Mansfield Park Reread Chapter 6

[tigerlily]

I remember that during my first read of this book, I hated the first half because I found it so boring. Now I've been enjoying it and I can see the characterization in what used to bore me*: all the talk about improving and the beginning of the visit to Sotherton. Here is where Mary's appreciation of Edmund begins and where we see their first proper interaction that includes Fanny as well. It's a little amusing that she doesn't express any problems with Mary here when the narration says Edmund has them.

This is also where we see Mary getting to talk more about the influence the Admiral has had on her life, even if she's joking around. Given her hints and what was narrated before, I think the Crawford's have been given a sympathetic past to explain why they are going to be the 'heartbreakers'* of the story. It seems understandable that they don't hide their thoughts on marriage or Admirals, even though they do take away the sting by speaking lightly. They're just honest in their own way, even though they can be dishonest too, later on.



*It still bores me, but I can ignore it for the characterization.

Comments

[talibusorabat]

You can kind of start to see Edmund begin to build his fictional Mary in this chapter, too. He's disappointed rather than annoyed by certain things she says, like he's building an ideal vision of her and then reality just has to butt its head in.

[tigerlily]

I hadn't thought of it, but yes. And that fits into his denseness as well. It reminds me of how he believed Mrs. Norris was an all right person who would value Fanny and wouldn't get Fanny's feelings about it. He has the image and doesn't get why it should be disrupted. I wonder if this will also make him feel more sure of himself later: 'I know she isn't perfect from this one incident, therefore I can't possibly misjudge her as better for me than she is.'