Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

7 reviews

jellogirl2010's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

This book took me an insufferably long time to read and I didn't enjoy it at all. Try as I might, I just couldn't get into it. I found all the characters - including Fanny - totally unlikeable and the house felt more like the main character than anyone else. You also cannot convince me that Henry Crawford was truly in love with her, he knew how to charm a woman and he used every tool in his arsenal to do it, when she rejected him, his ego was bruised more than anything and he went to Maria to feel better about himself...

All in all, this feels like a very weak entry into her very stellar bibliography.

Also, we've been fooled and gaslit somewhere along the line... because Edmund does not once say that he's loved her as a hero loves a heroine. He doesn't have it in him to say something that romantic. Unless I'm mistaking another one of her books for Mansfield Park, but I could swear he's said it in some book to movie adaptation

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexism

heresyourletter's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Classism, and Bullying

Moderate: Infidelity, Colonisation, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcoholism, Slavery, Cursing, and Child death

The main character comes from a lower-class background and after being sent to live with her rich aunt and uncle, is denigrated for her manners. As an adult, she in turn looks down on the manners of her parents when she returns home to visit them. One of the main characters owns a plantation in Antigua. It is implied that he is a slave owner. The slave trade is also briefly mentioned. One minor character is an alcoholic who curses mildly throughout his chapters and is said to make crude jokes at his daughter’s expense. The main character is romantically pursued by a man to whom she repeatedly tells that she’s not interested and is constantly pressured by her family to marry. Brief mention of the death of the main character’s sister, who was a child at the time.

Main character is a Cinderella-type figure who is mistreated throughout the book. Lots of conservative Christian morality throughout, but tempered slightly by your typical Austen satiric wit.

anjasshelf's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Classism, Infidelity, Incest, and Sexism

Moderate: Death, Slavery, Child death, Colonisation, Medical content, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

fjordpingvin's review against another edition

challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism and Classism

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Abandonment, Bullying, and Colonisation

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, and Slavery

madamenovelist's review against another edition

emotional funny informative reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism and Misogyny

Minor: Child death

booksjessreads's review against another edition

challenging funny lighthearted

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Perhaps one of my least favourite Austen novels, alongside Emma (I said what I said), I did certainly enjoy some of the themes explored in the book, I just couldn't quite get on with Fanny's character. I certainly felt like Edward was the absolute worst hero out of the Austen books. I'm not going to lie, I was annoyed that Fanny didn't refuse him. Sub-par in my opinion. 

I felt like Fanny was the most quiet of the heroines in the Austen novels, she was more moralistic, but generally very passive, never speaking her mind. Due to her upbringing, its clear this behaviour is instilled in her. She is surrounded by more colourful characters which are clearly more dramatic and provide a lot of the plot-line due to their eccentricity, which Fanny, and therefore the reader, passively experiences.  Although, in a way, this passivity of Fanny surrounded by her eccentric characters actually demonstrates an element of steadfastness and loyalty to her Christian virtues, rather than being swayed by the other's behaviour.

I also liked how the novel not only explored standard themes of marriage, friendship and class, but also added the theme of slavery in here with Lord Norris being a slave-trader, living in a house named Mansfield Park (named after a slave-trader who adopted a mixed-race girl and forcing her to live as an outsider). This novel was telling of the way in which richer families engaged with that aspect of their history and was an insightful element. 

Despite these interesting elements of the novel, I found that Fanny's placidity meant there wasn't as much for the reader to engage with and generally found it hard to follow sometimes. The purpose is obviously to portray Fanny in a certain way, but for reader engagement and expectation, it does let it down a little. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism and Misogyny

Minor: Slavery

handsome_enough_to_tempt_me's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

FIRST OFF: THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE NOVEL. THAT’S NOT THE POINT, AND IF YOU CAME OUT OF MP THINKING THE ROMANCE WAS THE POINT YOU’RE W R O N G 
um anyway this is kinda complicated bc Fanny is literally the most annoying person on the planet but also there were some super interesting themes throughout and like as far as literary analysis goes it’s great but plot character no 
except I actually have the most toxic crush on Henry Crawford but whatever 

also wtf for Fanny not marrying Henry like hun that man is hot and rich and will probably get tired of you after six months but it’s 1816 what else do u have to live for?? take his money is what I’m saying here

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest, Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic relationship