#Fanny Price

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Character Analysis – Edmund Bertram

I have a better opinion of Edmund Bertram than much of the Jane Austen fandom has, and I am going to try to explain why. It comes down to several things:

1) He probably makes more sacrifices for people other than a woman he is in love with than any other Jane Austen hero.

He has to sacrifice a great deal of the economic condition he would normally expect in order to enable Tom’s debts to be paid, and Tom doesn’t even care about this or feel guilty for it. At no point does Edmund show hostility to or resentment of his brother over this, nor does he ever bring it up to Tom to guilt him, not even when Tom is doing something Edmund considers immoral and disrespectful to their father; Edmund makes his arguments against the play on the merits, as best he can. Nor does he bring it up to Tom when the (relative to expectations) small income he can expect is one of the principal barriers to him marrying the woman he loves.

He goes out of his way to be kind to Fanny from the start (seriously, how few 16-year-old boys would take the time to listen and be kind to and help a ten-year-old girl? Most 16-year-old boys are dreadful, from my experience of high school.)

He sells one of his horses to buy one that Fanny can ride, when riding is recommended for her health. This is no small thing, given how frequently-used horses were in that time. This isn’t like, say, selling one of your three cars; it’s more like choosing to give up either your computer, tablet, or cell phone, and never (or, well, for many years) have a replacement again. Lending the horse to Mary Crawford for a couple days is a fault, but to me a fairly minor fault in light of this.

He is determined that he will live in his parsonage rather than – as would be done by many members of the clergy in that day – live at Mansfield Park and ride over once a week to preach. It is important to him that he do his job well and live among the people he is ministering to, and he is not tempted to try to modify his parsonage into a much fancier house when Henry Crawford tries to talk him into it. Nor is he willing to pursue a career that Mary Crawford would be more favourable to. He genuinely cares about his vocation as a pastor, and is willing to make sacrifices both of love and of comfort in order to do so. I don’t generally have a high opinion of the 19th-century Anglican clergy, Edmund is genuinely dedicated.

He tends to Tom gently and fairly continuously when Tom is sick, despite Edmund having plenty of worries of his own. The book says, “when able to talk, or be talked to, Edmund was the companion he preferred.” Edmund put off a proposal to the woman he loves in order to tend to Tom – and that tending is a duty that would, I think, usually have been considered as one for the women of the family. It really highlights how Edmund is the only Bertram with real feeling and care for his family members.

In light of this, I think that some of the things readers heavily criticize him for, like losing track of time one afternoon when he’s on an outing with his girlfriend, are comparatively minor and forgiveable. Edmund seems to me to put more concerted effort into doing the right thing than most other men in Jane Austen.

2) His ability to act is constrained relative to most other Austen heroes by the fact that he is a younger son, living at home, with two parents and an aunt still living. He does not have the authority to spend Sir Thomas’ money, and filial duty means he cannot outright denigrate Mrs. Norris to Fanny. The only other Jane Austen heroes who do not have their independence are Edward Ferrars and Henry Tilney (and both of them have rather different relationships with their family).

This means anything he does for Fanny, he has to do at his own expense – as when he sells one of his horses to buy one for her; as when he offers to stay with his mother while the others go to Sotherton so that Fanny can go. It’s the most effective way he has of addressing the way they treat her: oh, so you think it’s okay if this happens to Fanny? Well then, it’s happening to me instead. In the case of the Sotherton expedition, it quickly flips people to seeing that as unacceptable, making them bother to find another (fairly simple) solution that they hasn’t cared about finding before.

In a few ways, Edmund is placed in a more feminine role in the story than any other male leads: his principal good qualities are a strong moral sense and the provision of emotional support and care; he’s the bedrock of his family in the same way that Elinor Dashwood is for hers; he’s held back from the person he loves by economic precarity; and he seems to have a limited social circle outside his family (the drinking-and-gambling habits common in young male society among students of his class and time likely didn’t suit him).

In short, Henry Crawford does not care for and value Fanny Price more (or nearly as much) as Edmund does; his financial and familial position simply make it easy for him to do things, at insignificant cost to himself, that Edmund cannot do without behaving in a way that would, in his time, be deeply disrespectful to his parents and aunt. Edmund knows Fanny far better, understands her far better, and when he gives her gifts (like the necklace) it’s ones she likes and appreciates.

3) I don’t blame Edmund for being in love with Mary Crawford for much of the book because, frankly, she’s an appealing person, especially given Edmund’s narrow social circle. The combination of wit, liveliness, comsistent good humour, interesting conversation, and beauty (plus harp-playing) that she beings are not something the Bertrams encounter every day. He wants to think better of her than she is because her other characteristics are so appealing. I think that’s a very human reaction when in love. (Elizabeth Bennet falls for Wickham and makes excuses for him based on little more than good manners, good looks, flattery, and a mutual dislike of Darcy, and people don’t criticize her nearly as much.)

By the same token, I don’t blame him for being oblivious to Fanny’s love for him because absolutely everyone is and Fanny is very deliberately and determinedly concealing it. And given that, liking to spend somewhat more time with your girlfriend than your bestie is also, I think, quite forgivable in a young person.

4) On one area of frequent critique, that Edmund doesn’t listen to Fanny on several notable occasions (mainly about the Crawfords), I think their dynamic over several years is an important consideration. It’s somewhat a flipped version of Emma in that you’ve got a mentor-mentee relationship between the leads, but in this case it’s the mentor who is mistaken and the mentee who is right. Edmund has been supporting and advising and encouraging Fanny for many years, and many of those times he was right. For example, she was afraid of learning to ride when she first started with a pony, and Edmund encouraged her and comvinced her to do it, and she came to love it.

“Ah! cousin, when I remember how much I used to dread riding, what terrors it gave me to hear it talked of as likely to do me good; – (Oh! how I have trembled at my uncle’s opening his lips if horses were talked of) and then think of the kind pains you took to reason and persuade me out of my fears, and comvince me that I should like it after a littl while, and feel how right you proved to be, I am inclined to hope you may always prophesy as well.”

Fanny also, in another conversation, describes herself to Edmund as “foolish and awkward” and he insists “you have not a shadow of either, but in using the words so improperly.” The narrative is clear about how consistent and important his care, sympathy, praise, and advoacy have been for her, for many years:

Edmund’s friendship never failed her: his leaving Eton for Oxford made no change in is kind dispositions, and only afforded more frequent opportunities of providing them. Without any display of doing more than the rest, or any fear of doing too much, he was always true to herinterests,and considerate of her feelings, trying to make her good qualities understood, and to conquer the diffidence which prevented their being more apparent; giving her advice, consolation, and encouragement.

Kept back as she was by every body else, his single support could not bring her forward, but his attentions were otherwise of the highest importance in assisting the improvement of her mind, and extending its pleasures. He knew her to have a quick apprehension as well as good sense, and a fondness for reading, which, properly directed, must be an education in itself…he recommended the books which charmed her leisure hours, he encouraged her taste, and corrected her judgement; he made reading useful by talking to her of what she read, and heightened its attraction by judicious praise.

The nature of this relationship also helps explain some of Edmund’s reaction to Henry Crawford’s proposal: while Edmund is very much at fault for disregarding her doubts about Henry Crawford’s morality, he is very used to Fanny being nervous and anxious about things that, once she is used to the and no longer afraid of them or uncertain of her abilities, she enjoys. (Such as riding.) So he is seeing her reaction in part through that frame.

The basic difficulty in Mansfield Park that affects perceptions of Edmund is that it is occurring at a moment of transition: the first time Fanny has been eclipsed in Edmund’s life, combined with a transition from him being a mentor and guide to them becoming equals, and her in fact surpassing him in perception and being willing to go against even his opinion in her choice to reject Henry Crawford. It’s the story of Fanny growing up, whereas Edmund (the mentor) is put in the place of Emma (the mentee) in Emma, in being mistaken in key assessments of people, and biased into seeing what he wants to see. This reversal is what allows them to be on equal footing, and for Edmund’s benefit from Fanny’s companionship to be as apparent or more apparent, to everyone, as his from her.

However, this means that for most of the novel we’re seeing Edmund and Famny’s relationship at the weakest point it’s ever been, which can’t help but affect readers’ attitudes to him; and I do think it’s a flaw that we don’t get an actual conversation at the end between Edmund and Fanny that deals with his recognition of his errors in judgement and the value of her perception and principle.

[fictionadventurer]

We've established that Henry Tilney could be a good love interest for Fanny Price, but is it more interesting to put Fanny Price in Northanger Abbey or put Henry Tilney in Mansfield Park?

[bethanydelleman]

Fanny Price & Catherine Morland would be so good for each other. Fanny would bring the prudence, but Catherine is pure warmth and joy and Fanny needs that so badly. They have enough mutual interests (reading, horse riding) to get them started in a friendship and I really think they'd soon love each other.

(and maybe Henry Tilney can be a good influence on Edmund?)

[hannahhmayy]

Fanny Price’s meekness is a virtue not a flaw.

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬ ‭

“But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”‭‭Psalm‬ ‭37‬:‭11‬ ‭

“The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.” Psalm‬ ‭25‬:‭9‬ ‭

[daydreamerwonderkid]

Fanny is literally just sitting, not bothering anyone, keeping her own peace, and she still gets berated repeatedly for the sheer "audacity" of her existence.

I need the Bertrams to all go drown in a lake omfg

[while-i-procrastinate]

I'm reading Mansfield Park properly for the first time and omg there are actual people who dislike FANNY????!!!!!! How? Why? In what universe?????

[themysterykat]

I'm 2/3 of the way through Mansfield Park, and I don't think I've EVER related more to a Jane Austen character than Fanny Price. Literally me in a different era.

[leche-flandom]

Fanny's sorting out entanglements of the heart while in the background the Price girls are battling over their fallen kin's coveted blade lol

[elmorinn]

Janeuary Day 27 - Cousins ❤️‍🩹

@janeuary-month

Edmund comforting Fanny in the beginning of the book was just so cute pp_pp💞💞💞 i love them <3

i used this wonderful woodcut illustration by Joan Hassall as a reference:

https://pemberley.com/janeinfo/jabrokil.html#mansf

[goth-y]

Henry Crawford came and sat time with them; and her spirits not being previously in the strongest state, her heart was softened for a while towards him—because he really seemed to feel. Quite unlike his usual self, he scarcely said anything. He was evidently oppressed, and Fanny must grieve for him, though hoping she might never see him again till he were the husband of some other woman.

— Mansfield Park, Jane Austen

[poetry-vs-depression]

finished mansfield park today

it might be my new favorite Austen novel? and there will be no Fanny Price slander in this house, not unless you've accounted for her being the adult child of an emotionally immature parents and uncle and aunts. she is surviving. surviving with no power, when she does share an opinion it often has no influence to change the minds or actions of people around her, and so she takes control of the one thing she can - herself. she sets the one and only boundary she actually has available to her, and sticks by it when everyone (even edmund!) gaslights her into thinking she's wrong. she appears the weakest outwardly but in terms of her confidence to trust herself she is the strongest character i have read in a very long time

and that has stuck a chord with me.

and i don't want to hear it about mary crawford, she's not evil but she clearly does not care about consequences of her actions. she, like most of these characters, is clearly a very charming and pretty narcissist. i feel like "personality does not equal goodness" was one of the main points of the book so like how are people saying she should have been the protagonist???

[bethanydelleman]

I just finished Mansfield Park and the fact that ANYONE could finish that and dislike Fanny Price is INSANE. She needs fires, blankets, and love. Disliking her for being meek is seriously a red flag. Absolute insanity. I truly understand why you run a Fanny Price defense blog now and I thank you for your service!!

I can't fully explain why Fanny Price is so hated. Maybe people have been fed such a steady diet of "strong" female characters that they think women who are meek deserve to be disliked? Never mind that Fanny is strong, she's just not strong in the "right", Girlboss way. She is a victim of her circumstances and if she fought back, it wouldn't have ended well. She is also disabled! The hatred of her is wild.

Fanny Price deserves all the fires, blankets, and love!

And you are very welcome. You are one of us now!

[besotted-with-austen]

Me: Fanny is literally the best and she behaves like she is in 1984-she never complains or even dares to think that her upbringing was unfair, she actively chastises herself whenever she has a negative opinion on anyone or anything at all!

Me: of course, it would probably help if everyone else didn’t treat her like she was Dickens’ Uriah Heep! Seriously, what more do the people in this book want from her?!

Henry Crawford: her hand in marriage :)

Me: understandable, but NO-

[cherismomish]

"While trying to keep herself alive" is such a funny and relatable description of dealing with an unexpected cause of social anxiety.

Henry Crawford: [walks into the room]

Fanny Price [internally]: Just a sec, I think I'm dying of embarrassment

Fanny ilysm

[blueinkedfrost]

A kind, amazing writer wrote this alternative universe for me for Yuletide! This is everything I would ever have wanted to see about an an alternate universe where Mary Crawford is the Bertrams' poor relation, and Fanny Price is a wealthy young lady of independent fortune. Beautifully characterised and written.

[fictionadventurer]

The most niche, self-indulgent fic I could write would be about twenty-years-older Fanny Price getting involved in the Oxford Movement. Edmund went to Oxford. He's a clergyman. Of course they'll know about it. Fanny likes ritual prayer. She has an eye for beauty. She'd be at least intrigued by it.

Would they both be drawn in? Edmund seems a bit more on the culturally-Christian side of things--likes the respectability at least as much as the religion--and when he's worked as a clergyman for a couple of decades, he'd probably be more reluctant to rock the boat. Yet he did form a lot of Fanny's religious tastes and they'd probably grow more similar over the course of a marriage.

The more intriguing story would be Fanny coming to believe in it while Edmund resists--does she want to go against her clergyman husband? But it could be fun to see them struggle together against a community that's skeptical of any change, maybe even struggle with what this might mean in terms of holding on to Edmund's living.

Of course at least Fanny would end up a Roman Catholic, because it's my fic, but the main point is that it'd be fun to see Austen's most religious characters have to grapple with one of the most significant religious reform movements of the time.