Signal Boost: Mansfield Park and Slavery

[cimorene]

stultiloquentia posted: Mansfield Park and Slavery

Austen isn't exactly writing an overt screed against the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. What she IS doing is inexorably LINKING the moral corruption of slavery with the moral corruption of the patriarchy. Largely through a series of subtle but crucial language choices and situational comparisons.

This post is an excellent read, and would have made a welcome intro to the editions of Mansfield Park I read as a child and teenager, because I completely failed to get that stuff. The bias in the American school system is well known, so it's probably unsurprising that the focus in my education was on the North American side of the politics of slavery and abolition, although of course the English role is integral - but mostly the English actions which affected the US directly, like the abolitionist movement and the outlawing of the trade there - I didn't learn anything about Lord Mansfield and the judgment that rendered all people free when they set foot in England until Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, I don't think, even though we did Wide Sargasso Sea and Jane Eyre at the same time in high school.

Anyway, tl;dr, but this makes me determined to reread MP again with some additional historical background this time. And it accords entirely with my general view that Edmund is terrible and undeserving of Fanny. (Edmund: THE WORST Austen Hero? DISCUSS.)

Comments

[pensnest]

Thank you for linking to this - a most interesting post.

I've never been much of a fan of Mansfield Park, and I share your opinion of Edmund, Mr Nonentity. But I always read Sense and Sensibility with the hope that perhaps this time, Colonel Brandon will have the good sense to go for Elinor... ah, well.

[cimorene]

LOL, me too. There was a fic like that in Yuletide! It was good but I wanted more of it.

[nellacitta]

THE WORST. I really appreciated that the article had a second major impact for me, which was confirming my long held belief in his worst-ness.