The Annotated Mansfield Park

by Jane Austen

  2. regaled: delighted.

  3. of: for. This usage often occurs in Austen’s novels. Immediately below, the children at Mansfield Park are described as “well-grown and forward of their age.” There are also other cases where prepositions are used differently than they are today.

  4. air: outward character, demeanor.

  5. awful: imposing; tending to inspire awe or fear.

  6. This means that the boys are home from school—a little later the younger boy is said to be at boarding school (see this page), and the older boy is almost certainly at school as well—and that means this scene takes place in August. As explained there (note 83), the younger boy’s school had holidays in August and around Christmas and Easter, and since Fanny is now “just ten years old” and we later learn that her birthday is in July (she is described on this page as having “just reached her eighteenth year” in July), it must be August now.

  7. This means he singled them out, probably by telling them that they, as fellow girls, had a particular obligation to make their cousin feel at home, and that this backfired by making them more awkward and hesitant. Sir Thomas’s inability to communicate well with his daughters or establish any rapport, due to his formality and the awe he inspires, will play an important role in the story.

  8. want: lack.

  9. A frock was a soft, loose gown. It was the standard wear for infants of both sexes, and continued to be worn by girls when older.

  10. well-looking: good-looking.

  11. forward: precocious.

  12. person: personal appearance.

  13. address: outward demeanor or manner.

  14. Thus the elder Bertram girl, like Fanny, has been named after her mother.

  15. condescensions: acts of graciousness or friendliness, especially toward an inferior.

  16. Sofas, where Lady Bertram regularly stations herself, had become popular pieces of furniture in England only in the decade or two prior to this novel. For a picture, see this page.

  17. This is one of several instances where “pug” is used, by either the narrator or Lady Bertram, without an article before it. Since at a couple of points the “p” is capitalized, it seems that, rather than bothering to give her dog a specific name, she has simply chosen to call it “Pug.” This would be consistent with her general indolence.

  18. Tarts, especially for fruit, had long been popular in England. Since tart pastry requires less cooking than the pastry for pies (also long popular in England), tarts are better for foods that cook quickly. Gooseberries, which grow wild in England and have been cultivated there since the Middle Ages, were often used in tarts as well as other recipes. Jane Austen makes a few references in her letters to gooseberries growing in the kitchen garden adjacent to her home.

  19. wish there may: hope there will be.

  20. Fanny’s very acute feelings, and the inability or unwillingness of others to understand them, whether because of their lack of concern or Fanny’s quiet and withdrawn manner, will characterize her situation throughout the novel, often with significant consequences.

  21. hold her cheap: look down on her.

  22. Girls normally wore sashes at the waist around their frocks. Frocks were usually made of plain white muslin (a lightweight cotton that was very popular in this period for female fashions). Sashes, which were also worn by women, provided color and helped the frocks fit more snugly; for an example, see this page.

  23. Modern languages, particularly French and to a lesser degree Italian, were subjects for girls, especially in the upper ranks of society; Jane Austen herself learned to read French, though she never could speak it well. Girls rarely learned Latin or Greek, which were central to boys’ education at this time.

  24. Music was a highly valued accomplishment for girls. Their duet is most likely played on the pianoforte (the ancestor of today’s piano), which had developed in the eighteenth century and soon became the most popular instrument and a common fixture in homes. Jane Austen played the pianoforte well and practiced regularly for most of her life.

  25. sport: amusement.

  26. Girls of their class often engaged in decorative arts and crafts. This was considered an important genteel female skill, and there were books that explained how to do a variety of projects. The reference to wasting gold paper indicates the author’s view of the uselessness of many of these projects, at least at this age. The artificial flowers were probably made from colored papers, which were often used in these decorative craft projects.

  27. The schoolroom was a room in the house dedicated to teaching the girls (it may also have been for the boys before they went to boarding school).

  28. The drawing room was the main sitting or living room in wealthier houses. A later description of the Prices’ home indicates that they have only a parlor, a more modest living room found at a lower social level; hence Fanny is probably surprised and intimidated by the grandeur and elegance of the drawing room here.

  29. A shrubbery was a standard feature of the area adjacent to grand houses. It was an area of formal plantings, which could include trees, that were laid out in a decorative pattern.

  30. The maidservants probably help her to dress and take care of her clothes. They would perform similar duties for the other ladies of the house, giving them a good basis for seeing how inferior Fanny’s clothes are. Clothes were a very important marker of status. Moreover, servants often identified with the family that employed them, and could be very snobbish toward those inferior in status to the family, even if these people were far above the servants themselves.

  31. Fanny, as the oldest girl, helped her mother with the younger children. With a large family and limited help from servants, her mother would be very busy. “Nurse” then meant someone who took care of small children as well as someone who tended the sick.

  32. A grand house like this would be full of expensive objects, including fine paintings, sculpture, and ceramic pieces. In addition to providing aesthetic pleasure, these were meant to proclaim the wealth and artistic taste of the owner.

  33. Since the attic stairs lead only to her room and the servants’ quarters, she likely did not expect a family member to see her there.

  34. park: grounds around a house. Grand houses like this had very extensive parks, sometimes stretching for miles, and including paths for walking.

  35. Among the materials needed for writing were a pen, an inkwell for dipping a pen into, and a pounce pot, or sander, for sprinkling a substance onto the fresh ink to help it dry.

  36. Having a separate breakfast room indicates the wealth of the family. It would be less grand than the dining room, used for dinner.

  37. post: mail.

  38. Members of Parliament, as Sir Thomas is (see this page, note 72), as well as some other public officials, had the privilege of franking letters, or designating letters as theirs, which allowed them to be conveyed free of postage. The system had developed in the late seventeenth century and by the eighteenth had become widely used, and abused; several laws were passed in the late eighteenth century to curb the abuses, but they had limited effect and those with the privilege continued to frank letters for those they knew. In several of her letters Jane Austen mentions her intention, or another woman’s, to take advantage of the presence of someone who can provide a frank for her next letter (November 1, 1800; November 8, 1800; October 11, 1813). The privilege was especially valuable at this point, for the government, which used the post office to raise revenue for general expenditures, increased rates significantly at several points during the expensive wars against France from 1793 to 1814. In 1812, the very time when this novel was being written, rates reached the highest point they ever had.

  39. ruled her lines: drew lines on her paper using a pencil and ruler. Neat handwriting, in straight lines, was highly prized; the high cost of paper, and even more of postage (determined by number of sheets), would also make people wish to fit as much as possible on a page, which would be easier with straight and symmetrical
lines. Lined paper did exist but was expensive.

  40. Quill or feather pens became dull fairly quickly; a penknife was used to cut the end of the pen in order to sharpen the point. As for spelling, Fanny’s young age and limited education probably led to many mistakes, and dictionaries were not as common then as they later became.

  41. Because envelopes did not yet exist, letters were sealed by folding up the paper and then either placing a sticky wafer between the folds of the outer sheet or melting wax over the outer edge and stamping it. Edmund, using the latter method, has placed a coin on the paper and melted the wax over the coin before stamping it. The half-guinea, a gold coin worth a little more than half a pound (for guineas, see this page, note 11) and thus not insignificant in monetary value, was small and thin enough to go under a seal. Sending half-guineas in this way was a popular way to transmit money by mail.

  42. great sensibility of: acute feelings and sensitivity regarding.

  43. rusticities: qualities that are unrefined or uncouth.

  44. schemes: plans, projects. The word is frequently used in Austen’s novels, and usually with no pejorative connotation.

  45. spirits: eagerness, animation.

  46. liberal: unrestrained.

  47. As an elder son he will inherit the family estate, so he can look forward to being very wealthy. He does not need to prepare for a profession, as his younger brother does, and so as long as his father is alive to manage the estate he can live a life of almost complete leisure.

  48. mean: low, disdainful.

  49. work: do needlework. Almost all girls were taught this skill, for it was a regular, if not daily, activity of women, including the wealthy (though the latter engaged more in decorative embroidery than practical sewing). The frequent use of “work” to mean needlework in Austen’s novels testifies to this. Austen herself was a skilled needlewoman, and some fine samples of her delicate embroidery survive. For contemporary pictures of women doing needlework, see this page and this page; for a needlework pattern, see this page.

  50. stupid: slow-witted. The word usually had a less harsh connotation than it does now.

  51. Geography was a popular academic subject. Putting the map together means fitting a jigsaw puzzle whose pieces were the countries of Europe. Such puzzles were a popular, and from contemporary accounts highly effective, way to teach children geography. The jigsaw puzzle seems to have been invented in England in the 1760s for this exact purpose.

  52. During the eighteenth century Russia had emerged as one of the leading powers of Europe; its vast territory contained many rivers, most notably the Dnieper, Don, and Volga. What was then called Asia Minor is currently Turkey. At that time it was the center of the Ottoman Empire, which controlled the southern Balkans and much of the Middle East and thus was a significant factor in international affairs.

  53. Drawing and painting were frequently taught to girls, and watercolors and crayons were the two leading media, as they could be employed using paper and relatively inexpensive materials and were not difficult to learn. Oil painting was cultivated far less often: it was more expensive and difficult, and since there was no thought of girls becoming professional artists, there was no need for them to produce works of the highest possible quality.

  54. They addressed their mother, but Mrs. Norris responds. This will happen frequently, a testament to her regular presence at Mansfield and her far greater volubility.

  55. The Isle of Wight is a large island close to Portsmouth (see map). Its prominence, and its role in forming the harbor that was the city’s lifeblood, would make it natural for people there to call it simply “the Island.” Jane Austen observed this usage when she lived in the neighboring town of Southampton.

  56. Memorization was a central part of education. This was lamented by a number of writers on education, including Maria Edgeworth, whose novels were favorites of Jane Austen’s.

  57. Severus is Septimius Severus, who was Roman emperor from 193 to 211. “As low as” means as late as. In other words, they memorized the emperors from the beginning until that point, a span of approximately 250 years and twenty emperors. The choice of Severus as an endpoint is logical, since he was the last emperor with a long and distinguished reign in the first two and a half centuries of the Roman Empire, when it was at its height. He was followed by a long succession of short-lived and unremarkable emperors, under whom the empire experienced decades of civil war and invasion that permanently weakened it.

  58. The mythology of ancient Greece and Rome was central to the classical literature that formed much of men’s education at this time. It also was a frequent subject of contemporary art and literature, and was a basic point of cultural reference in many contexts.

  59. “Semi-metals” was the term for substances that are not malleable, including arsenic, cobalt, manganese, nickel, and zinc. Regular metals included copper, gold, iron, lead, mercury, silver, and tin. The total number in both categories was smaller than today—the periodic table of the elements did not exist, and many elements on it had yet to be identified—so memorizing all of them would not be as prodigious a feat as now.

  60. Seventeen was a standard age for girls’ education to end. But the statement also indicates a foolish complacency and arrogance on the part of the speaker. One important theme in Austen’s work is the ignorance and folly shown by even intelligent and well-educated people, no matter what their age, and thus the need for all to be open to learning more.

  61. genius: natural aptitude, along with inclination. At this time the word was only occasionally used to mean extraordinary ability.

  62. emulation: ambition to equal others.

  63. minds: characters. The term, often used in Austen’s novels, usually refers to general inner state and qualities, rather than purely intellectual ones.

  64. information: education, knowledge.

  65. acquirements: accomplishments, attainments.

  66. disposition: general mental character, especially regarding moral qualities.

  67. Jane Austen is here commenting on matters that were the subject of great debate at the time. The eighteenth century witnessed a growing vogue for encouraging accomplishments in girls from families able to afford a good education for their daughters; in contrast, in earlier times good household management was often considered to be all that women needed to be taught. The popularity of this new standard is indicated in Pride and Prejudice when a character declares, “I am sure I never heard a young lady being spoken of for the first time, without being informed that she was very accomplished.” The accomplishments most cultivated, and praised, were usually some limited academic skills (especially languages), music and drawing, and skill in dancing, dress, and physical deportment. This emphasis provoked a reaction by the end of the century, as many writers, without necessarily condemning these accomplishments, argued that they were far less important than the cultivation of more substantial moral and intellectual qualities. In their view, girls and their families were focusing on decorative attributes at the expense of wisdom, deeper learning (far more than memorization), and the development of moral character. Jane Austen indicates sympathy for this view in her novels, and much of this story demonstrates its validity.

  68. Masters were specialists hired to teach children particular subjects such as music, drawing, or dancing. Wealthy families often hired them; here they would supplement the work of the governess, who inevitably did not have expertise in all subjects.

  69. dull: stupid, foolish.

  70. fixed: settled.

  71. A house in London was a mark of high status (for those with estates in the country) as well as wealth, due to its expense.

  72. Spring was when the annual sessions of Parliament were held. Sir Thomas is a member, which was common for those at the top of the social hierarchy, membership being a source of prestige and influence (as well as financial benefit at times). It was also regarded as a duty for those whose wealth and leisure and education made them, in the contemporary vie
w, particularly suited for directing the affairs of the nation. One of the main arguments for having a privileged elite was that it provided the country with a class of people who could govern it well.

  73. Sir Thomas is evaluating his daughters according to the prevailing standards that emphasized surface qualities in women.

  74. They would quit the name of Bertram upon marriage. The landed elite conceived of marriage as, at least in part, an alliance between families, one that could enhance the influence and social position of each.

  75. The system of inheritance that prevailed among the landed elite in England at this time gave the family estate to the eldest son. Younger sons as well as daughters would inherit a sum of money, coming from the family assets but worth far less than the main estate; this would provide the daughters with a dowry and help the sons in their necessary pursuit of a profession.

  76. complacency: pleasure, satisfaction.

  77. determinate pursuit: definite or clearly defined career path.

  78. This choice of a naval career would be natural for someone growing up in Portsmouth, which was completely dominated by the navy. At this point William is only eleven or twelve, but boys aspiring to be a naval officer usually began their service at that age. It took many years to master the intricacies of sailing ships, which were enormously complex mechanisms that often operated under extremely difficult conditions of weather or war. This mastery was considered more important than any academic learning that might result from remaining in school. Later another brother of Fanny’s is described as starting his career in the navy at eleven.