Synopses & Reviews
This collection from Everymans Library provides the complete works of one of the most popular authors in English literature. Each of Jane Austens masterpieces is enchantingly funny, touchingly and wittily told, and filled with a dazzling gallery of characters. These beautiful, clothbound classics are essentials for any home library.
Titles included:
Emma
Mansfield Park
Northanger Abby
Persuasion
Pride and Prejudice
Sandition and Other Stories
Sense and Sensibility
Synopsis
(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)
Introduction by Peter Conrad
Synopsis
At thecenter of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park isFanny Price, the classic poor cousin who has beenbroughtto live withthe rich Sir Thomas Bertram and his wife as an act of charity. Over time, Fanny comes to demonstrate forcibly those virtues Austen most admired: modesty, firm principles, and a loving heart. As Fanny watches her cousins Maria and Julia cast aside their scruples in dangerous flirtations (and worse), and as she herself resolutely resists the advantages of marriage to the fascinating but morally unsteady Henry Crawford, her seeming austerity grows in appeal and makes clearwhy she was Austen s own favorite among her heroines.
Mansfield Park encompasses not only Austen s great comedic gifts and her genius as a historian of the human animal, but her personal credo as well her faith in a social order that combats chaos through civil grace, decency, and wit. With an introduction by Peter Conrad.
(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)
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Synopsis
Mansfield Park is a study of three families-the Bertrams, the Crawfords, and the Prices-with the isolated figure of the heroine, Fanny Price, at its center. Fanny's quiet passivity, her steadfast loyalty and love for the son of the family who regard her as the poor relation, and who have taken her under their roof, are not appreciated until they are tried against the brilliant and witty Mary and Henry Crawford, the unfortunate consequences of whose influence are felt by everyone.
Synopsis
(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)
Introduction by Peter Conrad
Synopsis
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About the Author
Carol Shields is the author of
Jane Austen (Penguin Lives),
The Stone Diaries, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize,
Larry's Party,
Happenstance, and
Dressing Up for the Carnival, among other novels. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Reading Group Guide
1. Though it was very successful, Jane Austen deemed Pride and Prejudice, her second novel, ?rather too light.? As Carol Shields mentions in her Introduction, Austen hoped to address more serious issues in her next novel, Mansfield Park. Many readers and critics think Mansfield Park is Austen?s most serious and most profound novel. How does it differ from Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice ? How are her treatments of class, gender, relationships, and most especially, faith, more nuanced and more mature?
2. Describe the social positions of the three Ward sisters Lady Bertram, Mrs. Norris, and Mrs. Price. How did they arrive at such different circumstances and how have their circumstances presumably affected their personalities? How do the sisters treat each other and how much of this is the result of their respective status?
3. As soon as Sir Thomas decides to accept responsibility for one of Mrs. Price?s children, Fanny is put into an unusual position. Sir Bertram says, although she is to live with them, ?she is not a Miss Bertram . . . their rank, fortune, rights and expectations will always be different.? Describe the family?s feelings for Fanny as the novel develops. How does the treatment of Fanny by Mrs. Norris and the Bertram sisters distinguish her from the rest of the children? How does Fanny feel about the Bertrams and how do her feelings change, especially for Sir Bertram and Edmund? Before her marriage, what changes take place that allow for her acceptance in the family?
4. Fanny Price inspires strong reactions in readers; she is cast by some as a dreary killjoy, and by others as an endearing, admirable heroine. Is this dichotomy Austen?s intention? Discuss the ways in which Fanny embodies both sides of this polarized debate. What is your opinion of her in relation to other well-known female protagonists of the day?
5. Mansfield Park was divided into three volumes, published separately. Why do you think Austen chose this structure, and how does it affect your reading of the book? Think about other writing that employs this structure to inform your response.
6. From the moment the idea is suggested, Edmund is against the staging of a play. Why is the play seen as inappropriate by both Edmund and Fanny? Why, once it is decided upon, does Edmund accept a part in the play, even though he would appear a hypocrite? How much of this license was taken because of the absence of Sir Thomas and how much was simply the influence of Tom? What is the significance of their choice of plays, Lover?s Vows?
7. Describe the similarities and differences between the courtship of Edmund and Mary and that of Fanny and Henry. What are the stumbling blocks in these two courtships that cause them to fail? To what extent were the trials of these courtships responsible for Edmund?s change of heart toward Fanny?
From the Trade Paperback edition.