Mansfield Park - Jane Austen - ★★★★.½

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AUTHOR: Jane Austen
GENRE: Classic, Social Drama.
PUBLICATION DATE: May 1, 1814
RATING: 4.5 stars.

I am one of Jane Austen’s biggest fans, and love the way she intersperses a satirical scrutiny of society into her plots without making her opinion feel obtrusive. In fact, she is so smartly subtle about it that many readers treat her books as ordinary romances, effectively missing the underlying commentary and her astute observations.

I have read all of Austen’s novels (and one novella), with some of them having been read many times over. But somehow, I had read Mansfield Park only once. As I have a retelling of this story coming up on my reading list, I found the perfect excuse to revisit my favourite classic author.

No way would I dare critique a Jane Austen work in my usual Yay-Nay style! So here are just a few thoughts on what potential readers should know about this novel:

✤ This is the first of the three novels that Austen wrote in her thirties, and hence it is much different in tone from her earlier books.

✤ This is her second longest novel, so it is not the right one to pick up if you intend to begin your Austen journey.

✤ This isn’t as light-hearted as her more popular works. It’s more moralistic and introspective. This plot suits mature readers more.

✤ Emma has the ignominy of being the most short-sighted of Austen’s heroines while Lady Susan is the vilest. Fanny Price, the heroine of Mansfield Park, is easily the most timid of Austen’s leading ladies. However, she is also a surprise package because she is the only character in the entire book who sticks to her principles and shows her strength by not being swayed in her opinion even by the dominating characters. It takes a long while to understand Fanny, but the journey is worth it.

✤ Marriage is yet again a prominent theme, but as Austen was in her thirties and unmarried when she wrote this, the marriages and “romantic” relationships in the book have a different, somewhat selfish tone to them. Not all of them go the typical way, with many of them being a tie of indulgence and social elevation than of love.

✤ Every character in this book is a study of contradictions. You think one thing about them, they soon prove you wrong. Every good gesture has something cunning hidden. Every terse remark has care and concern behind it. I loved the balance of the portrayal of the characters, and how Austen keeps us on our toes by not allowing us to draw firm conclusions about any person.


It was lovely to read a full-length Austen work after almost a decade. But to be honest, I am not sure if I will pick up Mansfield Park yet again. It is much too sombre, and the characters aren’t as striking as in her other novels, though they depict an eclectic panoply of human nature. No regret rereading it, but maybe, two times is good enough for this novel.

Recommended, for sure, to those who enjoy character-oriented classics and appreciate layered-but-not-necessarily-likeable characters.

Not changing my original rating of 4.5 stars because nostalgic ratings always win over reread scores. But I feel morally obliged to round it down this time. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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