Mansfield Park…

I’ve been reading A LOT of Jane Austen lately, and for some reason I had never read Mansfield Park, and now that I’ve just finished I have questions and comments, like:

• Why was ever Edmund in love with Mary Crawford? From the beginning she constantly insulted everything he respected or considered important. Stupid boy. (insert eye roll here).
• Why everyone seems to hate Fanny Price as character? I mean, I get that she’s quite stressful in the beginning BUT she gained my full respect rejecting Henry Crawford against EVERYONE’S opinions. She stood her ground, sure that he was not a good man.
• Even though I get why Fanny is not a reader’s favourite, I don’t get why so many people like Mary! I mean, she starts being quite fun and relaxed and nice, but then she says so many not nice things! AND she’s totally OK with his asshole brother playing around with girls and breaking hearts. Like, girl? wtf? If she didn’t like the Bertram sisters, whatever, but wasn’t Fanny supposed to be her friend? WHAT THE HELL, GIRL?
• On a side note, the fact that NO ONE could understand that Henry should be able to take “no” for an answer and leave Fanny alone, and that nowadays PEOPLE STILL DO THIS just blows my mind. No, it is not romantic, it is creepy. It was then, it is now.
• Oh, how I LOVE to hate Mrs Norris!
• How many Lady Bertrams do you know in real life? I know several.
• Edmund, my man, just sit down, deep breath, and shut up. It clears the mind. XD

ANYWAY, here a meme from Sparknotes:

I give this book 3 out of 5 bonnets (the official ranking system for Regency stuff), because I wanted to slap almost all of the characters, and the whole first part was kind of boring.

And a final question: what’s your favourite adaptation of Mansfield Park? I think I’ve seen the one with Johnny Lee Miller but I do not longer remember it. Lol.

• The bonnets images are from Costumes Parisiens, 1817.