Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park"
Emotionally gripping in some moments and sweet and slow in others.
Mansfield Park, a story that took me from April to September to read.
But it’s not Austen’s fault, nor the fault of the story. It was simply my busy schedule and a lack of hunger to read.
Yet, I was committed and picked up the book once again to finish it.
I had put the book down in the midst of one of the slower parts of the story and, among my newfound busy lifestyle, had nearly forgotten about Fanny as she sat in her room next to the empty fireplace.
But as life slowed again and we got into a new rhythm, I picked up the novel once more.
I did not find Austen’s Mansfield Park to be as engaging as some of her other novels. The first portion of the book was difficult to follow.
Jane Austen writes into her stories many diverse characters, many of whom are siblings or kinsmen of another relation. At no fault to Austen, I found differentiating between Bertrams, Prices, and Norrises rather confusing, especially since some went to live and intermingle among their relatives—although Austen graciously supplied a brief history of the story in the very first chapter. (Keep in mind I took an unintentional couple month reading hiatus between the first half of the book and the second, so of course my memory of the characters would be clouded by time.)
Near the beginning, the story excited suspense in me as the characters argued about whether or not they should transform their home into different world—via a stage and props—enabling them to perform a play focused on vows between lovers. Of course, to the young audience, such an alluring subject would enthrall the young women who, through the lines of the script, were able to recite deep words of feigned love to the young and attractive men.
Some of the characters were over the moon excited for such an opportunity at jest and fabricated stories of love that would spark excitement in their juvenile hearts. Others kept a level head on them and realized the master of the house would be quite upset to return to a disrupted home—not to mention risking the chance of awakening premature romantic desires in each of their young hearts.
Nevertheless, the play preparations began, rehearsal ensued, and the house was rearranged, much to the dismay of Fanny and Edmund.
Such strife among the characters transferred onto my own emotions through reading their short-tempered dialogue.
That is something Austen does well—evoking emotion in her readers. So much so that later in the story (after I had returned to a more regular practice of reading) I did not want to put the book down until I discovered whether or not my suspicion of the enamored feelings the characters had toward each other were true.
Without giving too much away, there was a sickness and a scandal, which caused an eruption of trouble for nearly every character in the story. He was not faithful to her and became tempted because the other woman was not faithful to her love, all the while another woman ran off with so-and-so. (Got that?)
And the two characters that captured my attention the most—and who I wanted to be together in a relationship and perhaps a matrimony so sweet and tender—stubbornly would not share their feelings for mutual fear of placing an undue burden on each other.
But yet, Austen managed to resolve the story, much to my relief, in the last few pages and ended the story of Mansfield Park on a cheerful and pleasurable note.
Let me leave you with a piece of advice from Austen’s Mansfield Park paired with Scripture.
The bustle and popularity of the cities had a great influence on the moral compass of many of the characters. Fitting into the popular bunch with the wealthy and seductive meant compromising the truth to which many were raised accordingly. The culture—the world—is not the place and does not contain the people to which we must look for an example.
“We do not look in great cities for our best morality. It is not there.” — Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or Greeks or the church of God, just as I also try to please everyone in everything, not seeking my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved. "Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ." — 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1, CSB
Soli Deo Gloria,
L. E. West