Austenathon 2011: Mansfield Park (Non-Spoiler Thread)

This is the Mansfield Park NON-SPOILER thread. We're officially starting the group read on May 15th. As with the other books so far, we have a good 6 weeks for those who want to take their time.

Here's the Spoiler Thread

Austenathon Main Thread.
All Austenathon threads can also be found on the 75ers wiki page.

Got my copy and ready for my fifth Austen, Persuasion will be the last one.

I'm in:) Read it last year, but I can read it again. Maybe I will change my opinion of the book. Who knows?

I am also in but may not be able to start it until June...

I just started the book last night so I may be able to join you guys! :)

I'm not sure when I'll start it, but I don't think I'll be late. I have the Norton Critical Edition.

Robert

I had purchased a beautiful, almost new edition at the used book store a few years back, but finally decided to go with the audio version narrated by Juliette Stephenson. I enjoyed her so much for Jane Eyre that I thought I'd probably enjoy Mansfield Park that much more thanks to her. I'll be starting that in roughly ten days or so.

Mansfield Park is the last major Austen novel I have yet to read, so I'm happy to join you all. :)

I'm trying to decide if I want to read Mansfield Park after failing so miserably to reread P&P last month. :/ I feel like I ought to, but I can't think of anything that makes it more interesting than S&S or P&P, so... what makes it different/special amongst the 6 books?

I couldn't say Keri, since all of Jane Austen's works are new to me. All I know is that I'd listen to Juliet Stevenson read the phone book (as someone else put it), so for that alone, I look forward to this one. :-)

Keri - A lot of people don't like Mansfield Park. I have not read it, so I have no opinion, but I did see a movie version and don't think this one will end up being one of my favorites. But maybe if you didn't like Austen's more conventionally popular works, you'll end up liking this one?

Exactly - many people don't like it because it isn't "light, and bright, and sparkling", as Austen's earlier novels are (supposedly). It's a very different kind of novel, more openly serious, less satirical, and less focused on the marriage-plot; and Fanny Price is not the most embraceable heroine, although she's the way she is for sound reasons.

I don't know if you've read Persuasion? I tend to think of that and Mansfield Park as being each other's flip-side - one mourning the old traditions and resisting change, the other admitting that not all the old traditions were so great and that change can be good. I like to read these two together.

less focused on the marriage-plot

Oh, that might be enough to make it work for me. I haven't read Persuasion, but I have read Northanger Abbey and loved it, if that helps. I also preferred S&S to P&P.

I'll probably pick it up when I'm at the library later this week and see what happens with it.

>13 keristars: I am in the same camp preferring S&S over P&P. And I really enjoyed Persuasian as well so it's looking good for me in terms of Mansfield Park.

I did pick up a copy of Mansfield Park a couple of weeks ago. Hope I have time to squeeze it in. I'd love to join you. Hoping to get all school assignments finished up and turned in -- that will help me have more time!

#12 Lyzard, from your description, it sounds to me like there's a good chance I'll enjoy it more than the first two. The whole marriage thing gets on my nerves after a while, even though I do understand it was a pressing concern in those days and combined with the "light and sparkling" aspect... It just wasn't my cup of tea this time around, though this is not to say that I won't end up enjoying them tremendously upon reading them again. I'm now really curious about Mansfield Park, as opposed to feeling like I'm going through the motions in the quest to find out what it is about JA that makes her so enduringly popular.

10 I would love to hear some of Austen read by Juliette Stevenson. Unfortunately, her audiobooks are not available at my public library. Maybe I'll look for a download ...

Nancy, they don't have anything at all by Juliette Stevenson at my library either. I found this recording on Audible.com. It's reasonably priced for members too, though you might find it somewhere else of course. I just find Audible convenient (their audio samples are nice and long) and simple to use what with the instant downloads and such.

18 Perfect! I've been looking for someone who has used Audible.com and could recommend it. Thanks, Ilana : ).

10: Ooo, I am going to search out Juliette Stevenson too, thanks for the heads up.

I'm really looking forward to this even though I know it's a lot of people's least favourite Austen. I didn't join in with the last two books as I read them last year but I haven't read any of the others. Well except for starting and giving up on Emma when I was about twelve!

I have my copy ready to go!

My opinion of this book and its characters has changed over the years so I'm really looking forward to hearing other people's thoughts on it.

#19 Another good place to check out, for FREE audiobooks is LibriVox.org. They have volunteers narrate books that are in the public domain. No Juliette Stevenson there of course, but I've listened to a few audiobooks from there which were quite good.

Mansfield Park is the novel I have looked most forward to reread of the six Austen.

It was hard to get through I remember so I hope I will like it better this time. Now I know what not to expect....

I listened to P&P read by Emilia Fox (Audible) and she did a great job, I think.

#19 Another vote here in favour of Audible.com, though I have not tried any of their Austens so can't vouch for particular audiobooks relevant to this topic. As a convenient way of getting hold of a huge range of audio books, it is excellent. I pay a monthly subscription (credits carry over if you don't use them up each month) and so far I have spent my credits on the longest texts I can find - which would normally cost 3 or 4 times the subscription - starting with War and Peace, so I'm certainly getting value for money! Mind you, I haven't listened to many of them yet - my TBL (to be listened-to) pile is growing as fast as my TBR pile!

I'm in, and looking forward to this - MP is the only Austen novel I've never read.

Hello, I'm an imposter from Club Read and am looking forward to joining you in this group read, my very first one! The other Austen novel I've yet to read is Persuasion, so I'll probably join you for that one too.

I have this idea that Mansfield Park isn't as much "fun" as some of Austen's other novels, but I'm expecting to enjoy it.

Welcome Rebeki! I'm sure everyone here will be glad to have your participation.

Harro, I'm new to this whole shabang but am totally up for conquering MP with you all. Have read and loved S&S and P&P (loving the abbrevs) and am half way through Emma which I'm almost stuck into.. so far so good!

#29 Thanks for the warm welcome, Ilana!

I'll be around for Mansfield as well. It's not my favourite Austen but I enjoy many of the supporting characters in this one so it should be an enjoyable re-read.

It's been quite a while since I read this one, so I'll be joining you as soon as I finish two other books.

I started it today and am at chapter 10 now, I think.

Here's the Spoiler Thread.

I have just read the first two chapters. This is my third Austen and so far it's been just as much a delight to read as the others.

I am hoping to start on Mansfield Park either this weekend or next - I want to start when I have large chunks of time to devote to it. This will be my first reading of it, though I've seen one of the film versions.

I'm in, and all the remaining Austen's are new to me. These read-a-longs are a great way to force encourage me to read all the Austen books sitting unread on my shelf!

#38 Susan, I'm doing these group reads for the same reason. Had never read Austen till this year and I decided it was high time I get with the program. I only took over posting the threads from Stasia to force myself to STAY with the program. I wasn't all that crazy of S&S and P&P upon first reading, but finding Mansfield Park is growing on me more.

I'm a bit beyond chapter 40 and have decided to stay away from the spoiler thread for now, since I want to keep a few surprises for the end, but I hope to see you all there soon enough.

I started reading it before I went on vacation and to a conference. I managed to read a little bit on the first weekend, alternating with another book which was set about 7 miles up the road from where I was staying. Needless to say, the other book held my attention a bit more. When I got to the conference, I didn't read a single word in either book. When I got back home, I finished the other book and have read more of Mansfield Park but I found that I had to refresh my mind on who the characters were so it took me a few more chapters to really get back into the groove of reading it. Hopefully, I'll get over to the spoiler thread soon too, but I want to finish it. I read this book years ago (probably 25 to 30), and I remember bits and pieces of it, but I don't remember it nearly as well as I thought I did!

I haven't started my read of MP yet - I've only read it once before, about 20 years ago, so I'm not visiting the spoiler thread until I've at least started my re-read and formed my own impressions again.

I haven't started my read yet. I tried to wade through it a couple of years ago and just couldn't do it, which is part of why I joined this group.

I'll dig it out and try to start it at the weekend.

I read a couple of chapters in yesterday--to the point where Fanny is relieved not to be going to Mrs. Norris. While I feel we have been shown Fanny so far without really getting to know her, Mrs. Norris' character has been limned with devastating effect!

I finished the back end of the Norton Critical Edition last night. The contextualizing and commentary in it is not as foolishly theoretical as some of the stuff I have found in other volumes, and almost all of it informed my reading of the novel. So, for anybody who has not picked an edition yet, I recommend it.

Robert

Just finished P&P (I know, I'm a bit behind!), and checking in to MP. It'll have to be an e-book for me, since I've yet to find a collection of Jane Austens that I really like (or even, oddly enough, just a whole collection), so I can admire it on my shelves. Now I'm getting tongue-tangled; it must be bedtime.

I am about 40% through Mansfield Park.