Links: January 2017 — Catch-up Edition

During my long hiatus from blogging here, I read a lot of posts about Mansfield Park. Here is a collection of them:

Jane Austen’s Microcosm: Grumpy husbands, silly wives, and schemes of happiness: real marriages in Jane Austen’s novels; By Monica Descalzi

— A discussion of marriages in Jane Austen’s novels. Mrs. Grant features amongst the array.

Jane Austen’s Microcosm: Nine children and a very small income: How poor are the Prices?; By Monica Descalzi

— About the Prices’ lifestyle. Although they aren’t about Mansfield Park, here are a couple more interesting articles from the same blog: ‘Run mad as often as you choose, but do not faint’ and ‘Lady Novelists: Anna Lefroy’s and Charlotte Brontë’s opinions of Emma’.

Miranda Writes: In Defense of Fanny Price; By mirhawk13

— “It is difficult for rectitude of mind to survive in a setting where it is continually downtrodden. Strength of mind and strength of conviction are both necessary to the survival of principle. In a setting where one’s values and ideals are constantly being reaffirmed and upheld by one’s companions, it’s easy to hang on to those values.”

The Guardian: Move over Lizzie Bennet – let’s hear it for the unsung heroine; By John Mullan, et al.

— “Yet in creating a heroine condemned to suffer in secret and powerlessly to watch the follies of others, Austen managed something as audacious as the invention of Elizabeth Bennet.”

Femnista: The Vanity of Mrs. Norris; By Lianne M. Bernardo

— “She may not possess nefarious magical powers used for ill. She may not live in an eerie castle or have a deadly criminal past. Her goal in life is not world domination. But …”

The Spindle of Necessity: What can Jane Austen show us about the 21st Century?; By Christopher Sanderson

— “Today, it seems as if human emotion is a mere shadow of what it once was in Austen’s time.”

Wuthering Expectations: Why is Mansfield Park Jane Austen’s best book?; By Amateur Reader (Tom)

— “Characters in Pride and Prejudice talk about each other; characters in Mansfield Park talk about apricots, cream cheeses, necklaces, whether the turkey needs to be cooked tonight, horses, who gets to sit in which seat of the carriage, and which child gets to play with the knife.”

Lady Disdain Notes: Austen & Me, Then & Now; By Lady Disdain

— This one doesn’t actually have a whole lot about Mansfield Park in particular, but the comparison of the author’s initial and current perspectives on Jane Austen’s novels was intriguing.

The Telegraph: Susanna Clarke introduces her choice for December: ‘Mansfield Park’ by Jane Austen; By Susanna Clarke

— I found this article by Susanna Clarke (known as the author of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell) after reading the post ‘Subversive Heroines’ on Old-Fashioned Fruitcake by Deborah Markarios.

The Curious Archaeologist: Reconstructing the Regency — The Red Books of Humphry Repton; By gordon759

— This article includes some before and after pictures of Humphry Repton’s work. Repton is the real-life landscape gardener mentioned in Mansfield Park.

Girl with Whimsy: Current Read: Mansfield Park; By Marie

— Someone just starting to read Mansfield Park. She continued on to write ‘Character Study: Fanny Price’, ‘What Jane’s Novels Are Made Of (According to One Geeky Reviewer)’, and ‘Things Jane Taught Me’. (Here’s another interesting one, though it doesn’t mention Mansfield Park: ‘Controversial Characters: Emma Woodhouse’.)

Bookheathen’s Right to Read: Mansfield Park; By Bookheathen

— “It is a story about people, about their merits and flaws, and about how they react to society’s claims on them.”

Stories from the Past: Falling for Fanny – Guest post by Leenie Brown

— About adoption and gratitude.

Rather Mundane: Mansfield Park; By JDANM

— “[H]ave any of you read Mansfield Park and (which is the rarity) enjoyed the novel and liked the heroine, Fanny Price?”

My Journal of Imaginary People: Mansfield Park and Good Villains; By hellmouthtvreview

— “I loved the book, most of all, for its villains.”

The little white attic: Fanny and Anne & Reading, misreading Mansfield Park; By Di

— Two articles about Fanny Price and Mansfield Park. The second one links to several more posts the author has written about Mansfield Park.

Sarah Emsley ~ writer & editor: Fanny Price, Mind Reader & Fanny Price as a Student of Shakespeare; By Joyce Tarpley & John Baxter respectively

— Two posts from Sarah Emsley’s celebration of Mansfield Park’s bicentennial.

Kimberly Truesdale: A Modern “Mansfield Park” in “Holidays With Jane: Spring Fever”; By Kim

— A bit about the author’s retelling of Mansfield Park, along with a bit about her inspiration.

Book Perfume: Jane Austen’s Rascals: Ranked; By Stephanie Burns

— Henry Crawford makes a list of Jane Austen’s rogues and rascals.

Lizzy Reads Books: In defense of Mansfield Park; By Lizzy

— A recommendation of Mansfield Park.

Disclaimer: I do not necessarily endorse or agree with everything contained in these posts (or the blogs that they are on). I have linked to them to them simply because I enjoyed reading them or found them otherwise interesting.

Links: December 2016

Here are some articles that I have read over the past months and found interesting. Enjoy!

The purposes of women’s education: a look at Mansfield Park and Emma (Blog: Jane Austen’s Microcosm)

Falling for Fanny (Blog: Stories from the Past)

Let’s All Give Edmund Bertram a Break (Blog: janeaustenandcompany)

In Defense of Fanny Price: Why You Don’t Like Mansfield Park as Much as You Should (Blog: Carrots for Michaelmas)

In Defense of Fanny Price (Blog: The little white attic)

Disclaimer: I do not necessarily endorse or agree with everything contained in these posts (or the blogs that they are on). I have linked to them to them simply because I enjoyed reading them or found them otherwise interesting.

Links: November 2012

I have been so busy that I haven’t had much time for writing lately. I do have a couple of posts that I have been slowly working on, but they probably won’t be ready for awhile. However, I have read a few posts about Mansfield Park that I found interesting. I don’t agree with everything written in these posts, but I at least found what they had to say thought-provoking.

“Mansfield Park, Jane Austen” (July 1, 2012) on Speaking of Books

What forms one’s character?  This question, implicitly set forth by Austen in her masterpiece, Mansfield Park, is similar to the question posed in Plato’s Meno, “Can virtue be learned?”  By transplanting the young ten year old Fanny Price into her Uncle Thomas Bertram’s household at Mansfield Park, the question is examined.

“Mansfield Park” (September 1, 2012) on The Classics Reader

Remember, wherever you are, you must be the lowest and the last.

Such is Fanny Price’s fate in Mansfield Park, where, as the consummate poorer relation, she grew up in constant reminder of her position in her mother’s sister’s family, the Bertrams.

“Damsels in Disgust” (October 11, 2012) on Beyond the Dreamline

A quick skim on Goodreads throws up a series of criticisms remarkably similar to those damning Bella Swan – Fanny is too passive, too timid, too moral and submissive. Why, people demand, is she not more like Elizabeth Bennet or Emma Woodhouse? Why, I ask, should she be? Austen had already written about Elizabeth and Emma. Why on earth should all the female protagonists of her books, indeed of any books, all be the same? Real women certainly aren’t.

I have never read the books discussed in the first half of “Damsels in Disgust”, but the defense of Fanny Price is interesting.

“Befriending Men in Jane Austen’s World” (October 12, 2012) on The Squeee

I’ve often wondered why in Jane Austen the interesting new acquaintances of the heroine’s age are often men rather than women. If the women are bad, they are petty, malicious, proud and inconstant. If the women are good, they are giggly, unintellectual, sometimes sensible, never really deep or profound. (We’re not talking about the heroines themselves). Perhaps Jane Austen preferred the company of men? (We seem to see quotes from her letters favourable things about the gentlemen she met). Was she trying to tell us something by having the heroines be friendlier (in a platonic sense) to men than women?

This post is not just about Mansfield Park, but several of Jane Austen’s other novels as well.

“Classics Challenge: Mansfield Park” (October 21, 2012) on The Briarfield Chronicles

The passage shows that Fanny is the deeper, more superior sister, because she genuinely enjoys reading for its own sake, unlike Susan who only reads to appear genteel. Jane Austen here is having a sly dig at those people who are intelligent enough to read good books, but don’t care to be intellectual. While Fanny is intellectual and thoughtful, Susan is merely quick and intelligent. The originals of an idea or thought should be read to appreciate the author’s thoughts the best, and yet Susan prefers Fanny to interpret those works for her, because Fanny is easier to understand. This shows Susan can be shallow, and is learning only for self-vanity and interest. Susan is overall a sympathetic character, so I hope you don’t dislike her. Many of us are more like Susan than we care to admit.

Disclaimer: I do not necessarily endorse or agree with everything contained in these posts (or the blogs that they are on). I have linked to them to them simply because I enjoyed reading them or found them otherwise interesting.

Links: June 2012

Here are links to some posts that I came across lately and enjoyed reading:

Price and Eyre: Long-Lost Sisters? — May 22, 2012; by goldensnidget92 of muse2amuse.

Mansfield Musings — April 25, 2012; by goldensnidget92 of muse2amuse.

My Misguided Affair with Jane Austen — November 19, 2011; by SarahAlice of The Adventures of an English Student.

Disclaimer: I do not necessarily endorse or agree with everything contained in these posts (or the blogs that they are on). I have linked to them to them simply because I enjoyed reading them or found them otherwise interesting.