Jane Austen 's Mansfield Park

In today 's society, marriage is a significant bond that must be on the basis of love and understanding. Marriage is a relationship described as more for love and emotion rather than convenience or money. Through the experience of Lydia and Wickham, Charlotte and Collins, and Elizabeth and Darcy, Austen criticizes marriages based on infatuation, convenience and money, and emphasizes that marriage can only be successful if they are founded on mutual love.

Mansfield Park is an interesting tale that involves the clashing ideals of the upper and lower classes. One could say that it is based in racial tension and imperialism, and many would agree. George E. Boulukos, author of The Politics of Silence: "Mansfield Park" and the Amelioration of Slavery, believes that a one of the primary conflicts of Mansfield Park surrounds the legality and morality of the slave trade in England. Boulukos presents that the amelioration of slaves, or in layman’s terms, the improving of conditions for slaves, was a key focus of conflict between Fanny and her Uncle. “The context of amelioration makes sense of the one scene in which the slave trade is discussed in Mansfield Park. Because Fanny's discussion with her uncle is followed by a "dead silence," her reference to the slave trade has been taken as a reminder of the Bertrams' shameful dependence on a business they would prefer to pass over in silence.” (Boulukos362) Mansfield Park was written by Jane Austen, and this “scandalous” novel is still making a splash in today’s world. In 1999, Austen fans were treated with a film by Patricia Rozema that bears the same name and premise as Mansfield Park. The film, presents the conflicting thoughts on slavery through the vocalization and arguing of two characters. In the film, as Fanny is being taken to Mansfield Park she sees a slave ship bearing “black cargo.” She is puzzled by this and the driver explains that a doctor may bring home a dark play thing

Jane Austen is often considered to have one of the most compelling narrative voices in literature. Blurring the line between third and first person, Austen often combines the thoughts of the narrator with the feelings and muses of the focalized character. Emma is perhaps her most prominent example of free indirect discourse, where the narrator’s voice is often diffused into that of the characters. In the following passage, Emma takes on her role at match-maker between Mr. Elton and Harriet Smith, two naïve and somewhat air-headed characters in the novel.

In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, she has specific criteria that her characters follow when choosing their mates. In today’s society, most couples still follow these criteria and more when choosing their ideal mate. What are these important criteria that Austen’s characters consider when choosing a mate? For Austen, the important criteria that she has for choosing a mate are that couples are personally compatible, they are in love with each other, and they must have a good moral character.

Jane Austen displays and connects much of her life in her writings she uses her perceptions of people, and those of the people around her, and brings them to life in some of the greatest novels in english literature. Two of her most popular novels, Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, clearly demonstrate Austen’s perceptions on the themes of sisterhood and financial stability (Hindley, 2013)(Graham, 2010). She and her sister attended an all girls school for a short time and at one point they both contracted typhus. After that they returned home.

Henry’s shocked, “dearest Miss Moreland, what ideas have you been admitting?” not only crushes Catherine’s “visions of romance” and humiliates her of all the gothic tendencies she had entertained throughout the novel, but it also serves to humble the reader; who presumably acted as eagerly as Catherine did in seeing the superficial and assuming that General Tilney was a terrible villain. However this overt satire of gothic literature and its heroines, who “plain as any” Catherine openly defies, also acts as a platform where Austen can criticise her society and how they value texts that openly objectify and demean women to superficial creatures. When Austen says, “gentlemen read better books,” in Miss Austen Regrets, the intertextual link in her words and the use of lighting and shadow elongates her face and emphasise the bitterness of her words. Allowing the responder to understand Austen’s own awareness of the confines that she as a female author experienced in the patriarchal and classist society of 19th Century England. This translates to Northanger Abbey when the mockable Catherine says, “if I could not be persuaded into doing what I thought wrong, I never will be tricked into it.” Revealing a deep level of integrity and honesty that the more socially accepted Isabella seems to lack. Austen mocks Catherine as a means of openly addressing the contemptuous nature of gothic literature, however she imbues Catherine with qualities integral to a wholesome human being to showcase to the responder, especially in the context of 19th Century England, that society’s gender roles not only shapes female relationships negatively but also shapes the characterisation of women in literature which contributes to the misogynistic mindset of the time and the

Emma becomes a likeable character through her marriage to Mr Knightley. Mr Knightley is someone which everyone respects and agrees with. Whenever he visits Highbury he is “always welcomed” (p41). Austen portrays Mr Knightley as a knowledgeable character who is not afraid to confront Emma; when Emma boasts about her match between the Weston’s, Mr Knightley tells her that she has done more harm than good by meddling and when she tries to match Harriet with Mr Elton Mr Knightley is furious that Emma has selfishly set Harriet up for disaster.

Pride and Prejudice portrays many central values that Weldon in Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen an epistolary attempts to put right in the readers mind. The values of the Female Experience, Marriage and social structure and class. Jane Austen portrays issues in some form or another through her characters, but it is through a reading of Weldon’s ‘letters to Alice’ that clarification of these issues is made more apparent. These intertextual connections that Weldon gives to the reader about Austen’s novel helps them understand Austen’s context, views of marriage and the structure and guidelines of the social system. Weldon encourages Alice to think of these themes in context of her own life, to explore the similarities and differences.

In the novel Emma, the author, Jane Austen, uses many different techniques to characterize Miss Bates as a woman with no intellect, but a very kind heart. Miss Bates in a humorous character who is loved and loving.

Characterization stands is the central analytical point of any literary piece. Characters serve as pawns in the author's grand scheme of storytelling. The way characters are introduced and developed can change the entire framework an message behind any piece of writing. In Jane Austen's novel Northanger Abbey, the character of Catherine Morland is developed through point of view and descriptive details. The point of view of a piece delves deep into the analysis of characters.

The protagonist of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet, shares her personal thoughts, feelings, and impressions with her elder sister Jane Bennet. Through confiding in Jane, Elizabeth shares more. She allows Jane to share her pleasure and distress. As Elizabeth’s confidante, Jane influences the plot, theme, and message that Jane Austen conveys in the novel.

In Austen’s “Mansfield Park” free indirect discourse, FID, gives the reader the ability to assess the characters’ real virtues and fictitious virtues. FID reveals the inner thoughts of a character about the visible vice’s and virtues other characters seem to possess. This use of FID help shape the novel as seeing and being seen appear to be the main concern of the novel, at least through the eyes of the protagonist, the young Fanny Price. We gain much of our perspective of the world of Mansfield Park through Fanny’s eyes, and Fanny as the thoughtful observer shows her position in the novel as one who watches from the shadows. Fanny isn’t completely impartial however, and her morals shape how we view the other characters and our interpretation

Silence can be a sign of moral strength, when silent a person can escape their reality and escape from noise or anything they don’t want to be in. in all three of the novels Silence serves as an escape in Mansfield Park Fanny uses her silence as a moral center in response to the insincere social world. Fanny seems to be a silent heroine with less power than others around her. The male characters are fascinated by the well spoken women and tend to fall for the lying and cheating type, but with the silence of Fanny as well as Elinor and Anne the male “hero” cannot ignore the connections and end up together despite all of what may have happened in the past.

Mansfield created the story with the intention of allowing it to be open for various interpretations; though she includes specific detail concerning the characters Mansfield does not elucidate them in a manner that clearly defines their personalities. The story, like the budding rose, is one that never peaks to maturity, but rather remains in the developing stage because of its ambiguities which cause it to be discussed and interpreted in many varying ways.

Jane Austen writes a novel that both pushes at the romantic standards that women had to obey to while also focusing on a great deal of love within the family. The love that Fanny has for her brother right until the end of the novel is striking and heart-warming. William is the older brother that every little sister wants to look up to, he is not only an idol to Fanny but a role model to the readers of the narrative. Austen creates characters to dislike and characters that convey emotion. Lady Bertram is one character of which the reader’s dislike does not stop for due to her mean attitude towards Fanny and the fact that she is almost constantly sitting on the couch with her pug, which she treats as if she loves more than her own children. Other characters, such as William, allow for the novel to not be one of complete hate amongst