In a letter to her brother dated 1814, Jane Austen boasted of a compliment she had received from a friend on her most recent work, Mansfield Park : “It is the most sensible novel he has ever read” (263). Austen prided herself on creating literature that depicted realistic characters and honest situations, but perhaps more importantly, she strove to create fiction that was moral, educational, and entertaining. So, what does sexual sense say? In Mansfield Park, the answer appears starkly before us, as we repeatedly witness sexuality and desire depicted in the darkest terms, and often leading to the most sinister results. Those who emit a sexual personality or awareness should be considered dangerous, and those who possess a sexual desire are inevitably the ones in danger and are often punished for their untamed emotions and erratic behavior. The Bertrams and Fanny Price reside quite peacefully in Mansfield Park until their quiet domestic world is turned upside down by strangers, all of whom, in their own ways, threaten to upend the lives of the residents with passion, desire and sexuality which is new to them. In this essay, I would like to examine the relationships that arise from bonds with these strangers, the role that sexuality and desire play in them, and what Austen's treatment of them also reveals about sexual transgression and desire in a broader sense. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay It seems only natural to begin with Mansfield Park's two most important intruders, Henry and Mary Crawford. As jaded individuals accustomed to the busy (and amoral) life of the city, Mary and Henry view Mansfield Park and its residents with a kind of interest in novelty, viewing them almost as if they were toys intended to their amusement. Mary is "remarkably pretty" (35) and seduces the Bertrams with "her keen dark eye, her light brown complexion, and her general prettiness" (37) and her brother, after only a few visits, is declared "the most pleasant". the sisters had always known it” (37). Henry (whom I'll talk more about in a moment) views Maria and Julia as conquests, women to be conquered just for the sake of it. Mary, however, is sincere in her emotions towards Edmund (at least, as sincere as Mary Crawford could ever be), but the combination of Edmund's desire for her and her own seductive nature makes her an insecure character. . Perhaps Mary's biggest problem is that she's too knowledgeable for her own good. His skepticism and cynical attitude often seem out of place in the naive and sheltered Mansfield Park, particularly when compared to Edmund's ideological views. Unlike Edmund, who is remarkably ignorant on the matter, Mary is concerned with understanding Fanny's position in society, and her subsequent availability, asking herself: "pray, is she absent or is she not?" (42). Later, she points out to Edmund, unaware that he will soon be ordained, the apathy she feels (and blindly assumes others feel too) toward going to church: "Can't you cannot imagine with what reluctant feelings the ancient belles of the house of Rushworth often visited this chapel? Young Mrs. Eleanors and Mrs. Bridgets showed themselves starched in apparent piety, but with their heads full of something very different, especially if the poor chaplain was not worth looking at and, at that time, I fanciful pastors were even verylower than they are today” (78). These examples, both tinged with sexual connotations, demonstrate that Mary's worldliness and sophistication are dangerous attributes, because they are not representative of good manners or refinement, but of a thin veneer which, once peeled off, reveals narcissism, superficiality and lack of morality. Although it has never been said in so many words, we tacitly understand that Marie's knowledge goes beyond the limits of what a good young woman should know, including, of course, sex and desire. It is this combination of conscience and corruption that makes Mary Crawford so threatening and, therefore, a danger to Edmund. Edmund's reckless desire for Mary, while revealing a weakness on his part, also seems to serve as a reiteration of her threatening nature. . On several occasions we, along with Fanny, must suffer through Edmund's unconscious reverence for Mary, which clearly has sexual implications. After all, his attraction to her is first and foremost physical: “it’s her face that is so attractive” (56). Later, at the end of a conversation with her, Edmond watches Marie walk away, in “an ecstasy of admiration for all her many virtues” (101). This passion clearly has negative connotations and consequences. Because of Mary's charm, or more precisely because of Edmond's "bewitched" state, he often forgets himself, his family and his duty. Edmund's lack of composure is particularly visible in the strain this places on his relationship with Fanny. In Jane Austen and the War of Ideas, Marilyn Butler states, “Edmund, who has always been considerate of Fanny, is now seduced by his physical pleasure in Mary into forgetting her” (223). Once Edmund realizes Mary's callous and manipulative nature, he refers to his conscience as if he had been freed from a mermaid's spell: "the spell is broken." My eyes are open” (412). While Mary Crawford is both tempting and threatening to Edmund, Henry Crawford is equally, perhaps even more so, a danger to Julia, Maria, and later to Fanny. We quickly learn from Mary that Henry's favorite pastime is wooing women who aren't sincerely interested in him: "it's the most horrible flirtation imaginable. If your Miss Bertrams don't like be heartbroken, let them avoid Henry” (36). Unfortunately, Julia and Maria are soon seduced by his charismatic character and sex appeal and, for the first time in their lives, the sisters find themselves at odds with each other. From the beginning of the novel, we are informed of the vanity and weakness of character of Julia and Maria, which inevitably foreshadow the disastrous events to come. Maria, "so surrounded by admirers, must be difficult in her choice" (33) accepts a marriage proposal from the foolish but wealthy Mr. Rushworth who endures humiliation and shame because he lets his eyes rather than his brain guide him in his decision. : “he was struck at first glance by the beauty of Miss Bertram” (32). This act alone makes us skeptical of Maria, but Austen pushes us to become even more incredulous as we see her shamelessly unable to refrain from responding to Henry Crawford's flirtations, despite her engagement and the his sister's obvious interest in him. Maria lacks sexual self-discipline because Henry is irresistible, but also because she is used to and enjoys being flattered and admired. In one of Austen's most symbolic moments, we see a dark prediction of Maria's transgressive nature and inevitable ruin. During an outing to the Rushworth Estate, part of the group finds themselves stuck in a garden with a locked gate and must waitwhile Rushworth goes to get the key. Maria, however, has no patience for this and attempts to slip out the door to leave alone with Henry. When Fanny begs her to wait until the gate is unlocked, Maria responds: "Forbidden! That's absurd!" I can definitely get away with it this way, and I will! This selfishness and immorality inevitably leads Maria to sexual scandal and public disgrace. When she tires of her husband, whom she married for money and not for love, she is easily won back by Henry's advances, as Lionel Trilling notes. "Mansfield Park" is that relationship with Maria in which Henry's sexual charisma catches up with him: "he falls prey to his own charm, and in his cold flirtation with Maria Bertram he is trapped by her imitation of passion , his role requires him to rescue Maria from a boring marriage to a life of boring concupiscence (133) Both are weak characters and allow their depravity to take any form possible. In this case, their downfall is a desire. so uncontrolled that it inevitably develops into behavior outside of social norms. Maria's desire for Henry and Henry's deceptive return of her affections lead to an escape, a shocked and hurt family, and a divorce for Maria. Julia's constant attempts to catch up to (and outdo) Maria (she quickly goes over the fence when she discovers that Maria and Henry have gone off alone together) are often ignored by Henry and thwarted by the grim realization that his sister is the favorite . Although Julia eventually elopes with Yates (who appears, like Rushworth, to be a rather plain and ridiculous man), and this feat is obviously considered sexually transgressive by society, it does not seem that Julia's act either the result of anything related to sex or desire, but rather the reaction of a girl who has been neglected and needs attention. We cannot help but feel a certain sympathy for Julia when we are told that her family finds it easier to forgive her than her sister: “Julia escaped better than Maria due to a difference in favorable disposition , her beauty and her demands had only held second place. “She had always considered herself a little inferior to Maria” (422). No one except Fanny seems to notice Henry's indiscretions towards Julia and Maria (Edmund might, but his impression of Henry is obviously influenced by Mary). Therefore, when he turns his interest towards her, she wholeheartedly resists and, unlike her cousins, who were quickly charmed into finding him attractive, "always continued to think Mr. Crawford was very plain" (42). Henry, unaccustomed to such reticence, only becomes more intrigued and passionate about Fanny. He declares to his sister that “it would be something to be loved by such a girl, to excite the first ardor of her young and naive spirit!” Fanny's inexperience is seductive (and quite possibly fascinating from Henry's jaded point of view) because it means she is untouched and virginal in every way imaginable. Naturally, Henry seems to be a shady figure because of his indiscretions with Maria and Julia, but his corruption seems to reach a whole new level as he actively pursues the disinclined Fanny. Although the climax of his pursuit is obviously the marriage proposal, the height of his flirtations towards her is revealed during the necklace incident. Fanny unwittingly accepts a necklace from Mary to wear to the ball, unaware that it is a gift from Henry. Once Fanny realizes who really gave her the necklace, she feels uncomfortable and violated, having let an unwanted admirer's jewelry stay around her neck all evening without havingany idea of ​​the more intriguing and sexual intentions he represented. The production of the play Lovers' Vows is perhaps the single episode in the book that is most full of sexual desire and transgression. While their father is away, Tom, Maria, Julia, at Yates' suggestion and with the Crawfords' delighted approval, decide to put on a play to pass the time. They begin with elaborate plans for building a stage, which prove excessive in both cost and production, then proceed to disrupt the house, both literally by rearranging the furniture and s taking over the billiard room, and also figuratively engaging in an activity of which they know Sir Thomas would not approve. The play heightens the sexual tensions and desires that surfaced earlier in the novel by allowing, as Butler says: "license for what would normally be quite inappropriate. The scenes together allow for physical contact between the sexes ( like when Henry holds Maria's hand) and a daring freedom of expression completely outside the constraint imposed by social norms. " (232) Although Edmund protests the play at first, his resistance gradually fades. To take place alongside Mary in the production, Fanny bitterly cites Edmund's lack of good judgment as "all that Miss Crawford did.' ) with Edmund by ourselves before the evening” (149). The idea of ​​Mary Crawford, rather worldly and aggressive, rehearsing a romantic scene alone with her love interest seems far from innocent. their sexually charged schedules during rehearsals. Henry Crawford snubs Julia and, as a result, furthers her flirtation with her sister, offering Maria the role she wanted to play, instead of refusing to participate because of her. engagement, sees nothing wrong with accepting the role offered to her, hurt and perhaps desperate to be noticed. and flattered, flirts with Fanny, the only member of their group who categorically refuses to endorse the play or participate in it, notices that, during rehearsal, Maria is acting "too good" (147), implying that the emotions that directed her to Henry's character is probably more than just acting. Fanny also notes that "Mr. Crawford was by far the best actor of all" (147), allowing Austen to suggest that Henry takes on the role required of him too easily for us to have confidence in the possibility that he could evolve towards something. more than the casual showman he appears to be. Thus, the play is dangerous because it allows sexuality to be staged, to manifest desire, in a public space. Additionally, it brings out the more conniving attitudes and selfish nature of the individuals involved. We must be wary of those who are so oblivious as to view the play as nothing more than a harmless pastime (like Yates and the Crawfords) and concerned about those (like Edmund) who are persuaded to participate in it . against their better judgment. Only Fanny realizes that the play is inappropriate and remains firmly against it throughout rehearsals. This underlines Fanny's composure, her self-righteousness, her modesty and perhaps even her prudishness. But does Fanny's condemnation of the play seem to be a condemnation of sexuality and passion? Although we are aware of his unwavering desire for Edmund throughout the novel (most often expressed through modest blushes and intense jealousy towards Mary), he would never come to, 1963.