Mansfield Park

Jane Austen’s writing is known for its expert dissection of the minutiaeThe small details of something. of household politics, and Mansfield Park is no exception. The novel alludes to a vast global context including slavery and the Napoleonic Wars, but its subject is a simple domestic drama. It tells the story of Fanny Price, the daughter of impoverished parents, who becomes embroiledInvolved in a difficult or complicated situation. in romantic and cynical intrigues at her rich relatives’ country estate. Growing up shy and deferentialRespectful or obedient. among her opinionated and often cruel cousins, Fanny grapples with love triangles, adultery, elopementA wedding planned suddenly or in secret, without knowledge of family or friends. and unwelcome marriage proposals in the dysfunctional family. But eventually, she finds a love and lasting happiness of her own. Published in 1814, it became one of Austen’s biggest triumphs among the public, but critics have been less generous, describing the protagonist as “priggishSelf-righteous. , passive, naive and difficult to like".