Mansfield Park, ch. 43: Gossip Girl

Credit to Natasa Ilincic

So let’s talk about this crazy letter from Mary. Because wow, this thing is a piece of work. The more I read it, the more artificial it appears.

There’s no way that the first section, with its cliched details of a beautiful sunny day, wasn’t dictated to her by Henry (a sloppy dictation, too, when you notice that Mary got Susan’s age wrong). “Taking her first lesson in love.” Gag me. Then Mary makes the worst excuse for being a bad pen pal (pen friend, for my British readers) in claiming “it is impossible to put a hundredth part of my great mind on paper, so I will abstain altogether, and leave you to guess what you like,” despite also claiming to need Fanny as a soundboard. By the time she admits that she let so much time pass that she can’t remember the details of Maria’s first London party, an attentive reader is probably asking herself why Mary is even bothering to write to Fanny at all.

Well, Henry. I mean, this question has already been answered, though not explicitly. Mary writes to Fanny because she thinks she’s facilitating a bond between Fanny and Henry. The third section of her letter consists of the most mindless gossip: her London friends are super jelly of Maria’s wealth and all eyes are on Mary and Ed, who are not officially a thing yet but Mrs. Fraser approves of him. And what does any of this mean to Fanny? Fanny’s never met the Frasers or the Stornaways, but Mary talks about them like they’re all in the same circle of friends. This letter is for Mary’s sake more than Fanny’s. “A hundredth part of my great mind” my patootie. Mary’s thoughts are as repetitive as the days she spends waiting for Ed to propose.

And that postscript is just dripping with privilege. Hey, why don’t Henry and I stop by your place and bring you back to Mansfield? Never mind Mary/Henry’s obvious ploy to show off Everingham. Never mind how Mary assumes Sir Thomas would be happy to see Fanny unannounced, or that Fanny will just leave her family. Also, Fanny in London? Do any of us seriously think she’d enjoy herself there? I can’t help but think of Mary’s invitation, such as it is, as another extension of her selfishness. She wants Fanny for her (perceived) malleability, to help Henry court her, and possibly to impress Ed (see how much I adore your meek cousin?). I cannot find in any of my annotated editions whether this proposal of Mary’s is in keeping with the rules of propriety or not. The prevailing rule in this society was that married women had the authority to invite single women to stay with them. While Mary isn’t a married woman, she’s only inviting Fanny on a trip (a trip that would include a single man who’s trying to court her). Even so, it seems sketchy to me.

Fanny’s indignity on behalf of Ed is cute—like, who even is Mrs. Fraser? But her reaction to Henry’s social schedule has a little more nuance. After Henry made such a big deal about visiting his estate on business, Fanny’s disappointed to learn that he’s going to stay in London mainly for the purpose of seeing Mrs. Rushworth. She lays this at the feet of Mary as she considers that “his sister ought to have given him credit for better feelings than her own.” Mary’s wording (Henry is an “inestimable” addition to any party) doesn’t give any indication that it was Henry’s idea to stay. Her assumption of others’ malleability is part of her m.o. Although he does have some “curiosity” to check in on Maria and poor idiot Rushworth, so it’s not entirely as though Mary had to twist his arm to stay ...

Moving onto a happier topic, Susan’s education is still going strong. “[S]he had so strong a desire of not appearing ignorant, as, with a good clear understanding, made her a most attentive, profitable, thankful pupil” for Fanny. D’aww! I do wish we had a little more insight into the “explanations and remarks” Fanny provides during her lectures, though maybe we can surmise that she’s thoughtful and generous in her annotations. And, of course, Fanny eventually tells her all about Mansfield (the good and bad, as we’ll later find out). Susan’s “innate taste for the genteel and well–appointed” allows her to appreciate Fanny’s stories and memories of the place. I’m sure that her growing up in one of the most disorganized households and in one of the most ignorant families has helped her develop that appreciation.

And speaking of appreciation, Fanny has thought of a net positive for marriage to Henry: As the head of a household, she could invite her sister to live with them. Fanny considers “the probability of his being very far from objecting to such a measure” as being “the greatest increase of all her own comforts.” Susan has given Fanny a sense of responsibility that alters her perspective on marriage, at least in general. She still won’t sacrifice her heart for a home.

Maybe she won’t have to …

Chapter the next: More letters! Fanny receives a long-awaited one from Ed and one from Lady Bertram out of the blue.