(This conversation will contain spoilers for the current chapters and possibly for future chapters.)

S: We left Fanny visibly shaken from her encounter with everyone trying to make her do something she was unwilling to do, and I’m so happy that she has a room of her own to retreat to, even if it was a sort of cast off no one else wanted. She strikes me as the type who finds enjoyment in the ordinary and sees the potential in things others overlook.

R: I’m so glad Fanny has that space, too. She really needs it to be able to get away from everyone when they’re being overbearing. I enjoyed the descriptions of all the decorations and things that she has around the room. I like that Fanny takes pleasure in and finds use for items that others have rejected because they aren’t perfect.

S: Exactly! She is so gentle.

And then there’s Edmund. The more I read of him whilst he is smitten with Miss Crawford, the less I like him. Although, I must say that his conduct reminds me of my own when I’m trying to reason myself into something I know is wrong or that I had a deep conviction of. How human! And Fanny has no idea what to think now that her stalwart cousin has chosen a different path from the one he had previously so gallantly trod.

R: Oh, I agree entirely. And poor Fanny! She’s almost utterly abandoned even by Edmund. I sort of see his reasoning in preventing bringing outsiders in to witness the foolishness of his sisters, but it does smack very much of him giving in to temptation, though he doesn’t seem to be truly tempted to join in. I think it’s more of a case of doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. 

S: I agree, which usually makes it more difficult to make a wise decision. 

In Chapter 17 we find that Fanny is not the only unhappy person in the house; Julia is also frustrated and grumpy, although her emotions are perhaps less for a noble cause. Everyone is so wrapped up in their own doings and emotions.

R: This is going to go so, so badly. I’ve read it before, and I don’t recall what happens, but I think this is going to be an unmitigated disaster. The whole thing is going to come crashing down around their ears.

S: Soon, Fanny finds herself helping everyone, and listening to all their complaints. How exhausting! I would retreat as she did. Unfortunately, it mattered little as both those who were causing her the greatest distress soon sought her out. I don’t know what bothered me more about this chapter: the fact that Edmund is so blinded by infatuation or the fact that everyone takes advantage of Fanny and her one place of solace is now littered with memories that hurt.

R: Poor Fanny, the sounding board for everyone’s problems, great and small, and they manage to draw her into the theatre scheme, even if it is mostly peripherally. The problems between Mr. Rushworth and Miss Bertram seem to be coming to a breaking point. And Edmund is making me so frustrated! I suppose it might be a bit much to expect full maturity from him, though. He is a young man in the depths of his first love, presumably. I love how this chapter ends on a cliffhanger!

S: When I came to the end of the chapter I just had to keep going! For this book I’ve been able to read about a chapter at a time and then take a break because so many of the characters frustrated me, but the book seems to be picking up speed and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen!

The return of Sir Thomas was quite amusing! I very much enjoyed seeing a new side of him, though I do wonder if this was his true personality and he felt he had to be stoic because of how his daughters and oldest son act. Then again, perhaps it was simply the fact that he was finally home and really had missed the people most precious to him – including Fanny. He seems particularly happy to see her and I’m hoping this means she has a new ally.

R: I was surprised but pleased by Sir Thomas’ reaction to seeing Fanny. I felt like he’d been fairly indifferent to her before he left. Perhaps he came to appreciate her sense while he was away, especially in light of what is going on while he is gone.

S: Then, of course, Sir Thomas discovers that his room has been taken over and that his loved ones have been influenced by the type of person he rather dislikes. I honestly do not think Sir Thomas is a mean person; I think he just doesn’t quite know how to balance affection and discipline in his home.

R: I agree with you about Sir Thomas. I think that can be a difficult line to walk with one’s children – showing them love, but maintaining appropriate discipline.

S: I am happy that Mr. Yates and Mr. Crawford are gone! Sir Thomas, though seemingly a dictatorial force to his children, has their best interests at heart, desiring to uphold the family name in respect. I really do dislike Mrs. Norris, and even though Sir Thomas ceases to argue with her, I have a feeling he has her number. At least Edmund was kind enough to make sure his father knew that Fanny was innocent in the scheme; that made me happy.

R: Edmund is back in my good graces with this move! And I’m glad things end before the play actually goes forward. I think it would have been a far bigger deal if Sir Thomas hadn’t arrived until after the fact, or in the middle. I’m not sure if all of this was on the level of ruining his daughters’ reputations, but I imagine it might have opened up the household to censure from their neighbours. What others think of us shouldn’t be our primary reason for concern about our behaviour, but I think the family could represent how we should present ourselves to the world as Christians. 

S: That’s a good point and one, I think, of which Edmund is keenly aware, as is his father, and most definitely Fanny. It’s not that they’re being arbitrary and stubborn; it’s because they understand that they must set a godly example. I’m very interested to see what happens next, now that order appears to have been restored to the home!