Geraniums

"To this nest of comforts Fanny now walked down to try its influence on an agitated, doubting spirit, to see if by looking at Edmund's profile she could catch any of his counsel, or by giving air to her geraniums she might inhale a breeze of mental strength herself."(Chapter 16)

This is what my copy of Mansfield Park looks like. I just thought that you might want to see...

I am becoming more and more convinced that Fanny’s virtue comes from the fact that she endures, patiently, the follies and vices of others. There is incident where her family, with the exception of Edmund, tells her that she is ungrateful and that she is taking her life at Mansfield for granted. She is so shy that when Edmund comes to ask her advice later, she is a little shocked that anyone should want to consult her. She is meek, and survives a lot of flak from her insensitive family.

At this point, I still do not really like Edmund. He is still pompous, and though he claims that taking the role of Anhalt is to set Miss Crawford at ease, and to keep the other young man from entering into their private theatricals, I cannot help but feel that he is fishing for an excuse to be with Mary Crawford. He is lead by his adoration, not his common sense.

I am experience mid-project blahs; the half way point in the project when even though it is Austen, I am getting slightly bogged down. Perhaps I should take a moment to open the window like Fanny, and breath in the fresh scent of geraniums. It helped her with her stress. The novel is growing on me, but Mansfield Park has never been my favorite Austen novel. This is for many reasons. First, Fanny does not seem strong or independent as the other Austen heroines are. Even Anne Elliot, from Persuasion, seems to have more independence and gumption than Fanny. She seems to be too coy, and unable to stand up for herself. She lets a man do it for her. I am not a hard-core feminist, and I admit that I like the idea of a man occasionally coming to my rescue. What I admire about other Austen heroines is that they stand up for themselves, and get the guy, but not because they are weak and need protection (Catherine Morland is a partial exception to this rule, because she is naïve to begin with, and that is what attracts Mr. Tinley). They do not get the guy because they are weak, but rather because they are strong. Maybe Fanny will get some gut soon….

I am about 1/3 of the way through Mansfield. Hopefully I will finish it by the 15th of April. That is my goal. I find that I operate better with a deadline, and finishing it by the 15th will allow me to do part of Emma before the end of the month. Happy Reading, if you are also slogging through Mansfield too.