Mansfield Park Analysis

Literary Devices in Mansfield Park

Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory

Theater and acting represent ideas of deceit, lies, illusion, and fantasy here. Art really imitates life as all the characters who act in the play at Mansfield are either great actors in real life,...

Setting

This book contains a definite divide between the country and the city, which both represent certain kinds of attitudes and mindsets. Cities (especially London) and even towns are used as a sort of...

Narrator Point of View

The narrator uses a third person omniscient voice to tell us the story. "Omniscient" means that the narrator is all-knowing, and the narrator does give us insight into all of the characters' though...

Genre

We've definitely got a lot of different genres at work here, and they all interact together in some interesting ways. First off, we have comedy. This book definitely portrays its characters humorou...

Tone

This might seem like an odd combo, but hang with us for a second. First off, the narrator and some of the major characters, namely Mary, are very witty. Mary often makes puns, or plays on words, an...

Writing Style

How do all these styles work together? Well, first off this book is highly insightful and even analytical. The narrator practically plays the role of therapist at times. The narrator often breaks w...

What's Up With the Title?

The name Mansfield Park is pretty straightforward – it refers to the main house featured in the novel. The title helps to clue us in to the importance of a certain place and directs our atten...

What's Up With the Ending?

This story has a fairy tale ending: good triumphs over evil. Sort of. The problem is that the "evil" characters here aren't really isn't all that bad, and the "good" ones aren't always likable. Fan...

Tough-o-Meter

Mansfield Park is only a somewhat difficult book to read. Austen's language is a bit old-fashioned and the way certain sentences are constructed takes some time to get used to. The syntax, or word...

Plot Analysis

Fanny comes to live with her aunt and uncle, the Bertrams, at Mansfield Park.This section sets up all the main characters and introduces us to many of them as children before quickly aging them int...

Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis

From the start of the novel until Maria's marriage to Mr. Rushworth.In this stage, no one seems to know what other people want. Everyone debates whether or not Sir Thomas would allow them to do cer...

Three Act Plot Analysis

From the beginning of the book until Sir Thomas arrives home and breaks up the theatrical production.Immediately following the end of the theater until Fanny refuses Henry and is subsequently sent...

Trivia

J.K. Rowling named Argus Filch's cat Mrs. Norris after the character in Mansfield Park as a nod to Jane Austen, who is one of Rowling's favorite authors. (Source)Jane Austen actually knew a lot abo...

Steaminess Rating

Like most novels written in early nineteenth century England, there is no explicit sex here. It's all very restrained, Masterpiece Theater fare, which is appropriate. In fact, the heroine of this b...

Allusions

William Cowper (6.20)William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar(13.26)William Shakespeare, Hamlet (14.3)William Shakespeare, Macbeth (14.3)William Shakespeare, Othello (14.3)The Gamester, play (14.3)Rivals...