Mansfield Park

Main Ideas

• Social inequality and class differences. The book examines how social status and background affect the lives and destinies of the characters, especially through the character of the main heroine, Fanny Price, who grew up in a poor family but ended up in the wealthy home of her relatives.
• Moral values and virtue. Jane Austen emphasizes the importance of moral principles such as honesty, modesty, and loyalty, contrasting them with the selfishness, vanity, and frivolity of other characters.
• The influence of upbringing and environment on personality development. Upbringing and the environment in which a person grows play a crucial role in their development, as seen in the differences between Fanny and her cousins, who grew up in the same house but have different moral compasses.
• Love and marriage. The novel explores various approaches to marriage: from marriages of convenience to marriages for love, and how personal qualities and moral principles influence the choice of a partner.
• The role of women in society. The book raises the issue of women's position in society, their limited opportunities, and dependence on marriage for securing their future.