R: After reading each of Jane Austen’s books, we’ve been choosing one, or more, movie/TV adaptations to watch and discuss. There were a few choices for Mansfield Park but this one seemed to be the most faithful rendition. In almost every case, I don’t feel that movie adaptations can possibly do justice to Austen’s works. Because there’s not a lot of excitement and action in her writing, one might consider a longer version to be boring, but I haven’t found it so. Rather, the faithfulness to Jane Austen’s words, work and, most importantly to me, her humour draw the audience into her world.

S: I agree! It’s difficult to adapt any book, but I think Austen’s works are particularly difficult simply because of the snarkiness.

R: This version was certainly very faithful to the original, and conveyed the humour, particularly with Lady Bertram, rather well to me. I don’t know that I’d had a particular vision of the character before watching, but as soon as I saw Lady Bertram and heard her speak, I was immediately satisfied with the casting and acting. Of all the actors, I think I appreciated her portrayal the most. Otherwise, the rest of the cast seemed to be performing as if they were in a stage play rather than on a screen.

S: That’s very interesting! I actually was a bit annoyed by the way Lady Bertram was portrayed in this adaptation. I read her as sweet and a little flighty, and, to me, this adaptation had her seeming spaced out most of the time.

It did seem as though it was a stage play adaptation, but I didn’t mind that. I really liked the scenery, the clothes, the background action, and the way everything was shot – it all made me feel like I was physically with the characters.

R: One of the other casting choices I didn’t care for was for Edmund. I’d forgot that Edmund does end up being in his mid-twenties by the end of the book and not sixteen as I’d had in my head, but still, the actor looked far older than that to me and so threw me out of the story somewhat.

S: I was a bit surprised at that at the beginning as well.

R: Another issue I had was that Fanny’s love for Edmund is hardly seen throughout the mini-series, so the ending seems incongruous. I think the problem lies in that the book shares what Fanny is thinking throughout, but they didn’t convey that onto the screen at all, really. There might have been some looks and glances, but I felt the ending was very abrupt, which I felt about the book, too, so I guess that was staying faithful to the source.

S: I would agree with that. Unless the choice is made to break the fourth wall it becomes rather difficult in an adaptation to see inside a character’s mind. I haven’t seen any other Mansfield Park adaptations, and I wonder now if there’s been one that has been written like that – Fanny breaking the fourth wall, or even Jane Austen as narrator interrupting the story to tell the audience what Fanny is thinking. That would be highly entertaining!

R: Oh, that would be amazing! Overall, I found the mini-series enjoyable and would watch it again. I might like to check out some of the other versions as well sometime.

S: Me, too! I’m glad we picked this one to watch.

After a hiatus, we aren’t sure how long of one, the next book we’ll be reading is Emma by Jane Austen.

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

S: Well! After the last section, I was not quite expecting all that Chapter 46 contains! Crawford leaving Fanny for Jullia? Sure! Crawford changing so drastically that Fanny ends up loving him? That would work as well. Crawford seducing young Susan? Possibly even that. Crawford leaving Fanny for the married Maria? Not at all! My emotions were like Fanny’s – grieved yet also happy because his true character is finally revealed and she gets to go home to Mansfield Park. 

R: This was an unexpected but not surprising event, if that makes any sense. I’m glad too that Fanny gets to go home and that her original assessment of Mr. Crawford’s character is vindicated. It makes me wonder how Sir Thomas feels about pushing Fanny to marry Mr. Crawford when he finds out. 

S: Yes, I wonder how he really feels as well, but perhaps he’s a person who acknowledges a deficiency in his character and moves on.

It makes my heart so happy that Sir Thomas invites Susan to Mansfield; even though he was wrong in his estimation of Mr. Crawford, I still hold him in high regard. Fanny really sees now, I think, that she is loved and the reader sees that she is the glue that holds the family together. That quiet strength she has always possessed has served her family well.

R: Yes, Sir Thomas’ blindness toward Mr. Crawford’s deficiencies notwithstanding, he shows himself to really care for Fanny and her family, much more than her actual blood relatives seem to, and be a good man. It’s amazing to see how much of an impact Fanny has on every member of the Bertram family. 

S: I wonder what Edmund will do. Will he look past this and still want Miss Crawford as his wife? I really hope not, because they are just not a good match. His greeting to Fanny when he arrives to pick her up is so beautiful and tender I can’t help but want them to end up together.

R: Still with the will they-won’t they! It’s excruciating. The reader knows that even though Fanny finally develops some feelings for Mr. Crawford, she still loves Edmund.

S: My favourite line in Chapter 46 is, ‘Never had Fanny more wanted a cordial.’ 

R: I love this line as well! Throughout the whole book, Fanny is shown as quietly taking whatever abuses her family throws at her, but here we catch a glimpse of the fact that it does wear on her.

S: Chapter 47 is a rather difficult chapter to read, but it is worth wading through all the emotions. It’s painful that Mrs. Norris still chooses to blame Fanny for Mr. Crawford’s and Mrs. Rushworth’s choices, yet Fanny says nothing to her and simply loves on Lady Bertram as best she can. 

R: It reiterates again that despite the poor treatment she received from Mrs. Norris and the, at minimum, indifference from most of the rest of the Bertrams, Fanny has retained a sense of her own value. She feels sometimes like she doesn’t deserve even what she has, but don’t we all feel that way sometimes?

S: Indeed!

When Edmund tells of Miss Crawford’s reaction my heart was very sad. I can completely see where she’s coming from but the fact is Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Rushworth were wrong. Her advice sounds good but from a Christian perspective it is not and Edmund sees, finally, that they cannot be together. Unfortunately it took him a long time and very sad circumstances for his mind and heart to start changing, and he could ignore it, but he chooses not to and chooses to go a better way. His recognition that he had made a sort of ideal of what he wanted Miss Crawford to be endears me to him. 

R: Edmund finally sees the light! It’s sad that it took him so long to understand that Miss Crawford has a very warped view of the world and certainly would not be suitable for a clergyman’s wife.

S: As I was thinking more about Mr. Crawford and Mrs. Rushworth it dawned on me that Austen had already set this up, earlier in the story, when Mr. Crawford and Miss Bertram sneak off from the others at the Rushworth estate. Julia, too, has such fierce competition with her sister that it seems she did not want to be outdone and so chooses to elope with Mr. Yates. The whole thing is very sad, but you raise children as best you can and then they have to make their own choices. 

R: Exactly! But I can see all of this as a direct consequence of the Bertrams’ neglectful parenting. They failed to instill good values into their daughters and elder son. 

S: The final chapter is so delightfully written! Austen breaks the fourth wall and addresses the readers, calling Fanny ‘My Fanny’, and does such a wonderful job of giving everyone the ending they deserve; even if they get a happier ending than they deserve, it’s still a good ending. 

R: I am glad the story ended with Fanny marrying Edmund! But I hate that Austen crammed the happiness into just a few pages. I feel like it wasn’t very satisfying. I did enjoy the story overall; however, it was a bit of a hard slog to read. It was so different from the two previous novels and I don’t think the pacing was as good as either of them.

S: I’ll admit, it was a difficult story for me to read through and wasn’t nearly as quick of a read for me as Sense and Sensibility or Pride and Prejudice – the plot moves slowly and Fanny is usually found between a rock and a hard place, but despite those things, I think this has become one of my favourite novels. 

Coming up next, we will discuss a movie adaptation of Mansfield Park!

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

S: Oh, Mr. Crawford! I suppose if Fanny was actually interested in Mr. Crawford’s advances his unannounced visit might have endeared her more fully to him, but instead it’s a source of agitation for her, mainly because of her family. It’s rather unfortunate, and yet completely understandable, how she feels toward them. Mr. Crawford’s visit does make me wonder: Is he improved, or is he acting? If he is acting, how long will it last?

R: Henry. Stinkin’. Crawford. But he puts his best foot forward and seems to endear himself to Fanny’s family. Even Fanny herself softens ever so slightly toward him, though his visit causes her real distress. I have no idea about his motivations and it’s driving me crazy.

S: Chapter 42 confuses me even further – is Mr. Crawford truly as caring in his feelings toward Fanny as he professes, or is he just a flatterer? I, like Fanny, can’t figure him out, but I do like that he implores her to tell him if she needs to go home sooner than her allotted two months. Although, thinking on it more, it was rather bullying, with no regard for honouring Sir Thomas’s wishes. I feel for Fanny just as, it appears, Mr. Crawford does, for he sees her tiredness and her strength failing at her parent’s home, but she is also trying to do the right thing and honour her uncle and her parents.

R: I agree completely. Mr. Crawford’s motivations are still unclear, though he certainly shows a great deal of care and concern for Fanny. I believe that if Fanny asked to return to Mansfield early, Sir Thomas wouldn’t hesitate to bring her right back. He probably had no idea how difficult it would be for Fanny to visit home, much as she didn’t know herself. I’m glad that Mr. Crawford appears to have truly become a man worthy of Fanny’s respect, but I don’t trust it.

S: We already, I think, have a pretty good idea of Miss Crawford’s character, but in Chapter 43 we see even better the kind of person she is. We also learn from Fanny about how attached she has become to her younger sister, Susan, and it makes me so happy that she has found an ally, someone whom she can mentor. I really hope that Susan can live with Fanny at some point! I don’t want it to happen, because I still don’t like him all that much, but I wonder if Fanny is beginning to soften toward Mr. Crawford?

R: It certainly seems like Fanny might be changing her mind about Mr. Crawford. I was thinking the same thing. 

S: Then Fanny receives the long-awaited letter from Edmund and I love her reaction! It is so real, and I found myself laughing at how often I react like she does when my emotions are everywhere all at once. Obviously, she has yet to work through her feelings for Edmund and she’s trying to reign in her thoughts and subdue them when everyone seems to be either confusing her or disappointing her. I’m sure I’ve said it before, but she is so real!

R: Fanny’s reaction to Edmund’s letter is both funny and sad. I’m glad for her that she is asserting herself, even if it’s only to herself. This whole thing with Edmund and Mary Crawford is frustrating, though. Austen keeps giving us ‘will they or won’t they?’

S: I am surprised at the family not sending for her, though, since Tom is so ill – it seems very out of character for Sir Thomas or for Lady Bertram, but perhaps, as you mentioned, Sir Thomas is unaware of what Fanny is going through and doesn’t want to take her away from her family too early. I know that he is also hoping that she will see what a great match Mr. Crawford would make. As we have seen from earlier in the story, Sir Thomas really does love her despite some of the mistakes he has made. 

R: It really is surprising that no one thinks to bring Fanny back to Mansfield Park, except for the Crawfords. And we know that she doesn’t want to accept their assistance for fear of giving Mr. Crawford further hope that she’ll accept his suit.

S: It makes me so very happy that Fanny is no longer the quiet, shy woman we have become so accustomed to seeing. She has changed and become strong and I really like it. Hers is a quiet strength that is not often regarded and is seen, for example, in the fact that she vehemently disagrees with the Crawford’s way of life and with her parent’s, but she is also very gracious and honouring of all around her.

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

R: I was worried about how things would go when Mary Crawford finally gets to have her conversation with Fanny, but it was better than I expected. While she seems to believe her brother’s feelings for Fanny to be sincere, she isn’t too pushy about it, though Fanny feels beleaguered again.

S: That’s interesting! I read it as her still being a little pushy about Mr. Crawford and a bit territorial regarding Edmund. She confuses me, and it makes me wonder if she really sees Fanny. Fanny’s statement to her saying, ‘I was quiet, but I was not blind’ really makes me think that no one actually understands her.

R: The Crawford siblings leave finally, and it seems like life is going back to normal, but Fanny has become convinced, and Edmund seems to confirm, that he will soon be proposing to Mary Crawford. Then William makes another appearance and Sir Thomas has the bright idea of sending Fanny back to her childhood home along with William. Fanny is thrilled. She hasn’t been home since she came away years ago and thinks it will help her be strong when she receives word of Edmond’s engagement. 

I don’t think it’s going to go so well. Her family seemed ready enough to let her go before, and I don’t believe that adding her back into the large family with so much distance in years and upbringing is going to be as joyful as Fanny thinks.

S: Chapter 37 confirms what I thought whilst reading Chapter 36: No one understands Fanny. Sir Thomas thinks that sending her away to her poor family will help her see the benefit of marrying Mr. Crawford, which I understand, but it really drives home the point that Fanny is an enigma to him right now. Still, I do love his and Lady Bertram’s love for Fanny – they want her to be happy and both, in their own way, shut down Mrs. Norris’s rudeness toward her. As I read the conclusion of this chapter, I also had a bad feeling about the visit; she is so excited, but I have a feeling that she is deceiving herself – how easy to do!

I was so touched when I read that William and Fanny are planning on living together because neither thinks they will ever marry – that is so sweet; sad, but sweet. They have such a close relationship. 

R: I agree, this is a precious interlude. I’m so glad that Fanny gets this time alone with William before diving into the chaos that is the Price household. I hate that her joy of being with William is cut short by the early departure of his ship. It adds even more pandemonium than their arrival on its own.

S: I know – I felt so sad for her that William had to leave early! 

I completely understand Fanny’s feeling about receiving letters from Miss Crawford – it’s the not knowing that can drive one batty. 

(Also, the phrase ‘…the dirty month of February’ exactly describes how the month of February feels to me: dark, cold, depressing, slushy – in a word, ‘dirty’.)

When Fanny arrives at her parent’s house she is in major culture shock and it hurts my heart for her, mainly because she is so hurt, so overwhelmed by everything. Mansfield’s world is so large and her family’s world is not. It’s such a sad beginning of a visit! I would feel the same way as she did – hurt at not being treated well, that there is little decorum in the family, but I confess I do not know if I would be nearly as gracious to them as she is.

As I kept reading about her family, the only thought I kept having was, ‘How sad! This is so, so sad.’ Her parents have a really bad relationship, her mother plays favourites with the children, and the children show their parents no respect. The time away from Mansfield Fanny thought would be wonderful and good instead makes her wish for her home all the more. As the old adage says, ‘You don’t appreciate what you have until it’s taken away.’

R: The state of the Price family is much as I expected. Fanny’s modesty and shyness means that her own family runs over her just as much as the Bertrams did. While her mother seems pleased to see Fanny, the rest of the family couldn’t seem to care less. To an extent, I can understand that with the younger children; they were so young when she went away that her return can have little to do with them.

It’s so sweet that William thinks to tell his mother to look out for Fanny right before he leaves, though one would expect that to be a mother’s place already. And Fanny works so hard to not appear to be above the family, though she sees all of their faults. It’s unfortunate that others see her as putting on airs because of her reticence. It’s much the same when non-Christians look at believers and see us as holier-than-thou fun-killers, but our joy in Christ is better than anything the world has to offer.

S: That’s a good comparison.

There are three things I absolutely love in Chapter 40: Firstly, Fanny has found a friend in Susan. Due to Fanny’s way of noticing much, she sees that her younger sister desires to help make the home orderly and disciplined but lacks the knowledge on how to do it. Secondly, Fanny rolls up her sleeves and gets to work, taking control of the finances Sir Thomas gave her, and in a way discipling Susan. Thirdly, stories – Austen makes a wonderful argument of how stories are beautiful and help the mind become calm in the midst of chaos. 

R: I was excited by Chapter 40 as well! It seems to be a bit of a turning point again. While Fanny is anxiously awaiting the news of Edmund and Mary Crawford’s engagement, she manages to find some happiness with her sister Susan. It speaks to being content in one’s circumstances, even if they aren’t the best. I love that the situation gives Fanny the opportunity to stretch herself a little and utilise some creativity to help solve some problems and become a positive influence on at least one of her siblings.

We’re getting close to the end of the novel and I’m excited to see what happens!