Mansfield Park

Mansfield Park was written just after Pride and Prejudice, offering an opposite view of the world and bringing a very modern perspective on the relative merits of hard work vs inherited wealth. Fanny Price is a meek, downtrodden heroine who wins out in the end through sheer resourcefulness and good character. The book deals with slavery, love, betrayal, rivalry and meritocracy, highlighted by the mesmerising tension between The Crawford’s metropolitan attitudes and the people of Mansfield Park who become enthralled by the illicit, seductive behaviour of their visitors. Probably Jane Austen’s most ambitious novel, and worth reading again, and again for it’s subtle layering of themes.