Mansfield Park

Mansfield Park begins with the marriages of three sisters. Lady Bertram marries well. Mrs. Norris, the oldest sister, marries a clergyman. Mrs. Price marries a poor man to spite her family. Then, the three sisters all begin their families. Lady Bertram, indolent and kindly, has four children: Tom, Edmund, Maria, and Julia. Mrs. Norris, mean and cheap, has none. Mrs. Price, also indolent but harried in her poor life, has ten children. Her sisters offer to adopt one, Fanny. Mrs. Price happily accepts.

Fanny is shy and ignorant, and embarrassed by her beautiful and accomplished cousins at Mansfield Park. The only one who is kind to her is Edmund. Fanny grows up and, perhaps predictably, falls in love with Edmund, who also is sober, handsome, and plans to be a clergyman. Maria is courted by a rather stupid and unattractive young man who is also very rich. All seems to be going well. Fanny is treated much as a Cinderella figure by everyone, particularly Mrs. Norris, but isn't really unhappy in that situation. Sir Bertram takes Tom with him to his plantation in the West Indies and the whole house relaxes when not under Sir Betram's vigilant morals.

The parsonage at Mansfield Park acquires a new clergyman and his wife invites her brother and sister, Henry and Mary Crawford, to visit her there. Henry is plain, charming, and intelligent. Mary is pretty, witty, and lively. They are both unscrupulous. Edmund soon falls in love with Mary and she, to her surprise, falls in love with him. Mary had expected to fall in love with Tom, and cannot reconcile herself to Edmund's future career. Henry flirts with both Maria and Julia, and they both fall in love with him. Fanny, obviously, is horrified by the relationships both Crawfords are establishing, and she alone is an impartial (although partial to Edmund) judge of everything that happens. A friend of Tom's comes to stay at Mansfield Park and the party soon descends into sin, when they decide to stage a play in the house. At first Edmund resists, but Mary convinces him to participate. Fanny alone refuses. The play is in its final rehearsals when Sir Bertram unexpectedly returns and calls everything off. He is pleased to see his family, but especially pleased to see Fanny. Henry Crawford leaves. Maria marries her rich and stupid man. Julia joins Maria in London.

Henry Crawford returns and decides to seduce Fanny, which Mary fully supports. In the process, he falls in love with Fanny and decides to propose to her. Mary, Edmund, and Sir Bertram all back him, but Fanny, out of love for Edmund and her knowledge of Henry, refuses him. Sir Thomas decides to have her visit her family, including her beloved brother William, for a few months so that she will appreciate Henry and his wealth. Fanny's trip is awful-- her family is loud and vulgar and poor-- and William soon leaves. Henry comes to visit her but she still refuses him. She only leaves home when Edmund comes to fetch her, and he only does this when they find out that Maria has run away with Henry Crawford, and that Julia has run away with Tom's friend. Fanny takes one of her sisters with her. Maria and Henry soon grow apart, and her family send her and Mrs. Norris to a secluded country house. Edmund knows that Mary is immoral and would pardon Henry, and decides that he cannot marry her. He marries Fanny instead and they are sober, moral, and boring for the rest of their lives.