Eventually, only Edmund comes to console her and help her adjust to her new life.įanny, whether near or from her cousins, whether in the school-room, the drawing room or the shrubbery, was equally forlorn, finding something to fear in every person and place. The expectation that she should be happy and grateful only compounds her misery. Timid and shy, Fanny is simply overwhelmed, scared and homesick. The matter being settled, ten-year-old Fanny, leaves everything she knows to live with Sir Thomas and Lady Betram and their four children – Tom, Edmund, Maria and Julia – at Mansfield Park. Mrs Norris though will not be sharing in the cost of raising Fanny, despite having no children of her own, on account of Mr Norris’ failing health. Despite some misgivings, Mrs Norris presses the case for Fanny, arguing that she will not be a bad influence since she is younger than the Bertram’s children and the Bertram’s sons would not take a romantic interest in her since, growing up together, they will see her as a sister.
Mrs Norris suggests taking on the eldest Price daughter, Fanny. The sisters are supportive of helping Mrs Price. With her husband unable to actively serve and the family struggling to stay out of poverty, she hopes a position might be found for her eldest son, William. Years later, with eight children and a ninth on the way, Mrs Price reaches out to her wealthier sisters for assistance. Living in Portsmouth, Mrs Price is estranged and relatively poor compared to her sisters. The second, married a wealthy Baronet, Sir Thomas Bertram, and the youngest, partly in rebellion, married an officer in the marines, William Price, without fortune and without the consent of the family. The eldest married a respectable clergyman, Mr Norris. Once there were three sisters whose adult fortunes diverged when they married three very different men. However, you may find a lot more that sets Mansfield Park apart and gives you plenty to think about. If you are familiar with Jane Austen’s more popular novels, like Pride and Prejudice or Emma, you may find some commonalities in Mansfield Park.
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