Mansfield Park (IV) - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Mansfield Park (IV)

British Empire: Its Order and BoundariesChap 37-48 (Vol III: 6-17)& Conclusion

Looked at him for a moment in speechless admiration. ~ Volume III, Chapter VII (38)Fanny was obliged to introduce him. ~ Volume III, Chapter X (41)The joyful consent which met Edmund's application ~ Volume III, Chapter XVII (48) Image SourceFanny looking at Tom’s sketch book (Film, Patricia Rozema)Slide2

Outline

General Intro & Discussion Questions*Stories of Love and EducationFanny’s and Edmund’s Love Henry’s & Mary’s Changes: Why?Family Relations: Fanny at “Home”*Social Circles: Catastrophes and Solutions Empire: Boundaries of Different Kinds

Conclusion: Happy Ending? Slide3

Housekeeping

Workstation Group Discussion with Kate: this or next week, definitely before mid-term Deadline for Workstation work plan (including job division) & ppt: 4/23 Showtime: topics 4/7 ~5/12Journal 2 4/28 ~ 5/14(Sat); Journal 3 5/9

(Mon)Slide4

Home, Society & Empire defined in terms of

-- Family Relations-- Love Relations -- Boundaries of Social Propriety set after social exchanges & transgressionboundaries

: geographic (places, ha-ha), class, moral conduct (gratitude & constancy vs. speculation & conquest)Home, Society and Empire Why does Henry change his mind? Where is Fanny’s Home? Slide5

MP Themes: More than Marriage Plot

Story of Fanny -- Education and Improvement: How is it a Pygmalion story? -- Fanny’s Love (& Edmund’s) (2) Story

of Families: Family Relations & Influences (3) Social Circles & Games in MP vs. those in London (4) Gains & Failures at the Center and Peripheries of British Empire Ref. class & marriage public and private space

Edmund vs. Henry

Social MobilitySlide6

Mansfield Park: In Historical Contexts

Regency Period (1811-1820) : Vanity WorldFrench Rev. 1789Romanticism late 18th C – 1820’s

Oct 1810

-- Sir

Thomas and Tom leave for

Antigua (Fanny age 16);

Sept 1811 – Tom

returns,

April 1812

--

Sir Thomas writes home

;

late

October 1812

–

Sir

Thomas

returns

, Dec. 1812 -- The ball at Mansfield ParkJan 1813 – Henry’s proposals; The Crawfords leave Mansfield; Feb 1813 -- Fanny and William leave Mansfield Park and reaches Portsmouth; M’s letterMarch 1813 -- Fanny had been nearly four weeks from Mansfield. Henry walks into the room. M’s letter; Lady Bertram's letter announcing Tom's illness. April 1813 – M’s two letters; early May – Edmund’s letter & Fanny’s returnSummer 1813 -- Edmund turns to Fanny

The Wards’ marriages 1780’s Fanny birth 1780’s Fanny (age 10) to MP 1790’s

The Crawfords’ and Rushworth’s appearanceSlide7

PP (1813) vs.

MP (1814)Pride & Prejudice: “The work is rather too light, and bright, and sparkling; it wants [i.e. needs] shade; it wants to be stretched out here and there with a long chapter of sense, if it could be

had…” Slide8

References made to British Colonialism

Sir Thomas goes to Antigua to fix some problems  the wealth of MP founded in colonial exploitation He is back, “communicative and chatty” about the trip. But when Fanny asks about the slave trade, there is “a dead silence” (chap 21: 136)

Lady Bertrams askes William to bring back from India two shawls (chap 31: 208)Colonialism: conquestbreaking of geographical boundaries; expansion/imposition of British culture (values) exploitation (of natural and human resources; slavery) expansion of the empire and loss of control

MPSlide9

Group Discussion Questions: Your Choice

(1) Stories of Love & Education values represented

G3 Edmund’s Love: Why does Edmund love Mary? What in Mary that he learns to reject? Is Fanny a good replacement? G1 Mary’s Choice: How is Mary’s personality revealed in her talk and letters? (see next slide)G2 Fanny’s Love: Why does Fanny reject Henry? Does he improve himself when wooing Fanny and how? Is Fanny’s waiting for Ed. worthwhile?G9 Henry’s Choice: How and why does he change? G6 The Other Characters

: How

is

Susan educated? And Julia improved? Why is Maria irredeemable?

(

2)

Story of Families

:

Family Relations & Influences

6. G4 Describe Fanny’s feelings for her two homes (MP & Portsmouth)

7. G7 What are the problems with Mrs. Norris? Why is she banished from MP to live with Maria at the end?

(3)

Social Circles & Games

in MP vs. those in London

8. G 10 How is London described and how does it change Henry and Mary respectively?

(4)

Gains & Failures

at the Center and Peripheries of British Empire

9. G8 How does Sir Thomas reflect on his own success and failure in educating his children?

10. G 5 Do all the characters put on the margins deserve such treatments by the novel? Slide10

Group Discussion

1 Leader or Reader 1-2 Summarizer (choose the chapters, too) & Style Analyst (3 examples)

3-4 (7) Commentator & Quotations as evidence 5-6 Connector –theme and related examples from the other parts of the novel Slide11

Mary’s Letters & Witticism

Her Witticism: “Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there’s no hope of a cure” (7: 49). “Every body is taken in at some period or other” (5: 34)upholding “the true London maxim, that every thing is to be got with money” (6: 43)

“where the natural taste is equal, the player must always be best off, for she is gratified in more ways than one” (6: 43)Mary’s behavior: at the family theatrical, Sotherton episode, Speculation game, the ball (& necklace), discussion of Henry’s wooing & proposal, Tom’s illness & Maria’s elopement Mary’s letters: 1) letters to Fanny (actually for Edmund 38: 255) 2) report on the meeting of Maria & Henry (40: 267) 3) about Henry’s visit; people & parties in London; & “no news” from Edmund (43: 281) ;4) about Tom’s illness (45); 5) about the scandal (46) Slide12

Plot Summary: Chap 37-

source.

Slide13

Plot Summary: Chap 37-

source.

Slide14

1. Edmund’s Love & Judgment

Edmund’s faulty decision & judgment: of F’s living with Mrs. Norris; of joining the play; of F’s refusal to marry Henry of sending F back home of proposing to Mary (in person or letter) Edmund’s letters (chap 44; 45) 1

st about Mary’s changes; about their interconnections, and ways of proposing to Mary (still seeing Mary as the only person he considers as wife)*2nd letter about Tom, and his wanting to go to London3rd letter about Julia’s elopement Edmund’s final revelation (next slide)Slide15

2. Mary’s Choice

She is witty, sociable, athletic, beautiful, but also materialist, calculative and “liberal” about Tom’s illness (45)  “two poor young men less” (294) (Maybe Tom and Edmund)Her interpretation of Henry and Maria’s behavior: Calm about it (“no modest

loathings”) a folly rather than vice; folly in being detected Fanny’s fault; otherwise, theirs would end in “regular standing flirtation in yearly meetings” (309)suggesting her lack of principles solution: persuade Henry to marry Maria, ask the father to be quiet When Edmund says goodbye to her, she responds in different ways, suggesting the many sides of her personality. A. She turns red; B. playfully sees Edmund’s rejection of her as another sermon; C. tries to keep Edmund. (310-11)* Slide16

3. Fanny’s Love & Growth

Diffident  self-expressive and principled However, she remains quietly and passively in love with Edmund despite his wrong decisions, his misunderstanding of her, his confidences, and his self-centeredness (303)Her struggles: Turning down Henry’s proposals at least 3 times getting away from MP, to avoid seeing Edmund’s proposal

outbursts after getting Edmund’s letter about his indecisiveness (44: 287)Her dilemma in taking the ride of the Crawfords or not. her joy of going home (while watching Edmund suffer) Happy to be useful, beloved and that Ed is no longer duped by MaryMP: “dear” and “perfect” (a disciplined subject; Portsmouth: later) Slide17

4. Henry’s Love for Fanny: His Changes

His reasons: not only her appearance but also her virtues.His changes at Portsmouth ( chap 41-42) all attentive to her, avoids embarrassing Fanny by not joining their dinner

talks about MP positively improved: more considerate* Open to the charms of nature; Discusses his work at Norfolk, asks for Fanny’s advice the only friend from MP, he offers to pick F up His problems: changefulness love of conquest (chap 48: 317) Fanny might have married him (Susan would then live with them) Slide18

5. The Other Characters’ Education

Susan – another Fanny, ill-mannered first and then receives education from Fanny; takes Fanny’s place at MP Julia – ill educated, but can be improved because she is humble and repentantbecause Mr. Yates is acceptable (willing to be guided; domestic and quiet, not as much debts as expectedMr. Yates: “

He was not very solid; but there was a hope of his becoming less trifling—of his being at least tolerably domestic and quiet; and, at any rate, there was comfort in finding his estate rather more, and his debts much less, than he had feared, and in being consulted and treated as the friend best worth attending to.” Slide19

6. Fanny in Portsmouth (chap 38-46)

Chap 38 -39: Fanny ignored and disappointed Thrush is their only subject -- MP by comparison* Her mother compared to LB and Mrs. Norris (265) incessant noise* not accepted by local community either. *

When Henry comes: Fanny feels shame (273)When MP is in trouble, Fanny wants to go “home” more, and starts to talk about MP as home (45: 293)Fanny’s view of the family disorder (46: 298)The Prices, on the other hand, are indifferent to MP’s ordeals. Slide20

7. Outsiders (1): Mrs. Norris & Maria

1. Mrs. Norris: “altered creature, quieted, stupified, indifferent to every thing that passed” (47: 304) ; sees Fanny as “demon of the piece” (304) 2. After all, she takes responsibility for Maria3. LB: sees Maria as “a disgrace never to be wiped off”; Sir Thomas: Maria’s character can never be restored Slide21

8. Outsiders (2) The Frasers, The Stornaway

, The Owens All husband-chasers and pursuers of money They compete with or are jealous about one another.Slide22

9. MP: Order Resumed under Sir Thomas

Sir Thomas: Blames himself for being too severe (while Mrs. Norris is indulgent and flattering) Not teaching them principle or modesty (self-denial and humanity 314); not understanding them. Rejecting Mrs. Norris as “an hourly evil”; rejects Maria, too.

still happy with his own achievements* Slide23

10. The Other Outsiders

The family at Portsmouth? The Grants? The people in Antigua? Slide24

Mansfield Park

Conclusion Slide25

Happy Ending?

Yes. “Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery. I quit such odious subjects as soon as I can, impatient to restore every body, not greatly in fault themselves, to tolerable comfort, and to have done with all the rest.”

“Improvement of the Estate and its residents” –all but Lady BertramEdmund – getting over Mary, finds in “Fanny’s warm and sisterly regard for him” a good foundation for marriage. The two returns to MP (319)Sir Thomas—1) reflects

on his parenting failure;

2)

happy

to have Fanny as his

daughter, and William and Susan as his protégés, while firm

in rejecting Maria.

Julia

– comes home and Mr.

Yates improved (313)

Tom

--

recovered

and became a dutiful and better-behaved son

.Slide26

Happy Ending?

No. “Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery. I quit such odious subjects as soon as I can, impatient to restore every body, not greatly in fault themselves, to tolerable comfort, and to have done with all the rest.”

Mr. Rushworth-- gets a speedy divorce from Maria; waits to marry a young woman.  marriage as possession & exchange continued elsewhereThe Frasers – superficial party-goers, competitive on marriage market The Grants-- moved away from Mansfield Park  a stall in Westminster & residence in London

Mrs

. Norris

—subdued and goes to join Maria,

the two’s temperament mutual punishment for each other

Maria

– with

high spirit and strong

passions

for Henry,

does

not get to marry Henry, as the two

grow

to hate each other.

Henry

-

-ends up in wretchedness and self-reproach. (His desire for conquest described)

Mary -- continues

to live with Mrs. Grant. It takes her a long time to find a good match (definitely not a younger

son; 318) * Slide27

Ending in Mansfield Park: Order re-constructed Slide28

Ending in Mansfield Park: Insiders vs. Outsiders

Mrs. GrantHalf-sister

The Frasers

The PricesSlide29

PLAN OF an ESTATE

AT MILLBANK WESTMINSTER belonging to THE MARQUIS OF SALISBURY(source)British Library

Online Gallery Slide30
Slide31

Social Background

ReferencesBook: Jane Austen: The World of Her Novels. Deirdre Le Faye. Frances Lincoln, 2002. (See Google drive) Marriage: courtship and marriage Courting and Marriage in the Regency

Estate: What is a Country House? Images: Filming Locations of the Houses & Other Settings