Mansfield Park (Revisited): The Crawford's Point of View (book discussion)

This meeting we will be devoted to discussing Mansfield Park, covering general thoughts about the novel first, for those who have not discussed Jane Austen's complex masterpiece with us before. We will then focus on what was going on in the minds of our favorite brother and siste duo, Mary and Henry Crawford. How deep did their villainy run? Can they be at all forgiven or sympathized? What drives their behavior and decisions? These questions and many more (posted below) will be touched upon, among any other related observations that come up during our informal round table discussion.

Veteran Janeites, Austen virgins, and everyone in between are welcome. Hope to see you there!

1. Authors often create “foils” to highlight certain qualities of certain characters. How is Mary Crawford a foil for Fanny?
2. Mary Crawford and Elizabeth Bennett are both described as "arch": How are they different? How are they alike?
3. Jane Austen’s father was a respected clergyman. What is Jane Austen trying to say between Edmund (and Fanny’s) and Mary’s opposing views on the clergy?
4. Does Mary truly love Edmund? Would they have gotten married if Henry hadn’t eloped with Maria? If so, would they have been happy together?
5. Edmund states that Lady Stornaway and Mrs. Fraser corrupted Mary. Fanny states it is the other way around. What do you think? What does Jane Austen intend to say about Mary Crawford and “fashionable” women like Stornaway and Fraser in these statements?
6. Does Henry truly care for Fanny? How do his self-proclaimed honorable intentions and good qualities and deeds and for her differ from Austen’s heroes?
7. Why does Henry Crawford seduce Maria Rushworth in the end, knowing what he will lose in Fanny?
8. Would Henry and Fanny have been happy together? Think of Austen’s general standards for a successful marriage.
9. How does Mary use her friendship with Fanny to her advantage? What does the role of letter writing play in regency courtship?