Finished!

Yesterday I finally finished Mansfield Park. Like all of Austen's works it was good. However, the character of Fanny in the book and in the movie is hardly comparable. Her goodness and purity of heart is evident in both, but she has a much more lively spirit in the movie. The Fanny of Austen's novel has a weak constitution and is not only easily fatigued but worn in spirit. She does not stand well under stress or confrontation. I connected much more with the Fanny of the MP movie. She has wit, humor, and intellegince. She is strong, rambunctious, and an avid reader. I love Fanny's spirit of independence and her wish not to be "sold" to any man. She carries with her unbendable morals, a deep respect for the position of the clergy, and agrees with Edmund that music is at it's best when in church. I found her romance with Edmund refreshingly sweet. And even while she makes mistakes they are quickly remedied. Also she wishes to be a writer and has an exaggerated but insightful style. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie because I saw a great deal of what I am and what I wish to be. Her story spoke to my heart and so I could not help but love it. But, as in many things, there was a down side to the movie. It has a scene which while getting the point across I believe could have been done with more decency. Thankfully it was very brief. There was also some graphic drawings of slavery. However I considered these accurate would not censor them for viewers of appropriate age and understanding. The MP book differed from the movie in that it did not really deal with the issue of slavery and Fanny did not aspire to be a writer. There were some other minor differences. I'm not sure the book matches up to the ideal of Pride and Prejudice, but on the whole I was entirely delighted with both and strongly recommend them.