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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ก.ค. 2024
- In the fourth round of the Battle of the Austen Adaptations, we'll be looking at the various adaptations of Austen's hotly debated and consistently overlooked novel, Mansfield Park.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro & My Thoughts on the Novel
06:50 1983 Miniseries
09:55 1999 Film
13:11 2007 Film
16:14 Final Thoughts & Outro
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I find it a wonderful Austen irony that just like Edmund, most readers overlook Fanny in favor of the more flashy and entertaining Mary Crawford. It's an irony that really inspires self-reflection. Are we like Edmund too often? Do we undervalue discernment, steadiness, gentleness, and virtue? Do we indulge in frivolity, vanity, and social position at the expense of our relationships? And it's not just Edmund caught in this trap. Mariah is a very telling example. Love "Mansfield Park" as a real commentary on the rise, fall, and redemption of various relationships.
Facts!
Amen
Yes, thank you!
It's not because of Fanny that I hate this book, it's because of everyone else. No one else is remotely likeable, and they are completely illogical as well.
Why does married Maria allow herself to be manipulated into her own destruction? It makes no sense that a woman who would throw away happiness for money would then throw the money and respect and even basic dignity into something that couldn't bring her anything at all -- even if Henry had married her she would be ruined.
Every character in this novel is a one-dimensional moral tale, and they are so forced into making a statement that they don't hold up as people. They are placeholders.
I hate to say it, but it's just bad writing.
Oh absolutely. I never thought about it before. Loved Mansfield Park novel and the 1999 version...I must admit that if I were a man, though, I would have married Eleanor Tilney in Northanger Abbey in stead 😂😅
The only agency Fanny has is to say "no", which is why her moral stances come across as prudish. Were she a wealthy woman, she could be charitable, creative, or "interesting". That makes her a wonderful foil for her cousins: when it would be easy for them to choose good, they choose ill. When Fanny is pressured to choose ill, she chooses good, even though it's hard.
And that's what I appreciated about her: I came to this novel via the 1985 mini-series, which I watched with my mother and liked very much. We read the book as soon as we could after watching it.
For me, Fanny isn't quite as passive as she's made out to be: she's repressed, but as pointed out in the presentation, there's a nasty and valid reason for that. She also is very much under the obligation of the Bertrams and is robbed of the "permission" to speak out against them. So when she does say "no" in the teeth of all the pressure on her to accept Henry Crawford, it is a very big deal. She becomes the immovable object against the irresistible force. And she wins. It's neither happy, nor triumphant, but she stands her ground and proves her worth when everyone, everyone around her who was so strong, so outspoken, so charming, so sure of themselves, falters and crumbles. She is a pure example of "what does not kill you makes you stronger".
I thought she also had agency in her little room, it's decoration, her reading choices, making her own little bearable world there.
@@hempenasphalt1587 owning trinkets as a person is not agency. Being left to no longer necessary for others is not ownership over her space, neither of the rooms are even Called Fanny's rooms. This woman has suffered real neglect.
Of course she has but within her sphere she still made choices and had her little perks and haven@@jezpin3638
She was not just a doormat@@jezpin3638
I have come to appreciate Mansfield Park more and more as I get older and process a lot of the trauma of my childhood growing up in a religious cult. Fanny is a classic example of a traumatized child. I relate to her displacement and being stuck between two different worlds where you never fully belong. Her sensitivity and even her connection to Edmund, (who I agree is a total dud) but for her represents a type of stability and attachment that she longed for as a child. She doesn’t have a big dream because her deepest desire is just to feel NORMAL and to belong. The way in which she becomes passive and even her moralism feels like a trauma response, a coping mechanism she developed in order to survive in this abusive environment. I relate to the feeling of trying to find stability or normalcy while everyone around you is acting wild. I see her strength in her ability to survive and to somehow stay true to her own values and intuition under immense pressure and virtually no support. I love the fun Austen novels, but when I think about the characters I most relate to, it’s Fanny. I definitely wouldn’t say it’s the most fun novel and it’s definitely not a romance, but for me it has so many layers and it is deeply validating.
Also agree there aren’t any great adaptations. The 99 is the most watchable as a stand-alone but as you said the most removed from the source.
You make _really_ good points. Very eloquent.
Austen's brilliance lies in a really deep understanding of human nature and being able to make the characters come alive on the page. Like you, I'm re-reading them as an older person and see so much more! People think narcissistic/toxic type personalities are a 'modern' phenomenon. People like you and I read Austen and think "wow', how is this so modern?" 😁😁🫶
I had the opposite dealing with the trauma of being raised by atheists and their radicalism.
What I find interesting about Mansfield Park the novel is its parallels and stark differences to Austen's brother Edward's upbringing. Edward, like Fanny, had two living parents and yet was essentially adopted out to be raised by wealthier (though childless) relatives - the Knights. Edward ended up inheriting Chawton and being able to literally put a roof over his mother and sisters' heads. The same thing happens to Frank Churchill when his mother dies, and he also stands to inherit Everingham and be able to provide for a family. With Fanny, however, there is no such security waiting for her from the Bertrams. The reason Sir Thomas and Mrs. Norris are so insistent on Fanny marrying Henry Crawford is that they have no intention of continuing to look after her if she ends up a spinster. They do discuss bestowing a suitable dowry on her, but that's as far as they're willing to go. The fact that she marries Edmund and establishes a home with him at the parsonage, remaining "within the patronage of Mansfield Park" is completely contrary to their plans (and Fanny turns out to be a better daughter than either of her two cousins!). Even more so than the slavery narrative, I think Mansfield Park is really Austen's manifesto about the very shaky ground that women stand upon, particularly unmarried women such as herself and her sister without any kind of fortune, having to depend on their relatives in order to survive with any sort of comfort and respectability. As far as adaptations go, as you say, the 1983 version is really the only one that tells the story as written, and for that alone I appreciate it because it doesn't try to make Fanny something she isn't. I find it so depressing that later filmmakers decided she had to be flirty and dynamic in order to center a story on her. The rest of the casting in the 1983 version really is spot-on too, even down to secondary characters like Mr. Rushworth and Susan. All of the early miniseries are pretty faithful and don't take too many liberties, and honestly I find the production quirks and stilted acting sort of charming, but the 1983 Mansfield Park is up there among my favorite of all Austen adaptations precisely because of its faithfulness to a heroine who is so un-heroine-like.
This is my favorite Austen book. I understand when others say that they don't like it, but it sort of hurts a bit. For me, it was the one book that brought me to tears as I read it and could see how though shy and quiet, Fanny was brave, constant, and resolute... almost like a young Ann Elliot. Maybe I see too much of my own upbringing in it, but I admired such a heroine that did not have to flashy and her true worth slowly became apparent to others.
It’s my favorite too ❤
Mansfield Park is my favorite as well. I always find something new every time I read it. I know that, technically, Emma is her best work, but Mansfield Park, possibly her second best - in my estimation at least - I enjoy the most.
My initial thoughts when I first read Mansfield mirrored yours, I thought Fanny was the most dull, boring and uninspiring Austen heroine. I found her too straightlaced and submissive and meek. However, overtime I have grown to appreciate Fanny Price as a character and as an Austen heroine. Fanny ahs a quiet determination and strength about her that once you as a reader start to notice, you start to appreciate Fanny a lot more. She is far more observant, intuitive and smart than we give her credit for. The way she never fully warms up to the Crawfords, always senses something is off about them, even Mary who shows nothing but kindness to her. Also, it is because of her observations of the initial fliration between Maria and Henry also is the reason why she knows deep down that Henry cannot be trusted, and so she refuses his proposal instantly. Another reason why Fanny embodies strength is because she is not flaky or inconsistent like other characters, and doesn't bow under peer pressure, but rather sticks to her principals, unlike some other characters, e.g. Edmund. Therefore, Fanny in my opinion is far from meek. She is one of the strongest characters written by Austen, and of the most resilient ones, given her entire childhood of abandonment, neglect and abuse.
But yeah with the romance aspect , I completely agree. Edmund Bertram is my least favourite Austen hero, and in my opinion totally undeserving of Fanny.
What if Austen intended the supporting characters to carry the story? We assume that Austen will always draw strong female leads, but I love that her leads are so different. Fanny is unexpected and strong in her own unique way. She endures and in the end her strongest protagonists get their comeuppance. She triumphs in her own way. And gets her heart’s desire (even if you don’t like him).
While fanny is a little bit puritanical, when accusing her of having no agency it's worth bearing in mind that's kind of the main point of the novel. fanny is the poor relative who lives at the expense of her rich relatives' whims. she is a doormouse with no sense of self worth because she has been constantly reminded of her own inferiority. social and economic class is a pretty major theme in all austen novels, particularly how it can be weaponised and be counter-productive to people's happiness.
Mansfield Park is my favorite of Austen's novels, largely because it feels like Austen is stretching her capabilities and attempting to experiment as an author a bit more. She knows she can write popularly, but now she's trying to see if she can write a novel with something to say to it about slavery and the people who profit off of it--even if that critique has to be buried beneath innuendo due to when she's writing.
Fanny is a character who I relate more with as she a survivor and lives her life as such. Others in the comment section have mentioned "trauma" and I do think Fanny's is an accurate portrayal of someone who has had to straddle like Colossus, two different worlds and feel at home in neither. She's in search for stability and a sense of normality from which she can eventually build a life. In terms of Maslow's heirarchy of needs, she had her baser needs threatened and then has to live with a constant reminder that at the whim of her Uncle her life could and would be turned upside down with little she could do about it. She clings to the boring and the safe, because when your life is precariously balanced, boring and safe suddenly are extremely desirable. That is something I truly understand especially after the last 7 years living in the United States.
Additionally I do think Fanny's time returning to Portsmouth is important to her growth as a character because there, returning as the eldest of her siblings, but finding her birth family having "moved on" without her, and now she has to figure out what she is to do with her childhood dream of returning to her family and resuming her place in it being completely shattered. She befriends Susan and makes an active choice to improve the chaotic lives of her birth family just a little bit through finding ways to end the conflict between Susan and Betsy. She doesn't have to do that, but she does for the benefit of her sisters and mother. It shows her thoughtfulness and her willingness to improve the world, even if it's just in a small little way. The world since she was 10 has been hard and cruel to her, and she responds with kindness and assistance to those who need it and didn't even ask for her help.
Each of the adaptations who take that important part of Fanny's development out of the story, drop the moral and character growth of Fanny.
It's one thing to repeat lessons and morals verbatim as one has been taught--but the true test is what do you do when no one is looking? That's the test nearly all of our characters are put through in the end--what do they choose when they believe no one is watching them? Fanny may come across as boring, but that's because boring holds value and meaning to someone whose life could change upon a sour mood her uncle adopts.
I read MP a long time ago, and I've seen all three adaptations. I'm not in love with either the source material or any of the adaptations, but I find there are things to like in each one. Mostly, I'm fascinated by the subtle and not so subtle social commentary-- on the slave trade and how the British upper class benefitted from it, on extra-marital affairs, and on divorce (all really shocking things to be writing about at that time). The Crawford's uncle moves his mistress into the home he shares with his niece and nephew. The Prices seem to have sold their daughter to the Bertrams, without even a second thought or glance. And the hypocrisy of so many of the characters! A good screen writer has a lot of juicy material to work with and doesn't really need to turn Fanny into Lizzy Bennet to make an adaptation interesting.
I think the people that like MS are those that relate either to the themes (like abuse, effed up family situations, social pressure, being an outcast, etc), or the characters themselves. Otherwise, people fall into the same place as you do, not finding the characters compelling enough, prefering Mary to Fanny, or not even caring enough to read it. I, for one, find the dynamic between characters fascinating.
All of the Bertram kids, and Fanny herself, act and react in response to their upbringing by domineering dictator Lord Bertram and completely neglectful Lady Bertram. Thomas the golden child, Edmund the overlooked spare, Maria the less important one to her parents but olden to her aunt, and Julia, who lived in the shadows of her sister and was pretty much a copy of her for approval. And Fanny, the repotted charity case and punching bag. I can see why Edmund was beyond taken with Mary, she is the first person ever to show preference to him over his brother (note, he didn't see Fanny much either but he is one of the only two people in the book to ever show her love). I also find it fascinating that the sisters and brothers are left to their own devices andno one cares what they do, but they're still all afraid of lord Bertram and never step out to a point to cause his anger.
The one exception is Edmund, who usually takes Fanny as his moral compass, until Mary shows up with all the Lizzie Bennet charm and sweeps him off. Mary is interesting too. She's Lizzie, without her morals. Mary is witty and charming, but very prejudiced, has no issues playing with a man she has no intention of marrying and doesn't mind skirting propriety whenever it suits her. And yet she's whom people want to see, and that overshadows her flaws both to Edmund and the readers.
Agreed, but to add on: the Crawford siblings are also the result of their environment. They've both been spoiled by interactions with their dissipate uncle. Now Henry, as a man, is free to be equally debauched, while Mary, as a woman, cannot to the same point, but still her view of morality is very jaded and she become cynical of the world. Having said that, they both had so much potential - even Fanny admits that they're both not only intelligent, but often even kind. It speaks to their advantage that they both ultimately fall for the "boring but upright" candidates and can see through Edmund's and Fanny's perceived boringness and appreciate the rich inner life, loyalty and reliability. It tells us that they have a hidden potential for goodness and if things panned out a different way, they could be reformed. There is so much nuance and shades of light and dark in practically every character in the novel (maybe with the exception of the aunt haha).
@@AW-uv3cb Oh yeah. Aunt Norris is definitely the only irredeemable character lol
I like to compare Mansfield Park to Jane Eyre and even Cinderella, stories about an abused girl that grew up with a very insecure position in her own family and uncertain future. They all react in different ways to their situation but for obvious reasons neither of them is a happy, sparkly sort of person like a Lizzy Bennet who grew up secure and loved and why is that the only type of person people sympathize with, these characters deserve way more sympathy and their flaws are a natural reaction to what life threw at them.
I mean, Cinderella is such an overwhelmingly positive character, Fanny and Jane held out, educated themselves, kept up their own mind and in Jane's case a lot of pride too when they could as well have ended up a mess and people complain these girls are meek, passive, boring???
Though the production was stiff I think the 1983 production is the closest to the book. I think the actress captured Fanny's character the best.
Mansfield Park was my least favorite of Austen's novels until I reread it recently and now I love it. On rereading, Fanny didn't come across as boring or prudish as she seemed at first, but instead painfully shy and highly sensitive. Also, with more context I better understood the objections to the play Lovers Vows, a controversial play at the time. I can't guarantee that a second read would change anyone else's mind, but I think it's worth another chance.
Their version of "Lover's Vows" is the English translation which I think was deliberately toned down.
I'd suggest watching Octavia Cox' videos on this, she provides a lot of literary and socio-historical background which would enable you to engage with the novel a bit more.
Came to the comments to see if someone would recommend Dr. Cox’ excellent videos! “Pity Mr. Rushworth?” really had me thinking!
She provided so much context for me. I was confused why they shouldn't act the play in the novel but I understood how scandalous it would be at that time period via Dr Cox.
I favourably compare Fanny’s moral strength in saying ‘No’ to Henry Crawford with Elizabeth Bennett’s unthinking refusal of Mr. Collins. We have to see these refusals in the context of the early 1800s and the social position of these women. Elizabeth’s refusal, although undoubtedly the right decision for her, is made without a thought for her family who would benefit from the marriage and she also has her father’s support in refusing him. She is very lucky. Fanny doesn’t even have Edmund’s support initially when she refuses the far greater match of Henry Crawford and she finds it incredibly hard to stand up to the bullying of her uncle. Yet she does.
Yes, it's annoying how her character is dismissed as weak. She's not weak. She's introverted, modest and put in the position of a subordinate all her life, which made her insecure - and yet her moral compass and convictions are like a steel spine. It's an incredibly admirable quality, especially as - as you say - the only thing she has against Henry (at that point) is her personal prejudice (based on observations), and even that is starting to change as he learns the right way to court her. Then on the other side there are all the things that make him technically a great choice: he's handsome, intelligent, rich, he really goes after her, he helps her brother, he doesn't look down on her poor parents, all of her family are in favour of the match and encourage her, and it would free her from the position of a penniless dependant in her uncle's house and allow her to help her parents and siblings - and all of that is combined with the knowledge that in her position she's unlikely to find all these qualities in yet another man who'll want her. With that balance of arguments, only a very strong person wouldn't agree, hoping for the best result. I, for one, am not sure that I would be this strong in the situation - probably not!
I completely understand your reaction to the novel. It is not a novel you can read as a "romance", and it is definately Austen's most challenging book. But from a literary criticism point of view, it is a treasure trove. Every time I read it, I just find more and more layers, and more things to think about. So I really recommend giving it a second read! And also, I think it is the only Austen novel that doesn't have a good adaptation. All three adaptations are mediocare to really bad, so I think it is high time it got a good adaptation!
100% agreed. And i do hope that one day we'll have a director with a passion for this book, who will give it justice, even though so much of it takes places internally. We've had amazing adaptations of other supposedly "unfilmeable" books, so fingers crossed!
Slavery is such a complicated issue. Who do you think makes the majority of clothes and textiles we all wear?
In those days: India
My thoughts exactly! Before we call Fanny Price a hypocrit we should consider our own situation. How quick we are to buy and throw away things produced by a form of modern slaves! And then we think we're so much better than people were in the past...
@@erikabutterfly exactly. We all benefit from someone's slavish or near-slavish labour. And in this day and age (as opposed to someone like Fanny in the 1810's) we are actually well aware of the horrors it entails and yet they continue. So we're all complicit - by which I don't mean we should all self-flagellate as if we bear personal responsibility; we're all just dealing with a system set in place by others. But we should not be so quick to judge others who were in a similar position in the past ages (of course I mean people like Fanny or the other children, the servants at the house, or other people who simply had better opportunities because of the affluence afforded to the whole country through slave labour - we absolutely do have a right to judge those who engaged in slavery directly as plantation owners, traders of slaves etc).
Thin Austen was writing for an audience that she expected to abhor the slave trade. Think this was the period that Britain made slave trading illegal and enforced it the world over as their navy still 'controlled the seas'.
There's no indication of how Sir Thomas treating his slaves: think they cost more than horses so presumably it was foolish to treat them badly, though not illegal?
This is probably the only time when the older adaptation is my favorite, as far as actually telling the story Austen wrote. I love the 1983 adaptation, despite the slightly verging on theatre performance in some key scenes. But the actress who played Fanny went on to play Mrs. Allen in 2007's Northanger Abbey, which just makes her scenes in NA even more funny. I love the 1999 MP because I think they did Edmund wonderfully. (Just let me JLM play all the Austen men. I love him both as Edmund and Knightley. Wonderful casting.) The 2007 version has Billie Piper and that's the only positive as far as I'm concerned. As regards your feelings for the novel, it was my least favorite the first time I read it because I also thought it boring. But I've read it multiple times since then, and it's actually now in the middle of my rankings at #4.
I wished they casted Johnny Lee Miller in the 2007 version just to keep the trend going. (Charlie Price in 1983, Edmund in 1999)
JLM is not who I would assume is the ideal Austen hero; but he is surprisingly awesome. He is definitely my favorite Knightley.
It's wild but Mansfeild Park is actually my favorite adaptation of the Cinderella type fairy tale, great video
Mansfield Park definitely is a bit harder to get into. It has more in common, in the sense of being a study of a horribly dysfunctional wealthy family, with Knives Out minus the murder mystery than Pride and Prejudice. I also think it’s got to be one of the more difficult to adapt, as so much of what’s going on with Fanny is internal and not shared or expressed even to Edmund. I’d forgive a diary as a storytelling device with her where I wouldn’t in most cases.
I am probably weird, but Mansfield park is for me second favorite right after Persuasion 🤷🏻♀️ I just love all the characters and how they shape the heroine 😊
same!
Out of all of the Austen heroines, I have the most respect for Fanny. She’s a huge inspiration.
I loved Fanny, and strangely enough, Mansfield Park is the only Austen novel that I've actually read! I found myself really relating to Fanny, and loved that she didn't have to change to eventually be recognized as the good person she is. You shouldn't have to demand respect, it should be freely given. I think she has a lot of agency expressed in the novel, but it's not the flashy choices of many other heroines, it's in choosing to not participate that she shows her convictions
I will always have a soft spot for the 1999 as it stars two of my favorite actors Lindsay Duncan and James Purefoy.
I think that's the one that introduced me to Mansfield Park.
Jonny Lee Miller, for me.
also Johnny Lee Miller I absolutely love, thanks to his portrayal of Mr. Knightley in Emma 2009
I did like that in that adaptation they double casted Lindsay Duncan as both Lady Betram and Mrs Price.
I completely understand your reaction to the book. I studied it at school for my A’levels (taken at 18 in England, just before leaving school, and going to university). I couldn’t get through it, and , in fact, when we sat the exam, only one person in the class had read all the way to the end and we relied on her to tell us what happened. Now, however, as a woman in my late fifties, I just love this book. It, and Persuasion, have replaced P&P as my top favourite Austen novels and what I get from every reading is Fanny’s incredible fortitude. You are right, though, that Edmund doesn’t deserve her. I thought the most recent adaptation would probably have been ok if they had given up any pretence of it’s being connected to an original book, so far did it stray from the source text.
Anyway, thank you for another well put together video and my advice on Mansfield Park is, just give it time….maybe another 30 years or so!
I watched the 1983 adaptation when it was broadcast and it was my introduction to Austen so I will always have a soft spot for it. Great shout out to the great Anna Massey as Mrs Norris and Angela Pleasance as Last Betram While the 1999 adaptation has its flaws it at least does something interesting and thought provoking with the text and makes us look harder at Austen's society. You may know but Fanny's correspondence and stories in this adaptation are actually Austen's own writing so it at least honours her voice and alligns Fanny with Austen herself. (It successfully does what that recent adaptation of Persuasion does not).. As for the 2007 version- hmm..
I wouldn't say Sir Bertram is meant to be upstanding to the reader at all. It's very clear, if not explicit in the text, that his children are the way they are because he's a terrible, imo abusive, father and lady betram is a neglectful mother. I think he's mean to be a figure of irony.
Dr. Octavia Cox does a couple of close readings on here, which are very interesting for what they provide on characterization, both for other characters and for Fanny.
I don't think he's meant to be seen as abusive - it's pointed out many times in the book that he means well, he wants to instil good values into his children, he just doesn't quite know how due to his own stiff manner, so he comes across as overbearing (and of course, the children - especially the daughters - have already been exposed to the bad influence of the aunt and the neglectful mother, meanwhile he's been away for long stretches of time, which makes it so much harder for him to have a relationship with them). It's not even subtext, it's said openly in the novel. Also, many times in the book he shows kindness to Fanny, out of all people (as in: if he was really just a bad person and wanted to show it, Fanny would be the easiest target) - even when she displeases him by refusing Crawford, he still makes a nice gesture by having fire lit in her room when he notices it's cold. He throws a party for her and wants her to engage with other people. He cares about her prospects. He welcomes her brother into his home (he also took Fanny herself and later Susan). His remarks on her looks are meant to show that he took notice of her before and takes notice of her now, otherwise how would he know she's changed. Like most of the book's characters, he's not a caricature - he's a realistic, nuanced person with good and bad traits, and a product of his life circumstances. I think, overall, he's supposed to be a sympathetic character.
@@AW-uv3cb I don't think abusive characters are caricatures, and I'm not talking about how he's meant to be seen. It's not better or more to his credit that he's better to Fanny than he is to his own family. Betram is meant to exemplify certain type of paternal English peerage, someone who's both controlling and hands-off, and yes that is an abusive character type.
I find the book really interesting because Austen spends time with Henry Crawford when he's not with Fanny. I don't think any of the male love interests get page-time away from the heroine (except maybe Wentworth) and it's fascinating she took all this time making the cad such a rounded character but left Edmund as a rough sketch.
Honestly, I'd say this is more Henry Crawford's book than Fanny Price's 😂
I was so disappointed when he turned out to be unfaithful!!! I was totally going for him! If he had waited for Fanny he would have been the hero of the novel and left the Bertrams off the picture. For whatever reason Ms Austen did not choose that route…shame😔
@@carlosruiz184 .. bcs Henry is a F*boy - and F*boys are and always will be F*boys (Even his sister "fears" that after some time, Henry would be unfaithfull to Fanny).
YES!!!! I appreiciated your honesty for your relation to the original source material. I'm just so glad you really are doing all of her books instead of two or three.
Well... "Mansfield Park" isn't an easy book. Even Jane Austen, asked by her sister about a new novel, said that this time she was going to write about "holy orders". So it wasn't meant to be a romance - or at least it wasn't meant to be mainly a romance.
I've watched only the 1999 version. I liked Fanny and Edmund. And I didn't mind she was breaking the fourth wall (as I did mind in the latest "Persuasion" so-called adaptation...), especially when she was talking about what could have happened but didn't. That was Jane Austen's vibe and I liked it.
I understand your point of view when we talk about the slavery. This is a dark part of human history, and we can't forget where the wealth of the 19. century empires came from. Same thing with a career in the army. Being a captain of a warship sounds quite innocent. But they didn't bring to their fortune just by military pay. This is something unwritten, unsaid. Difficult to write about it at the beginning of the 19. century, especially in the British Empire. How difficult was to start changing people's minds half-a-century later in the US while in European empires it still wasn't a case at all. Terrible times, terrible mindset. Nowadays it's easy to express it was so wrong. But those times...
Mansfield park in a way is my favorite of Austen’s because I have played “what if” with this story more than any of her others… “what if Tom had died?” “What if Fanny had been given no choice in her marriage?” “What if something had happened to her in Portsmouth?”
Unlike all of Austen’s other works, I have imagined and reimagined Mansfield park and written hundreds of what if scenes or outcomes. When I want to enjoy a love story I turn to Austen’s other works, when I want to exercise my imagination I turn to Mansfield Park.
1999 is the most watchable if you don't know the source material and the least if you do.
That’s interesting, I have not read the book but I really liked the movie from 1999!
@S N I did too, until I read it.
edmund is literally a wet dishrag LOL but on the whole i do love the book. i honestly found it so funny, especially the constant jabs at henry crawford's height 😭
I honestly don't understand the hate towards Edmund. If we can accept and even appreciate Fanny as an introverted, unglamorous heroine, then why can't we extend the same courtesy to Edmund? They're both depicted as externally uncharismatic, unwitty people who nevertheless have a strong moral compass, fine intellect and a rich inner life, who are very introspective and reflect a lot on themselves and others, and who set high standards for themselves and others. There's nothing wrong with that. Edmund's main flaw is, of course, that he allows himself to be blinded to Mary's lack of principles, because it's overshadowed by her beauty and wit, but - can we all honestly say that we've never been there? And this inner conflict between his attraction to her and his awareness of their differing values makes him an interesting and sympathetic character to me. He tries to see the best in her and hopes that underneath her cynical worldliness she's a good person (and she DOES have a lot to admire, including a degree of kindness, towards Fanny, for one thing) - isn't that a good quality as such, and isn't it exactly what we'd expect from a person with a huge crush on someone?
The narrator of the novel makes me LOL. It certainly has a wider sweep than the other novels and less focus on characters. Honestly Fanny interests me for her emotional survival. Her outsider status lets her observe and consider her world. For all her timidity, she sticks to her principles when the going gets tough. I guess I see some of me in her sensitive nerves and introversion. HER story of loving Edmund fills the novel-- it's only his getting a clue that comes with the ending!
I absolutely love this series, and I really hope you'll do Sense and Sensibility someday!
I know! The 1995 adaptation is my favorite movie
Fanny Price is actually one of my favorite Jane Austen characters. She's humble, kind, principled, loyal, and steadfast. I appreciate that all Austen characters are different :)
I'm going to suggest that you re-read Mansfield Park when you get older. This book is about character. As you get wiser and have more life experience, you will find that friends with character are really your friends.
I totally understand not liking this story or adaptations, but I actually really relate to Book Fanny and 1980’s Movie Fanny. I have a hard time advocating for myself and see that in Fanny. I am also religious so seeing her stick to her principles in spite of being punished or looked down for it was also something I admired about the book. But I can see why its not for everyone! I do honestly prefer the others, but I always watch the 1980’s adaptation every time I do a Jane Austen movie binge!
I agree with a lot of the other commenters that as I've gotten older and re-read the book more, I've grown to appreciate it more. I still find Edmund a dud but find Fanny much less boring and understand her character. By far my favorite adaptation was one done vlog style, called From Mansfield With Love. It's been the only one that made me care about Edmund and actively dislike the Crawfords!
I have watched all three of these adaptations and read the book, I have to say the 1983 mini series is my favorite version of the three. When you do watch those older miniseries from the bbc you do have to watch it like it was a play that has been filmed, so the acting and the flat sets don't really bother me so much. A lot of older bbc shows have that same "play" acting issue, and the bbc at the time had not a lot of money so sets were mostly made of cardboard and wishes.
The 1983 version of Fanny is the closest to the Fanny of the novel, and in a way it's nice to see a character that's shy and timid and not made into this other more palatable version of Fanny that changes so much it's hard to see the original character.
The actor that plays Edmund is the worst part of the miniseries, he has smug face and smug tone that is just totally infuriating to watch (he also juts his chin out when he talks, which just adds to this superior smug attitude). When you have so many episodes and so much time spent with him I can see how a lot of people would not like that version just for him.
BTW the woman who plays Fanny in the 1983 mini series also plays Mrs. Allen in the 2007 version of Northanger Abbey.
Also the actor who plays Edmund in the 1983 version plays Mr. Musgrove in Persuasion 2007. 🙂
11:17 My impression of the book was that she was sent away to Portsmouth to learn the value of money. The way that I interpreted the motivation was not so much that it was a way for her to see her family or as a punishment per say, but as a way to show her something along the lines of "hey, these are the living conditions of someone who made a poor choice in marriage, maybe you should think more thoroughly about what Mr. Crawford can offer you", etc. The motivation I got from the book was that the Bertrams were disappointed in Fanny but that it came from a place of wanting her to have a better future (in their eyes). I think that there are multiple ways to interpret it, though.
Exactly! And bcs Fanny wants to protect Maria and Julia, she can't tell about the "flaws" she saw in Henry (that he is a player). So in Mr. Bertram's eyes he is just a very charming and VERY wealthy Gentleman - who is in class and money way above Fanny. So he wants her to see, what a extraordinary live H. Crawford could offer her.
I haven't seen the 80's series, but I agree that neither of the movies were good. I do like the book though, as it brings something different to the table than Austen's other works. And I personally don't mind that Fanny doesn't have much agency as a character as I found that to be an interesting dynamic to centre around. I think it's worth trying to read the book again to see if you get more out of it.
Please battle the pride and prejudice or sense and sensibility adaptations next!!
I loved your take on this subject. I thought it was just me! I even listened to the book on Audible. It’s just not my favorite. I wanted to love Fanny and just didn’t. I thought your comment on Hayley Atwell as a great Mary Crawford was right on. She turned out to be my favorite character (thanks to HA) and Mary Crawford’s character didn’t have much to “recommend her” as they say. Great job!
I've owned and watched the 1983 version 4 times. I enjoy it more with each viewing. It's very well down with an excellent cast.
This is actually one of my favorite Austin books as it shows how a young woman who has made to feel and know that she is worthless due to no fault of her own and she learns to stand up for her self and find a place and in the end be respected on her own terms.
I think Mansfield Park definitely suffers from having a heroine who is less in tune with modern attitudes than most of Austen's other novels, which makes adaptation difficult. I also think Billie Piper was an interesting choice for Fanny in the TV movie, given that Fanny's family are definitely at the very low end of middle class (the scenes in Portsmouth are very rowdy compared to Mansfield Park, a contrast that Fanny finds very embarrassing when she returns) - I'm reminded of the Doctor Who episode "New Earth", when Cassandra body-hops into Rose and exclaims, "Oh my god, I'm a chav!" (British slang for a lower-class young person). However that adaptation clearly suffers from a small budget, hence the cutting of the whole Portsmouth episode as well as the visit to Sotherton. Only Hayley Atwell and Blake Ritson save it from being completely forgettable, imho.
On the plus side, Mansfield Park has by far the rudest joke in Austen, when Mary Crawford exclaims "Of Rears and Vices, I saw enough" and then disingenuously adds "Now do not be suspecting me of a pun, I entreat.". Methinks the lady doth protest too much 🤣
Haven't watched it yet, but super excited for a new video. I recently subscribed to britbox for my mom and love your Jane Austin series 😀
Just finished watching, I haven't read Mansfield Park and all 3 adaptation seem meh from your video. However I may give the 2nd one a chance.
I listened to Mansfield Park as an audiobook when I had to go through several sessions of IV drips at the hospital. It was the perfect way to pass the time.
And in all honesty, I like Fanny. I respect her strong morals and convictions, and I relate to being the oldest sibling and seeing “oh no, my parents are failing my sisters, I have to step up!”
Also, knowing that Jane Austen times allow for cousin marriages, I started shipping her with Edmund pretty early on.
And one of the reasons for that is Mary Crawford. She couldn’t respect Edmund’s choice of wanting to be a clergyman, couldn’t respect *him* for the choice of his profession. That was the reason they wouldn’t make a good couple.
Meanwhile, Fanny would make a *perfect* clergyman’s wife, with her upstanding morals and devoutness. On top of her connection to Edmund over shared interests and him basically educating her. They really do make a good couple. And there’s no better prospect for her.
2007 does have many illogical things going on w/ it, esp Fanny’s “punishment” of being “alone” (can’t forget the servants) at Mansfield Park. That would actually be paradise to her (esp no Mrs. Norris), just add William & a version of Edmund who can’t speak about Mary Crawford.
Everything in that adaptation makes sense when you realise they had no budget to film anywhere other than that one house because they spent all the money on Fanny's wedding dress.
I've only read the novel once, but I've seen one of the adaptations 2-3 times. I feel like all the complaints are valid, but there's still a few things I really enjoy. I kind of wonder who Austen was thinking about with the main character and who she was writing it for. Was there someone in her life who went through this kind of treatment? Was this something Austen just needed to get out of her system? Hard to say, but makes me curious to say the least.
As someone who has always felt uninterested in diving into Mansfield Park, I appreciate your honesty here. It sounds like the input I've received from others lines up with yours, so I'm glad you didn't try to rip apart something that just doesn't appeal to you, while also not acting like all of Austen's work should be bowed to haha Great video 🌻
hi daria i’m really enjoying this series! i would love to hear your opinions on north and south by elizabeth gaskell.
It's taken time (decades?) for me to come to love this novel. One obstacle is that Fanny is jealous of Mary for much of the novel, and that's not an attractive emotion. It's taken awhile for me to get over things that would embarrass ME, to empathize with her. But also, the slow evolution in our views of the Crawfords appeals to me greatly. When Mary Crawford says goodbye to Fanny in the east room-- I've seldom seen in a novel such a wonderful monologue-- Mary's awareness of what's wrong in her friends' world, but inability to see far enough into the possibilities of a different set of values and ways of living. As I get older, I have far more empathy for the Bertram girls-- never having been in company with enough of a variety of men to put Rushworth and Henry in perspective. If you don't approach the novel as a simple rom-com, but understand that these are complex family relationships, there's so much food for thought in it.
Please check out a version of the novel that has Lovers’ Vows (the play) included as an appendix.
I don't dislike Fanny, but the book as a whole is just so full of her suffering, and her 'happy ending' feels so unsatisfying. Even something as superficial as a montage of Fanny being charitable and engaged with her husband's parishioners over the credits would help me believe in her having gotten the reward she deserved.
Mansfield Park is definitely my least favorite Austen novel, however, I actually like the adaptations for emphasizing different things and themes. The novel is a kind of a raw material one can mold into a story as they prefer, without damaging the original story. The 2007 movie was my first encounter with the story (I read the novel after) and I actually prefer the movie. I agree about the 1983 Edmund, such a detestable character :D, but that makes sense, he's my least favorite Austen hero. Love your videos, thanks so much for this series
i like your channel ~ just recently discovered it ~ i am going to a jane austen conference in 3 weeks in victoria BC canada as JASNA ( jane austen society of north america ) is holding a big & long weekend there full of everything austen ~
I enjoyed the novel as I can relate to Fanny in many ways. Each film version is enjoyable to me, but the book is superior to all. At the risk of sounding like the elderly person I am, I think you may enjoy it more in future years.
If we had a New Adaptation of Mansfield Park, I would cast Daisy Edgar Jones or Thomasin Mckenzie as Fanny Price and Michelle Gomez as Mrs Norris.
When it comes to the Adaptations we have currently, the 1983 Miniseries is the strongest at conveying the novel in my opinion.
I always felt that one of the points of the novel was that, lack of agency. We like to claim that everyone has a choice, but this isn't true. Some choices are so bad that I don't think it's fair to call them choices at all. Death, r@pe, torture, enslavement; these are not choices. Fanny may not directly face these fate, but they aren't out of the question depending on the direction she chooses to take. She takes the safer path. Many call this a lack of agency, but really perhaps Austin was trying to force the reader to see that the poor and women in particular have to give up their agency to avoid the aforementioned fates. I believe this was the point. Fanny isn't a 'bad character' because 'she has no agency'. She is an archetype of women throughout society at the time of Austin's writing who have had their agency removed. This is why she is the heroine. She survives and thrives despite her lack of agency.
I highly recommend the webseries adaption "From Mansfield with Love". It manages to transport a lot of the parts of the novel into the present really well and I think it "gets" Fannys character without changing her too much, but adding something. I loved her in this one.
The 1999 movie is by far my favorite, but it’s obvious critique of Fanny’s character (replacing it with Jane Austen’s own character) made me closely analyze book Fanny (who I have always loved💕).
Mary Crawford says something quite interesting at the beginning: “I am never tired unless I do what I do not wish to do.” This made me realize so much of Fanny’s own tiredness is also related to not wanting to do something that Mrs. Norris or another may be asking her to do. Yes, she appears to be a bit more invalid than her counterparts, or at least introverted and type 2 (wanting to always be helpful), but she can be light of foot and dance till 3 in the morning and think of drinking a cordial of wine in one gulp at the news of Edmund’s safety. 😂 She also is laughing at Mary and Henry Crawford half the time, when what they say is not too imprudent (mean spirited). I love cute little Fanny and feel similarly about appreciating her as she might feel about Edmund (whose best qualities are his graciousness and understanding. He understands that Mary Crawford believes life is terrible for women, so feels she must be rich to endure married fights and indifference. He does not blame her for wanting to be so secure, though he wishes she could feel secure in his small income - thanks to Tom Bertram’s theft of the estate funds in gambling.) Fanny is a great reader and her small independence in teaching her sister is quite interesting! It shows that Fanny knows quite a lot more than Mary Crawford could ever dream to know. Her gentleness is almost as interesting as Henry Crawford comes to find it, mostly because we all know how terrible the characters around her are. She laughs and gushes about her favorite things with William and Edmund. She is altogether wonderful, and her disdain of Mary is ssooo hilarious.
I can imagine an eastern filming technique working well with her introverted character. Western media only ever treats extroverts with any interest as main characters.
Jane Austen obviously uses Mercury as her theme. Like the messenger of the gods, people are always speeding along, restless, or its contrast: languid and complacent. The first moment Lady Bertram is truly kind and awake is when she runs to Fanny, runs! There are silver and grey things, like the element mercury, all over the novel, animal husbandry (mating animals together to have the best babies possible - seems to relate to marriage and slavery), hermaphroditism implied with certain characters, like Mary Crawford being a “manly” woman, characters coming together and splitting apart randomly like mercury moves in a dish, travel, theft (Mrs. Norris constantly pilfers things for her own use throughout), heralds (pastors), merchants, orators (pastors and Mr. Crawford), speech, wit, expressive silence as contrast, conducts souls into the afterlife (pastors, anyone?), cunning, language, commerce, god of boundaries (Mansfield Park has its own Lares, child of Mercury, protecting the home badly. Thankfully Fanny is good at protecting herself), gambling/luck, trade and commerce, and the arts like music and acting.
Look up the traits of Mercury and reread this book and you will be astonished at all the allusions!
That top is gorgeous!!
I love all of Jane Austen's novels for different reasons. I love Mansfield Park because of how different it is from her other stories. Fanny is a steadfast but reserved character and a kind of Cinderella, I love the juxtaposition of Fanny's character compared to everyone else around her. It is for these reasons that I am very attached to the 1983 version of the tale they capture the character and soul of the story without making you want to stab your eyes out like you do when you read it, yes it gets a bit dry, or when watching and trying to endure how much the different adaptions changed, and in my opinion ruined the characters and storyline. Jane Austen is my favourite author for good reason. She is brilliant!
Just showing some love ❤️
Fanny and Jane eyre are my favorite female characters. You gave a great reason, that they have no control over their lives but they stay true to their ethics.
I really enjoy your analysis and feedback on your channel, especially in regards to Jane Austen books. It would be amazing if your next “Battle of the Adaptions” would be over Pride & Prejudice. Please please if you could make that happen. Thank you for all the amazing content you provide on your channel. -Zoë
The first time I read MP, I was bored with Fanny and Edmund, but absolutely could not put it down--I think I stayed up all night to finish it.
Thanks for putting in the work on this. It is appreciated very much. I have seen the 1983 version in full and yes...it is like a play, not like a film. If you look at it like that, it's moderately enjoyable. I have only seen parts of the others but they never seemed right to me. I really think a good adaptation can be made if someone has the insight and talent to do it.
I've been thinking about this since I watched your video yesterday, because I never understood why people don't like Mansfield Park, when it's my third-favorite Austen novel. And I think I have a solution:
Mansfield Park needs a completely modern adaptation, like Clueless was to Emma. Most of the scenarios don't even need to be updated that much: families and suitors are still often shitty, and there are still boss women out there who let it roll off their backs while they follow their own inner moral compasses. But if you put it in today's terms, people will see it more clearly, how relevant it still is. For example...
One plot arc that could be made more understandable is the whole play thing. It makes Fanny seem like such a kill-joy. But, if you updated it to today, let's say all the others wanted to do heroine (which I think is on the level for how Fanny felt about that scandalous play), and then it becomes harder to judge her for sticking to her guns.
Indeed! The character are actually quite "modern": Henry the f*boy. Mary the it-girl. Mariah and Julia the spoiled but neglected, naive and bored sisters. Edmund the spare. And his older brother the "heir": a very wild bad boy with no moral compass. I found it actually so refreshing to see, that the "I can change him" and the "She is the exeption" trope was not adapted - and that the pale and poor maincharacter did not fall for the f*boy. All the characters are screaming for a modern setting to really understand the story and Fanny
I agree with u completely! ❤ Mansfield Park is my least favourite novel... but have to say, 1999 year version of Henry Crawford. DAMN 💥 i almost fall for him 🤣 what about Sense and Sensibility ?
@@lovetolovefairytales i agree. It's not true to novel, but i can't help it. He is very attractive
Love this! It’s honestly so true though…
I love this book, I love Fanny & Edmund & that they are suited for each other.
When watching the adaptations and reading the novel, I had the thought: is this fan fiction Ms. Austen wrote, using her sister Cassandra and giving her the happy ending she never had in real life?
I feel a little silly commenting so late after the video was made, but I wanted to point out that the 1999 version specifically turned Fanny into someone more like Austen herself. This is something talked about when it was released. The incident with her accepting Henry and then waking up the next day and breaking it off is based off an incident in Austen's own life. It was an interesting choice and it is why Fanny is totally different from the book.
John Mullan, Hay Festival, 2014, here on youtube. for everyone who has yet to fall in love with Mansfield Park!
Perhaps you should read it several more times before doing a video on it. Or look at some videos by Dr Octavia Cox, or Ellie Dashwood who know the book inside out and draw out some really interesting points from it...
I love Mansfield Park. It’s my favorite Austen. Jane is a master at not so subtle subtle jabs, and the title alone would have invoked the reader of the time it was published of the first ruling made against the slave trade. It wasn’t a ruling that said “all slavery bad” but it was a step in the right direction and was the first domino to fall. Also the book is almost a play, and Fanny, despite being a character in said play, is almost our fellow watcher of the play. Our connection.
It’s been a few years since my last reading of the book but I do confess the first time I read it I didn’t like it either. But each time I did reread it I liked it more and more.
Definitely the best-written prose she wrote.
Think you misunderstood Fanny's visit to Portsmouth.
Think it was intended to show her what she was sacrificing in refusing Henry.
I think there's a huge aspect of Mansfield Park and most people seem to miss. Jane Austen was a satirist so you have to ask yourself, what was she critiquing about society. People obviously catch the points about slavery and others, but I think they are also missing this: at that time morality was often seen as something that upper class folks naturally had because of their "good breeding' or that required a certain type of education. Lower class people were seen as crass, animalistic, and immoral (this is part of the mindset that they used to justify slavery) therefore by showing that Fanny, who was from low birth and didn't receive the same care in education as her cousins, had a "better" sense of natural morality which her rich relatives could not take credit for, it is direct critique of the upper class's sense of superior morality
I think the difference between Fanny Price and the other heroines is that Fanny is an introvert.
I’ve only ever watched the 1999 version, and maybe only watched it twice.
What I like about the adaptations:
1983 - it's accuracy
1999 - Henry Crawford
2007 - that Tom and Mary went to make the great "Agent Carter"- series together ☺️
I have to admit that MP is my least favourite of the six novels. I read Austen for wit and humour and romance...and don't get it here. To me, the ending with Edmund felt forced.
I actually really enjoy Mansfield Park. Of all Austen's characters, she probably has the richest internal life. Unfortunately, it translates poorly to film. She has humor and strength, holding on to her values in a house where she has literally no one to back her and faces constant verbal abuse. I think she values Edmund because, as problematic as he is, he is the most consistently kind to her and the closest to her own values.
Edit: There is a TON of subtext in the books that readers of the time would have immediately understood. Things that change the tone of the novel and are glossed over or missed entirely in the films. It's a book you really have to do a deep dive into to understand better. Your reading is valid, but I think you'll enjoy it more with more historical background to ground it.
Would you be interested in doing a live stream review of The Jane Austen Book Club?
Mansfield Park is my favorite Austen novel. Fanny has so much quiet strength. I don't find her prudish at all, she is just naturally good with great moral integrity.
I’ve watch the 2 movies (biased of the 2007 version cause baby Captain Carter and baby Klaus - but I could not finish the book once I realized Fanny and Edmund were first cousins 😖 I know it was normal at the time but I just couldn’t I couldn’t get into the romance or feel excited - if they weren’t first cousins maybe I’d be more okay with it.. but yeah it makes me wonder if Fanny walked so Anne could run.. if you think about it Fanny was a character who was over looked throughout the book and finally at the end it’s like he sees her (I guess the same could be said for Eleanor) but yeah idk can’t truly explain my idea
Fanny is all about my own life. I just lived the same things and way and feelings as her...the end is just very deferent 😊
…..okay, still waiting for a “Battle of-“ for P&P and S&S.
_PLLEEEAAAAASE!!_
This is actually my second favorite Austen novel. The one I haven’t read is Northanger Alley because I’m not sure I’ll like it.
7:55 - yes, exactky that it is like a theatre adaptation. But i quite like that. I enjoy watching the characters relationships and journey.
Mansfeild Park is a morality play, but it works for me. I found Frances (think that's the name of the actor of fanny) Nicolas made the characters more endearing than the ones i had in my head. There was also mo.ents when you could see the Crawfords potentially being better people. I truly believed the relationships in this one and in particular Miss Crawford valuing Fanny as a friend. She is not one who is trying to social climb or flirt with her brother and that was such a novelty to Miss Crawford that i felt she had some merit in not overlooking Fanny like her family do. I particularly dislike the Lazy Aunt Lady Bertram as a character who offer's 0 value. She is an amazing character because of her utter idolotry. But does not bestir herself enough to actual have affection for her children.
Anyway i did enjoy the literal adaptation in this instance 😆💜📚
I felt the same about "Emma." Never had an interest in it. Just started listening to the audio book narrated by Juliet Stevens, who is my favorite Austen voiceover actor. Still "meh."
15:21 - Hayley Attwood was wasted in this version - she's amazing! 💜📚
I enjoy "Mansfield Park" for just that: it is completely unromantic, sober, violent and disillusioning, and perhaps Austen's most ironic book. It leaves a bitter taste. And for that reason, for me it is anything but boring. I appreciate in Fanny, that she manages to get through this with her mind straight and a foundation to make decisions on (maybe that is her agenda). That is more than any of the other characters have, and really the reason why Henry and Mary Crawford as well as Maria fail in becoming happy. The irony of the book is I think that Fanny develops this ability - to make up her mind and decide and be happy - because of her love for Edmund, which really has nothing else to be said in its favor. I want to hit him on the head, when he interrupts Fanny all the time to explain her feelings and motives instead of listening to her. She gets Mansfield at its worst and bitterest, and turns out to be the only lady Sir Thomas managed to educate.
Edmund is certainly the most odious (the only odious) hero in Austen, and Henry Crawford in my opinion the only thoroughly charming and tragic villain in Austen. No whiny Willoughby for me! One more superlative: Mrs. Norris must be the most evil character Austen ever created.
Fun fact: In Austen's notes on the comentaries of her friends to Mansfield Park there is a lady who actually thinks she is like Lady Bertram. Who would admit that! XD
And yes: every single Mansfield Park adaptation is just crap.
Mostly agree with you on the source material, though it didn't really bother me as much that it was not as interesting story-wise. I eat up any Austen content, and Mansfield Park was good enough after I read the other more famous novels a hundred times and there was no other novel of hers I could get my hands on 😅
I love the social awareness the Crawfords have. The scene where Mary Crawford verbally strategizes Mariah's return to society - I think the Bertrams aren't outraged by her "lack of morality" but really b/c she said the "quiet part" out loud AND they're too un-self aware to know that! Also, I love the Crawfords b/c rhey're the only ones who know how special Fanny is.
After I read it again (as a 29 old woman and not a 15 year old teen), I realised, Mansfield Park is NOT a love story - it is a story about the three sisters (fanny's mother, mrs norris and mrs bertram) and how society treated women / how all women were somehow trapped (even Mary Carwford). Spoiler: I loved the novel the second time I read it.
I agree that most adaptations from 1970 - 1980 are too theatrical, too slow and boring (for example, Mansfield Park ans Persuasion, 1971) BUT I do not refer it to my favourite Pride and Prejudice adaptation - which is the BBC adaptation of 1980. For a long time Darcy and Elizabeth from 1995 and 2005 had been unsurpassed for me and I couldn't make myself watch a 1980 version. But finally I did it - and it is amazing. Just correct Darcy and Elizabeth there, and very appropriate Bennets, Mr.Collins, Charlotte, and Bingley.