CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
Slavery, Gender, and Social Class in Mansfield Park: Sir Thomas Bertram, the Oppressor
A graduate project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Master of Arts in English
By
Bobbie Metcalf
May 2020
The graduate project of Bobbie Metcalf is approved:
______Dr. Lauren Byler Date
______Dr. Dorothy Barresi Date
______Dr. Charles Hatfield, Chair Date
California State University, Northridge
ii Table of Contents
Signature Page ii
Abstract iv
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Abstract
Slavery, Gender, and Social Class in Mansfield Park: Sir Thomas Bertram, the Oppressor
By
Bobbie Metcalf
Master of Arts in English
Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park exposes her critical thoughts regarding Britain’s social and economic structure in relation to slavery, gender, and social class. Sir Thomas Bertram’s selfishness and position as an aristocratic, absentee-plantation owner highly inform various oppressions addressed in the novel. The estate name of Mansfield Park, Sir Thomas’s Antiguan plantation, and Sir Thomas himself allude to power and wealth created from slavery. The novel’s presentation of marriage negotiations and the expectations coupled with the restrictions of women highlight gender oppressions. Sir Thomas’s plantation, Fanny’s position of servitude within Mansfield Park, and, most especially, the threat and prospects of a life lived in poverty address instances of economic oppression. I argue that Austen critiques British life using Sir
Thomas Bertram as a symbol of oppression through representations of his controlling behavior in
iv regard to slavery, domestic affairs, and class consciousness. Furthermore, it is Sir Thomas’s tyrannical conduct that undermines his ability to effectively run either of the geographic locations under his dominion—the Antigua plantation or Mansfield Park—which exemplifies
Austen’s critique of Britain’s continuing participation in slavery, gender subordination, and aristocratic power.
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