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Mansfield Park (Oxford World's Classics)
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Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
Author: Jane Austen
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
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Our Price: $7.95
You Save: $ ( % )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
Author: Jane Austen
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Average Customer Rating:
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Mansfield Park (Oxford World's Classics) Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.7
EAN: 9780192802644
ISBN: 019280264X
Label: Oxford University Press, USA
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 480
Publication Date: 2003-10-02
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Studio: Oxford University Press, USA
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.7
EAN: 9780192802644
ISBN: 019280264X
Label: Oxford University Press, USA
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 480
Publication Date: 2003-10-02
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Studio: Oxford University Press, USA
Editorial Review of Mansfield Park (Oxford World's Classics)
At the age of ten, Fanny Price leaves the poverty of her Portsmouth home to be brought up among the family of her wealthy uncle, Sir Thomas Bertram, in the chilly grandeur of Mansfield Park. She gradually falls in love with her cousin Edmund, but when the dazzling and sophisticated Crawfords arrive, and amateur theatricals unleash rivalry and sexual jealousy, Fanny has to fight to retain her independence. This new edition places Mansfield Park in its Regency context and elucidates the theatrical background that pervades the novel.
Customer Reviews of Mansfield Park (Oxford World's Classics)
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: One of my favorite books
Review: Among Austen devotees, Pride and Prejudice is usually regarded as being her best work, but I admit that I think a little differently. While of course P&P is one of the great works of literature and certainly deserves its place in the Western canon, I am inclined to think that Mansfield Park, which in my mind is rivalled only by Persuasion, is just as deserving of that title.
There are quite a few people that seem to think that Fanny and Edmund are much too dull to make a good hero and heroine, but I would beg to differ. Fanny is to me a very real character and not as woodenly perfect as she is sometimes made out to be- she can become angry, jealous and even occasionally depressed and the fact that she does not have the freedom to vent these negative emotions doesn't mean that she doesn't have the capacity or wish to. I have also heard it said that she doesn't have the courage to stand up for herself, but I would point out that she did so at the time that it was really important, even though it would have been much easier to go along with what her relations felt was best instead.
Edmund also should be given the credit that he deserves- it is true that he spends much of the novel under the delusion of his love interest being what she really never was, but when he finally understands it, his anger at himself for not recognising it sooner and his strong desire to make amends for it was enough to make me immediately forgive him for his past mistakes.
Many of the other characters also deserve some notice as well- Fanny's brother William is one of my very favorites in any Austen novel, and her horrible aunt Mrs. Norris is arguably one of her cruelest villains. Really, I can't think of any weak links- every character is deliniated in a strinking and lifelike way, and none seem to be one-dimensional, even when they are minor and not integral to the main story.
In closing, I would point out that while a reader in the mood for something "light, bright and sparkling" might not really appreciate Mansfield Park as much, anyone in need of a good, solid and fascinating novel should not pass it up.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Savor This Jane Austin Masterpiece
Review: Mansfield Park has it all. Of course it has Austin's dexterous English, but it also has the social commentary of class and gender which we also expect from her. It has all the feel of a retrospective, and it is remarkable in the extreme that Austin saw her own world with eyes so very like our own. If the quintessence of the creative writer's craft is the development and maintenance of tension, then this is the quintessential Austin novel, and possibly her best. We ache for Fanny when she is transported from her home as a young girl and fails to find either comfort or happiness in the manor house of her aunt and uncle. We are as edgy as the characters themselves as they mount a home theatrical production which places in relief each of their deficiencies, and foretells the guileless decency of our young protagonist. Our nerves are as knotted as hers when the scheming and fabulously wealthy Crawford stalks her, brandishing matrimony as a weapon. And even as we are turning the final dozen pages, the faulty judgment of Fanny's love interest, her cousin Edmond, instills lingering doubts as to whether a satisfying outcome is achievable. Let me provide a preview of Austin's delicious language and the underlying tension it conveys: "The evening passed with external smoothness, though almost every mind was ruffled, and the music which Sir Thomas called for from his daughters helped to conceal the want of real harmony." And here Austin portrays the controlling male mindset in dealing with their female marionettes: "In thus sending her away, Sir Thomas perhaps might not be thinking merely of her health...he might mean to recommend her as a wife by showing her persuadableness." And just how depraved is Mr. Crawford? "Curiosity and vanity were both engaged, and the temptation of immediate pleasure was too strong for a mind unused to make any sacrifice to right...he could not bear to be thrown off by the woman whose smiles had been so wholly at his command; he must exert himself to subdue so proud a display of resentment; it was anger on Fanny's account [for rebuffing him]; he must get the better of it, and make Mrs. Rushworth Maria Bertram [her maiden name] again in her treatment of himself." In Mansfield Park, we have pure evil in a position of commanding power, pitted against a powerless angel. And one by one, the angel's natural allies line up against her. There are a hundred paths to disaster, and only one to the sweetest victory.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A Great Read!
Review: The protagonist of Mansfield Park, Fanny Price, was one very near and dear Jane Austen's heart, but did not win a great deal of favor with the reading public. Fanny seemingly emulates the standards of moral feminine behavior for the time period, and unlike other Austen heroines, is not obviously spunky. However, her spunk is evident in her intelligence and unwillingness to sacrifice her principles in any circumstance, even circumstances that would elevate her into high society. I can see why Mansfield Park was Austen's favorite novel. There is an illusion of decorum on the surface, like all her work, but the undercurrent in this particular work is much darker than her other novels. The West Indian slave trade, sexual jealousy, infidelity, and the question of human worth all pervade the novel and instill the reader with the sense of discomfort that Fanny feels throughout. My only critique is the ending, a rather cursory tying up of the intricate story that does not match the complexity of the novel's body. A first rate novel, though, for those who want to take the time to unravel Austen's meaning and give Fanny Price a deeper look.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: "A watch is always too fast or too slow..."
Review: Jane Austen describes Mansfield park to have happened in the first two decades of 1800's. The uniqueness in the novel is the fact that Jane remains consistently and continuously truthful to the story. The story is about Fanny Price, the heroine, who happens to be Lord & Lady Bertram's niece. Fanny's parents are on the lower end of the economy, and therefore Fanny gets taken in by her uncle and aunt at the age of 10. Over the years of Fanny's stay at Mansfield Estate, she becomes more open, intellectual, virtuous and graceful. She grows into a beautiful woman who is genuinely liked by everybody. Like any great story, Mansfield Park has a good guy (Edmund & Sir Thomas Bertram), a bad guy (Mrs. Norris), the temptress (Mary Crawford) and the trickster (Henry Crawford).
Over the years, Fanny falls in love with Edmund (her first cousin) who reminds her of the comfort she received by her biological brother - William. Whether or not Fanny and Edmund will end up together is the constant question that keeps the novel engaging. In terms of the love complex of the novel, it is more like an open-ended square than a triangle. Henry loves Fanny, who loves Edmund, who loves Mary Crawford. Other than the obvious incestuous implication in Fanny affection towards Edmund and Edmund's obsession w/ Fanny's disposition - the novel is socially very truthful to the materialism of then England. Jane throws in a harsh comparison between Fanny's mother and aunt's households towards the last part of the novel when Fanny returns to her family for a few months. Jane also draws contrasts between Mansfield and London cultures by showing changes in personalities of Mary & Henry Crawford.
Fanny practices about Edmund, what Jane says in Emma - "If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more."
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Not Austen's best, but still wonderful
Review: After having read (and loved) Jane Austen's more famous novels EMMA and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, I found MANSFIELD PARK a true delight. Fanny Price is taken in by her wealthy aunt and uncle as charity to her more lowly-married mother, and is raised with her cousins with the idea she needs refinement and education to become as good a woman as her lesser social standing will allow. Fanny is nervous and self-effacing, struggling with her new situation until her cousin Edmund makes her feel more at home. Gradually, she feels like a part of the family, although the nagging sense of unworthiness always asserts itself. As cousins marry and suitors appear, as scandals arise and emotions become known, Fanny finds herself in the equivalent of a Victorian soap opera.
Fanny is undoubtedly one of Austen's less assertive characters, although she does mature into a woman who knows what she wants and will accept no less. I loved Fanny and her honesty, the little girl who fears the stars in her eyes and still manages to grow up into a respectable - and respected - woman. Her complexities are subtle and understated, making the reader work at times to understand her motivation, although anyone who has felt like an outcast even once, or anyone who respects honesty, will identify with her. In true Austen fashion, the observations are witty, with pointed social analysis and cynicism dressed up in sly humor. Fanny's aunts in particular are skewered, but no one, not even Fanny, is spared.
Readers picking up this novel for the sheer delight of it will find it difficult to put down, as its language is accessible and free-flowing. Students and book club members who must pay closer attention to themes and other literary issues may want to consider the role social standing and money play; the evolution of Fanny's character (and whether she is sympathetic); the techniques Austen uses to evoke humor; and the courtship protocol for Victorian England and how the characters both work within, and violate, the social rules.
I highly recommend this book for teenagers and adults alike, especially those whose literary tastes run toward the classics.
Review Summary: One of my favorite books
Review: Among Austen devotees, Pride and Prejudice is usually regarded as being her best work, but I admit that I think a little differently. While of course P&P is one of the great works of literature and certainly deserves its place in the Western canon, I am inclined to think that Mansfield Park, which in my mind is rivalled only by Persuasion, is just as deserving of that title.
There are quite a few people that seem to think that Fanny and Edmund are much too dull to make a good hero and heroine, but I would beg to differ. Fanny is to me a very real character and not as woodenly perfect as she is sometimes made out to be- she can become angry, jealous and even occasionally depressed and the fact that she does not have the freedom to vent these negative emotions doesn't mean that she doesn't have the capacity or wish to. I have also heard it said that she doesn't have the courage to stand up for herself, but I would point out that she did so at the time that it was really important, even though it would have been much easier to go along with what her relations felt was best instead.
Edmund also should be given the credit that he deserves- it is true that he spends much of the novel under the delusion of his love interest being what she really never was, but when he finally understands it, his anger at himself for not recognising it sooner and his strong desire to make amends for it was enough to make me immediately forgive him for his past mistakes.
Many of the other characters also deserve some notice as well- Fanny's brother William is one of my very favorites in any Austen novel, and her horrible aunt Mrs. Norris is arguably one of her cruelest villains. Really, I can't think of any weak links- every character is deliniated in a strinking and lifelike way, and none seem to be one-dimensional, even when they are minor and not integral to the main story.
In closing, I would point out that while a reader in the mood for something "light, bright and sparkling" might not really appreciate Mansfield Park as much, anyone in need of a good, solid and fascinating novel should not pass it up.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Savor This Jane Austin Masterpiece
Review: Mansfield Park has it all. Of course it has Austin's dexterous English, but it also has the social commentary of class and gender which we also expect from her. It has all the feel of a retrospective, and it is remarkable in the extreme that Austin saw her own world with eyes so very like our own. If the quintessence of the creative writer's craft is the development and maintenance of tension, then this is the quintessential Austin novel, and possibly her best. We ache for Fanny when she is transported from her home as a young girl and fails to find either comfort or happiness in the manor house of her aunt and uncle. We are as edgy as the characters themselves as they mount a home theatrical production which places in relief each of their deficiencies, and foretells the guileless decency of our young protagonist. Our nerves are as knotted as hers when the scheming and fabulously wealthy Crawford stalks her, brandishing matrimony as a weapon. And even as we are turning the final dozen pages, the faulty judgment of Fanny's love interest, her cousin Edmond, instills lingering doubts as to whether a satisfying outcome is achievable. Let me provide a preview of Austin's delicious language and the underlying tension it conveys: "The evening passed with external smoothness, though almost every mind was ruffled, and the music which Sir Thomas called for from his daughters helped to conceal the want of real harmony." And here Austin portrays the controlling male mindset in dealing with their female marionettes: "In thus sending her away, Sir Thomas perhaps might not be thinking merely of her health...he might mean to recommend her as a wife by showing her persuadableness." And just how depraved is Mr. Crawford? "Curiosity and vanity were both engaged, and the temptation of immediate pleasure was too strong for a mind unused to make any sacrifice to right...he could not bear to be thrown off by the woman whose smiles had been so wholly at his command; he must exert himself to subdue so proud a display of resentment; it was anger on Fanny's account [for rebuffing him]; he must get the better of it, and make Mrs. Rushworth Maria Bertram [her maiden name] again in her treatment of himself." In Mansfield Park, we have pure evil in a position of commanding power, pitted against a powerless angel. And one by one, the angel's natural allies line up against her. There are a hundred paths to disaster, and only one to the sweetest victory.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: A Great Read!
Review: The protagonist of Mansfield Park, Fanny Price, was one very near and dear Jane Austen's heart, but did not win a great deal of favor with the reading public. Fanny seemingly emulates the standards of moral feminine behavior for the time period, and unlike other Austen heroines, is not obviously spunky. However, her spunk is evident in her intelligence and unwillingness to sacrifice her principles in any circumstance, even circumstances that would elevate her into high society. I can see why Mansfield Park was Austen's favorite novel. There is an illusion of decorum on the surface, like all her work, but the undercurrent in this particular work is much darker than her other novels. The West Indian slave trade, sexual jealousy, infidelity, and the question of human worth all pervade the novel and instill the reader with the sense of discomfort that Fanny feels throughout. My only critique is the ending, a rather cursory tying up of the intricate story that does not match the complexity of the novel's body. A first rate novel, though, for those who want to take the time to unravel Austen's meaning and give Fanny Price a deeper look.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: "A watch is always too fast or too slow..."
Review: Jane Austen describes Mansfield park to have happened in the first two decades of 1800's. The uniqueness in the novel is the fact that Jane remains consistently and continuously truthful to the story. The story is about Fanny Price, the heroine, who happens to be Lord & Lady Bertram's niece. Fanny's parents are on the lower end of the economy, and therefore Fanny gets taken in by her uncle and aunt at the age of 10. Over the years of Fanny's stay at Mansfield Estate, she becomes more open, intellectual, virtuous and graceful. She grows into a beautiful woman who is genuinely liked by everybody. Like any great story, Mansfield Park has a good guy (Edmund & Sir Thomas Bertram), a bad guy (Mrs. Norris), the temptress (Mary Crawford) and the trickster (Henry Crawford).
Over the years, Fanny falls in love with Edmund (her first cousin) who reminds her of the comfort she received by her biological brother - William. Whether or not Fanny and Edmund will end up together is the constant question that keeps the novel engaging. In terms of the love complex of the novel, it is more like an open-ended square than a triangle. Henry loves Fanny, who loves Edmund, who loves Mary Crawford. Other than the obvious incestuous implication in Fanny affection towards Edmund and Edmund's obsession w/ Fanny's disposition - the novel is socially very truthful to the materialism of then England. Jane throws in a harsh comparison between Fanny's mother and aunt's households towards the last part of the novel when Fanny returns to her family for a few months. Jane also draws contrasts between Mansfield and London cultures by showing changes in personalities of Mary & Henry Crawford.
Fanny practices about Edmund, what Jane says in Emma - "If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more."
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Not Austen's best, but still wonderful
Review: After having read (and loved) Jane Austen's more famous novels EMMA and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, I found MANSFIELD PARK a true delight. Fanny Price is taken in by her wealthy aunt and uncle as charity to her more lowly-married mother, and is raised with her cousins with the idea she needs refinement and education to become as good a woman as her lesser social standing will allow. Fanny is nervous and self-effacing, struggling with her new situation until her cousin Edmund makes her feel more at home. Gradually, she feels like a part of the family, although the nagging sense of unworthiness always asserts itself. As cousins marry and suitors appear, as scandals arise and emotions become known, Fanny finds herself in the equivalent of a Victorian soap opera.
Fanny is undoubtedly one of Austen's less assertive characters, although she does mature into a woman who knows what she wants and will accept no less. I loved Fanny and her honesty, the little girl who fears the stars in her eyes and still manages to grow up into a respectable - and respected - woman. Her complexities are subtle and understated, making the reader work at times to understand her motivation, although anyone who has felt like an outcast even once, or anyone who respects honesty, will identify with her. In true Austen fashion, the observations are witty, with pointed social analysis and cynicism dressed up in sly humor. Fanny's aunts in particular are skewered, but no one, not even Fanny, is spared.
Readers picking up this novel for the sheer delight of it will find it difficult to put down, as its language is accessible and free-flowing. Students and book club members who must pay closer attention to themes and other literary issues may want to consider the role social standing and money play; the evolution of Fanny's character (and whether she is sympathetic); the techniques Austen uses to evoke humor; and the courtship protocol for Victorian England and how the characters both work within, and violate, the social rules.
I highly recommend this book for teenagers and adults alike, especially those whose literary tastes run toward the classics.