Mansfield Park has sometimes been considered as atypical of Jane Austen as being solemn and moralistic. Poor Fanny Price is brought up at Mansfield Park with her uncle and aunt. Where only her cousin Edmund helps her with the difficulties she suffers from the rest of the family, and from her own fearfulness and timidity. When the sophisticated Crawfords (Henry and Mary) visit the Mansfield neighbourhood, the moral sense of each marriageable member of the Mansfield family is tested in various ways, but Fanny emerges unscathed.

We need to look at the way Austen portrays Fanny Price after the wit and vivacity of her earlier heroines, it is often wondered how Austen could have created such a character as Fanny Price.

Fanny is a Christian heroine who is submissive, physically delicate and all too collusive with the privileged world of Mansfield Park. Having Fanny as the heroine displaces the energy and vitality of Mary Crawford. However Fanny is the heroine of this novel and we have to discover if she is only the heroine due to the fact that all the other characters in the novel falter in

As a result of Edmunds' coaching, Fanny's moral attitudes in general are over determined, so it is quite easy for us to think of her as modelling a 'conduct manual'.

 Well aware of people and their feelings and relates well to most people whilst keeping some psychological distance

I agree that Fanny emerges victorious because of the fact that the others falter but not 'simply' because the others falter. Fanny grows as a person throughout the novel she stands up for the things that she believes in, which is an admirable quality in anyone.

Fanny believes that the presence of Henry and Mary is what is leading her cousins astray. It is Fanny who sees that Henry is trifling with Maria and Julia and she, as well as Edmund who is scandalised by the sketch of Mary's years at the Admirals house.

Mary Crawford is sparkling, lively, charming and witty, however, she possesses a ruthless determination to be able to dominate. Mary is under the belief that what she cannot charm she can buy.

Maria is a 'finished' product of society but she has no understanding of its duties. Having agreed to marry Mr Rushworth, simply because he is the most eligible man in their society, she does not have the integrity to go through with it.

 Shows deep commitment to the good and is always alert for the bad

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Approximate Word count = 2188
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)