Scratching the underbelly of Jane Austen subculture

I originally wanted to call this blog post:

Fanny Price vs Mary Crawford and scratching the underbelly of Jane Austen subcultures

but that is too long and so went for the short

Scratching the underbelly of Jane Austen subculture

The strange thing is, that people I usually like and agree with i.e. are on the "same wavelength" I find myself passionately disagreeing with regarding Fanny Price and Mary Crawford: the heroine and anti-heroine of Jane Austen's possibly most controversial novel Mansfield Park.  My personal favourite with Emma i.e. I enjoy both more than Austen's most acclaimed novel Pride & Prejudice? 

Fanny Price is a character whom I greatly admire: with her inner strength, self-discipline and ultimately her incredible self-belief, she ultimately triumphs, although it is a long slog for both Fanny and the reader.

However Fanny is quite probably Jane Austen's "least favourite heroine" with Janeites (*) i.e. the sort of people who repeatedly read Austen, watch all the adaptions (good and bad) and/or join online Austen discussion groups… you get the picture.

Personally, I slightly struggle with Lizzy Bennett and the fairy-tale ending of Pride & Prejudice, yes it is a wonderful novel and an absolute romantic classic, but I'm not quite as satisfied with the fairy tale ending. 

Intriguingly Mary Crawford might satisfy/fill some of this gap; in many ways her quick wit and charm, make her seem a bit like Lizzy Bennett (Austen's most popular heroine from Pride & Prejudice). Still, ultimately she is overly ambitious, somewhat manipulative and overly self-confident. Not 100% surprisingly given Jane Austen's personal beliefs and faith; things never quite work out for Mary Crawford in Mansfield Park. Possibly Mary Crawford is an antidote to the overly saccharine fairy tale ending for Lizzy Bennett.

I'm also intrigued by parallels between Fanny and Anne Elliot, the very popular heroine (especially with seasoned Janeites). Both heroines are reserved, and stoical, whom eventually, after displaying a great deal of inner strength, self-discipline, and good judgement; both find their "true love". These two later novels, seem richer and even more revealing portraits of society to me. But why is Anne much more popular than Fanny? Fanny starts Manfield Park as the poor relative and is patronized plus heavily condescended to, but eventually makes good. Anne Elliot is an admirable character, but it is not as clear why she lets her family treat her in a condescending manner?

NB (*) Here is how the BBC describes modern Janeites

Some Janeites, as they call themselves, write their own fiction imagining the marital exploits of Mr and Mrs Darcy. Others don elaborate period dress and throw Jane Austen-themed tea parties and balls.

Blogs and forums dedicated to Austen and Austen-style fan fiction abound across the internet. The Jane Austen Society of North America (Jasna) boasts 4,500 members and no fewer than 65 branches. 

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21036818

 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21036818