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veronicaleighauthor · 9 months

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In Defense of Fanny Price

“I was quiet, but I was not blind.”

Back in April, I wrote a post called “Which Austen Heroine Am I?” and I explored which of Austen’s heroines I was most like. I always viewed myself as an Elinor Dashwood from “Sense and Sensibility.” I did one of those Myer-Brigg’s tests and came out as an INFJ-T and according to a friend’s blog, my closest Austen match was Fanny Price, who was an INFP. I was surprised and in a little bit of denial. Fanny Price is generally everyone’s least favorite Austen heroine. She’s not a bad character, or badly written, nor is there anything really objectionable about her. In comparison to Austen’s other livelier heroines, she is meek, she cries a lot, she’s really religious, and she loves a pedantic, unlikable doofus, who throughout most of the book is chasing after someone else. Often in adaptations, her personality and motives are completely altered to make her more interesting to modern audiences. Many, including myself for the longest time, couldn’t understand why Fanny refused accept the charming Henry Crawford’s marriage proposals.

I recently re-read “Mansfield Park” and paid close attention to Fanny. Her disposition, her beliefs, her entire history. Oh my, oh my, oh my. It was like meeting a 19th century version of my teenage self…well, except for her history. My history is completely different; I had a very normal, loving, and supportive family, but you understand what I mean. Like Fanny I was shy/meek, I cried A LOT, and I was really religious. Thankfully I never fell in love with someone who chased after another. I’m not sure how I could have missed it, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m a Fanny Price and upon closer inspection, I believe she is one of Austen’s strongest and bravest heroines. She may be meek, but she is not weak.

Early on in the novel, Fanny is taken from her impoverished family – who don’t seem to care that she leaves – and brought to live with her aunt and uncle Bertram, and her cousins at the grand estate of Mansfield Park. Though she is brought up alongside her cousins, she is continually reminded by everyone that she is not on their level, and that she is lucky to be there, and to never forget her place. From Austen’s descriptions and Fanny’s words and demeanor, we can see she is beaten down by life and her relatives, others fight her battles for her, and from her nervousness, it’s debated if she has an anxiety disorder – another thing I have in common with her. At least, from 21st standards, it appears she might. In other scenes, her health doesn’t seem strong. She is not a walker; her only form of exercise is horse riding; the heat overwhelms her; physically she is limited. She becomes a companion of sorts to Lady Bertram, and though her aunt cannot do without Fanny’s devotion, love is not exactly extended. Fanny has her own place of refuge in the attic, away from the rest of her family, where she can read, reflect, and pray.

Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram are not bad people, but they are not great parents. They give their children everything they need except for sound moral instruction. Only the younger son Edmund finds the right path, chooses to become a clergyman when he is older, and he is the only one to show Fanny true kindness and friendship throughout the whole of the book. Fanny falls in love with Edmund…who in turn falls in love with the fashionable, witty, and morally bankrupt Mary Crawford. Mary and her brother Henry come to live in the neighborhood and everyone likes, respects, and adores them. Except for Fanny. Quiet, meek, submissive Fanny isn’t fooled by their niceties or their behavior. She knows they’re bad news and while Sir Thomas Bertram is away in Antigua, the Crawford siblings turn Mansfield Park upside down with their enthusiasm for participating in a questionable play. Henry Crawford shockingly flirts with the Bertram ladies, including the newly engaged Maria Bertram.

Everything is set to rights when Sir Thomas Bertram returns to Mansfield Park. Maria is married off to a wealthy but foolish man…and Henry sets his sights on Fanny. Originally, he plans to make a small hole in Fanny Price’s heart, but soon believes himself in love with her. Despite her rejections, he is determined to marry her, going as far as to enlist his sister, Edmund, and Sir Thomas Bertram’s assistance. Mary Crawford hopes that Fanny will “fix” Henry; reform him; be his moral center. The Bertram’s believe marriage to Henry will be a step up socially for Fanny. Henry helped her brother William; he could help her other siblings and parents, taking the burden off of the Bertram’s. Henry’s former bad boy behavior /flirtation with Maria is forgotten – he is that well-liked. And you know what, as a reader, it can be easy to be taken in by Henry Crawford. There is a part of me that hopes he will turn his life around and become a better man, and be worthy of Fanny. It is believed that Jane Austen’s sister Cassandra wanted this too, that she wanted Fanny to end up with Henry and reform him. But Jane Austen was adamant and way more astute than I am at times. I’m sure she encountered her share of Henry Crawfords in life, enough so to accurately portray such a charming man on the page.

As I mentioned above, Fanny is criticized for not only refusing Henry Crawford. Henry is likeable, charming, thoughtful, and wealthy. He notices Fanny’s self-worth when others overlook it, he helps promote her brother William advance in the navy, he claims he is willing to change for her and become a better man. How could she not like or love, or be willing to marry him after all he did for her? Fanny tells her uncle, “I—I cannot like him, sir, well enough to marry him.” This line struck a chord with me. I’ve lost count the number of times people have tried to set me and I’ve refused. Why? He’s nice, he's good looking, he’s kind, he’s a Christian…Why won’t you go out with him? Like Fanny, people think because I’m nice, polite, and a Christian means I should be willing and perhaps grateful to go out with So-and-So. It’s harder when So-and-So has perhaps done something nice for you. Just because Henry Crawford (So-and-So) did something nice for Fanny (me) or treated her with kindness, doesn’t mean she (I) owe him marriage (a date). Obviously, I’m projecting my own struggles onto this 19th century heroine/situation, but I get it. Fanny doesn’t like Henry, she doesn’t trust him, she doesn’t love him, she doesn’t want to marry him, she doesn’t owe him herself no matter how charming or kind he is. She shouldn’t be condemned for telling a man “no.” If we applaud Elizabeth Bennet of “Pride and Prejudice” for telling Mr. Collins – a man she doesn’t like, respect, or love - no, then we must applaud Fanny Price too.

Something I noticed in my re-reading of “Mansfield Park” – Henry Crawford does help William Price, for Fanny’s sake. He was being thoughtful and generous, however he did so to be able to publicly show off how kind he was being and to make Fanny feel obliged to him. He told everyone and their brother what he did for William. Contrast that with Mr. Darcy in “Pride and Prejudice” – when Darcy discovers Lydia in London and arranges it for her to be married to Wickham, then pays off Wickham’s numerous debts and gives Wickham 10,000lbs to marry Lydia, it is done with no strings attached. Darcy has no plans to ever tell Elizabeth or the Bennet family what he did. He did it simply because he loved Elizabeth and he wanted to spare her and her family from suffering. It is also disturbing that Henry Crawford does not take Fanny’s no for an answer. “No” does not mean “I must persevere and change her mind” – no means no.

To remind her of where she came from, and perhaps reconsider Henry Crawford’s proposal, Fanny is sent to her parents’ home in Portsmouth. She is astonished by how the Price’s live, and though she attempts to help, and guide her younger sister Susan onto a better path, she yearns for Mansfield Park. However, even when he visits at one point, she doesn’t regret turning down Henry’s marriage proposal. Despite all opposition and all arguments, the meek and mild Fanny stands firm. No one supports her decision, she has no friends outside of her family or their social circle that try to understand her position, and even the man she loves tries to cajole her into marrying Henry. Fanny is alone yet determined to follow her conscience. Which is why I consider her one of Austen’s strongest heroines.

Through a newspaper, Fanny and her parents learn that her married cousin Maria leaves her husband and runs off with Henry Crawford. Fanny, with Susan in tow, returns to Mansfield Park. Edmund finally sees Mary Crawford for what she really is and in a very short and unfulfilling romance (which is like a paragraph long), he and Fanny marry.

I will never understand why, or how, Fanny could love Edmund Bertram and it’s not because of them being cousins (still ewww). Edmund, though kind to Fanny, loves and pursues Mary Crawford for most of the book and at the end, we’re left with the impression he “settles” for Fanny. Fanny and Edmund’s romance is never shown, we just know it happens. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons generations of readers find “Mansfield Park” unsatisfying. We think Fanny deserves better – she deserves someone who adores her. Then again, I suppose we can’t help who we fall in love with. Fanny loved Edmund and in the end after years of struggle and pain, she got her happy ending.

So, I have come away with a new appreciation for Fanny Price. She’s still not my favorite Austen heroine, but I can respect her and can accept the similarities of our personalities.

Thanks for reading my rambling defense of Fanny Price.

Until next time!

#fanny price #mansfield park #infj-t #myers briggs #jane austen #mansfield park 1999

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