So today’s blog entry is inspired by this blog entry:
http://livingreadgirl.blogspot.com/2014/05/pick-your-mansfield-man-and-win.html
I am, and have always been, firmly entrenched in the Henry Crawford camp when it comes to the Mansfield Park leading men. Actually, I’m also on the Mary Crawford side of the Fanny/Mary/Edmund love triangle as well, but that’s another topic. MP, predictably, is my least favorite of Jane Austen’s novels. I hear from MP fans that the more I read it, the more I will love it. Not true. I continue to read it because I do take some enjoyment from it. It is, after all, written by my favorite author of all time and aside from the dull and overly righteous Fanny & Edmund, it boasts some of Austen’s most interesting and delightful characters.
So, why Henry and not Edmund? Of course there is that commonly held belief that ladies love a bad boy. Admittedly there is a little bit of truth to that assertion. But I think those folks who prefer Edmund are not giving Henry the benefit of the doubt. There is an assumption, due to his previous questionable behavior and his subsequent conduct after Fanny rejects him, that he would have treated Fanny poorly; grown tired of her, cheated on her, and perpetrated all manner of ill usage (admittedly, tiring of Fanny seems reasonable to me). I prefer, however, the optimistic view and choose to see the good in people. I believe that what started out as challenge to win the heart of one so frigid, grew into true admiration and love on Henry’s side. Additionally, I think Fanny’s staid character and simple goodness would have grounded Henry in a way he had never experience in his idle existence. His affection or her had already focused his energies to the good in his treatment of Fanny and her family, especially his service to her beloved brother William. What could Edmund and Fanny offer one another? A continuation of the brotherly/sisterly relationship they had always had? What a dull, fatiguing prospect for a marriage.
I view the Team Henry vs. Team Edmund debate just as I do the Team Logan vs. Team Piz (Veronica Mars reference for the uninitiated). Edmund, like Piz, is a good man and can offer his lady love stability, but is that enough for a lifetime? I think not.
Lady T said:
Thanks for the linkage and I do see your point about Fanny having a good influence on Henry and perhaps if he had been more patient in his pursuit of her, that might have happened. Then again, I also wonder what a pairing between Fanny and Mr. Rushworth might have been like(can’t help but feel sorry for that guy!).
Lady T said:
Hi,just letting you know that you are a winner of my Pick Your Mansfield Man contest! To claim your prize, just e-mail me at livingreadgirl@yahoo.com to let me know where to send your gift copy of my e-book Fanny Price, Slayer of Vampires to. Thanks for your wonderful essay and have a great day:)