.When Edmund returns he tries to convince Fanny to marry Henry.
k.Later Edmund marries Fanny and the two move into the Parsonage at Mansfield.
l. He picks up Fanny and Susan from Portsmouth.
m. His relationship with Mary continues to progress.
n. He is still wavering about what to do about Mary.
o. Edmund is nice to his little cousin Fanny after she moves in.
p. As an adult, Edmund remains the responsible son and plans to be a clergyman
q. Edmund continues to waver back and forth on his feelings for Mary, due to their many differing      beliefs.
r. Edmund fills Fanny in on his break-up with Mary.
s.Edmund is intrigued by Mary Crawford and begins falling for her.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS. A TALE OF LESS PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by ALEXA ADAMS

"Love is in abundance at Longbourn "

Using Alexa Adams 's words … it is nothing less than a fabulous dream come true. Imagine the authoress as a witty fairy with a magic wand, that is her pen. Wish that all the characters in our beloved Pride and Prejudice have the most satisfying destiny and … here you have “First Impressions”. It is indeed a story of less pride and prejudice (as the subtitle annouces) and it is just that what makes the great difference.

In its extremely pleasant “what if “ scenario, the story develops so smoothly and charmingly that it is very difficult to stop and put the book down. From the first “what-if turn” everything goes a different way towards very enjoyable, amusing events. I found myself smiling during my break in the teachers’ room at school, waiting for my husband back from work in the car, queueing at the post office, and this especially because Austen’s witty style is authentically recreated.

In “Pride and Prejudice” Mr Darcy comments his first meeting with Miss Elizabeth Bennet with the words: ”She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me; I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men” . And you , of course, know what follows. Much pride and much prejudice prevented both from being immediately happy. But Darcy pronounces other words here:”Very well Bingley. If your partner would be so kind, I would be happy to make the acquaintance of her sister” This changes everything.

Do you believe in love at first sight? Alexa Adams does, so Darcy and Lizzie hit it off immediately dancing together at the Meryton Assembly. First step towards lots of surprises and marriages and unexpected matches. An example? Mary Bennet finds her perfect companion and gets married on the same day as Charles Bingley and her sister Jane. The latter get to their happiness unimpeded and Lydia is safe from the rascal in this story, Mr Whickham, while mischievous and envious Miss Caroline Bingley gets her comeuppance. Mr Collins, Mr & Mrs Bennet keep on the comedy aspect in the plot but lose some of their flaws. Lady Catherine & Ann De Bourgh are less snob and more humane. Ok, I’ll stop here. Maybe I’ve already said too much for someone who wants to read and enjoy this book. I’m sorry, but when I’m led by my enthusiasm I become rather talkative. Maybe too much.

Is there anything I didn’t like? Nothing indeed. But if I have to find something negative to highlight to sound more objective and honest, I might mention a scene: Mr Darcy and Mr Bennet together alone in the old man’s study. Mr Darcy dares speak to Elizabeth’s father about what he cannot accept in their family’s behaviour and suggests solutions. I don’t know why,  but I found the resulting immediate change in Mr Bennet’s personality not very convincing. But going on reading, I liked the new Mr Bennet so much that I forgot that scene. (ch. 11)

What, instead,  I liked very much is a scene involving Mr Collins. It's his proposal to his chosen future bride, one of the Bennets, but not Lizzie this time. Lovely scene!

I recommend this book to all of you loving Austen sequels and what-if stories based on her beloved novels. Alexa Adams's First Impressions will give you some very delightful moments to dream about .

To know more about Alexa Adams

• visit her at her site FIRST IMPRESSIONS 
• read her interview at Fly High!

If you want to buy her book click HERE

THIS MONTH'S HEROINE - FANNY PRICE

THE HEROINE  - FANNY PRICE

Fanny Price is absolutely unique among Jane Austen's heroines. First of all her social rank, her background. She doesn't come from the country gentry, she is saved from poverty and a doomed destiny by her rich relatives. She is the daughter of a drunken sailor and of a woman who married beneath her when she comes to live with her wealthy uncle and aunt, Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram. Her mother has to ... send her away, because she has a hard time striving to get a living for all her children . They take her in as an act of charity to her parents. She is mistreated and always reminded of her "place" as a charity ward.

 Modest, always proper, and, as she grows older, quite beautiful, she eventually comes to be an indispensable member of the family. Her being a model heroine makes her again different from the other protagonists  in Austen's major novels. They are not always prim and proper, they are not flawless and they are all livelier than Fanny, even sensible Elinor and good-hearted, patient Ann Elliot. Mind you, this is my opinion, or the impression I get reading this novel again this month. Someone has compared her to the passive, prudish heroine of Richardson's Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (Ornella De Zordo, "Il prezzo della virtù: la storia di Fanny Price e della sua perfezione" , The Price of Virtue, the History of Fanny Price and her Perfection). But Mansfield Park is not an easy reading and her heroine is again a means in the hands of her creator. Comedy is less direct in Mansfield Park and irony is subtler and more difficult to be caught. Anyhow, the female model embodied by the protagonist is the target of Austen's irony as well as those who, reading her story, might share and appreciate her values.

But what are her values? Fanny represents a moralistic-evangelical model in women's education, opposing her  aristocatic and sentimental cousins Mariah and Julia. She easily wins in the comparisons with her cousins but harder is for her to come forward if compared to clever, free and unprejudiced Mary Crawford. I have already borught about this point in my previous post about Mansfield Park. One of Fanny's limits, for instance, seems to be little spontaneous, condemned to play the part of the perfect young lady, incapable of expressing freely her thoughts and feelings and even of distinguishing between her real wishes and her sense of duty.

Finally, respect to her Elizabeth Bennet ,  Marianne Dashwood or Emma Woodhouse look  very rebellious and modern heroines.

Guess what? I hope I'll find someone among my mates at the reading club who will convince me I'm totally wrong with  poor Fanny and will help me to admire her a bit more. So far, hard task.

In the adaptation I've watched so far (1999 & 2007) Fanny is  more livelier and enterprising of the girl portrayed by Jane Austen. In the 1999 film Fanny (Frances O'Connor) is a writer and at the end of the movie Edmund ( Jonny Lee Miller ) tells her her novel is going to be published. In the 2007 ITV version Fanny has the naughty smile and provoking charm of Billie Piper and, as I've alredy stated several times,  I can't see Fanny in her acting.

This is all for today. I challenge you to a hard task. Would you please try to convince me I'm totally wrong about Fanny? Partially wrong can be enough, so that I can go on re-reading her story with a different perspective.  I hope I have time to discuss here the many important  themes and features in Mansfield Park before April 30th, because there are many and very serious. This novel is really challenging and interesting to one fond of literary texts like me, so don't worry I am enjoying the experience of going through it again. If I haven't got time, I'll write about them in my journal of the next meeting.
Now, I'll leave you with a  quiz with self correction about Mansfield Park. If you want to try it, CLICK HERE. What was your score at it?

THIS MONTH'S BOOK - MANSFIELD PARK

Let's start working and re- reading Jane Austen 's MANSFIELD PARK. Our next meeting is at the end of April, on Friday this time.

Mansfield Park is the first of Jane Austen's three later novels, written after a fallow period of some six years. It can plausibly be taken as the first product of her full artistic power. She probably began writing it around 1811-12 and finished in 1813. It was offered to the publisher Egerton in that year and published in May 1814, in three volumes. A second edition was published by John Murray, in 1816.

WARM UP ACTIVITY

 THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB (2007)

Plot summary : Sylvia's husband dumps her for another woman, so Bernadette and Jocelyn organize a book club to distract her. They recruit Sylvia's daughter Allegra; Prudie, a young teacher whose marriage may be on the rocks; and Grigg, a sci-fi fan who joins out of attraction to Jocelyn. The six read and discuss one Austen novel per month. Jocelyn tries to interest Grigg in Sylvia; Allegra falls in love with a woman she meets skydiving; Prudie contemplates an affair with a student; Sylvia's ex keeps popping up. In the discussions, characters reveal themselves in their comments.
In the following scene Prudie , the French teacher , and Trey, a student at her school, discuss Jane Austen's MANSFIELD PARK in a rather unusual - and unprofessional - way...

  

As usual here are the questions to check your knowledge of the novel. The answers to the quizzes will be posted by April 30th, date of our fourth meeting.

I / I How many children do the Price family have, and what are their names and ages at the start of the novel's main narrative?

1/2 How recently has Mrs Norris seen her sister, Mrs Price, at the time of the novel's main action?

1/3 What argument does Mrs Norris adduce for the safety of introducing a girl into the Bertram family—specifically with regard to the two young sons of the family?

1/4 Where does Miss Lee teach her three charges (Maria, Julia,and—latterly—Fanny) and what happens to the school-room?

1/5 Who does Mrs Norris declare can help Fanny dress herself?

1/6 How much older are Julia and Maria than Fanny?

1/7 How often does Fanny see William in the nine years she spends at Mansfield Park, and how often other members of her family?

1/8 How much income does Mrs Norris have?

1/9 What advantageous physical attributes does Henry Crawford possess?

1/10 What does Dr Grant think to be 'an insipid fruit at the best'?

I / I I Why has Mary Crawford never ridden a horse, before coming to Mansfield (and appropriating Fanny's steed)?

1/12 Who sits alongside Henry on the 'barouche box' on the visit to Sotherton?

1/13 What are the 'curious pheasants'?

1/14 Why did Mrs Whitaker, the housekeeper at Sotherton, turn away two housemaids?

1/15 What is Fanny Price's favourite reading?

1/16 Who is driven from home by a green goose?

1/17 Where did Tom Bertram meet the Honourable John Yates?

1/18 Who divulges to Sir Thomas that private theatricals were in prospect?

1/19 Who says, pathetically, 'Every body gets made but me'?

1/20 What does William bring Fanny from Sicily?

1/21 What vessel is William posted to, after his promotion to lieutenant?

1/22 Who thinks the alphabet 'her greatest enemy'?

1/23 When she says 'what a difference a vowel makes', what vowel is Mary Crawford thinking of?

1/24 How much does Sir Thomas give Fanny on her departure for Portsmouth?

1/25 Where does Tom have the accident which precipitates the fever which leads, eventually, to his moral regeneration?

ENJOY YOUR READING OR RE-READING!

(Mansfield Park 1999)

(Mansfield Park 2007)

THEN IF YOU DON'T MIND SPOILERS HAVE A LOOK AT ONE OF MY OLD POSTS ON FLY HIGH! ABOUT MANSFIELD PARK. YOU'LL FIND ALSO VIDEOCLIPS FROM THE TWO MOST RECENT ADAPTATIONS OF THE NOVEL. CLICK HERE. 

Useful links
Mansfield Park at Austenprose
A reading of Mansfield Park  (Ellen Moody's analysis and comments chapter by chapter)