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“Fanny's Price” Is a Piece of Fan Fiction About Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. I Ch

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“Fanny's Price” Is a Piece of Fan Fiction About Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. I Ch Introduction to “Fanny’s Price” “Fanny’s Price” is a piece of fan fiction about Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park. I chose to write about Mansfield Park because while it interests me as a scholar, it is very unsatisfying to me as a reader. I was inspired to write this piece primarily by class discussion that led me to think of Fanny as sinister. One day, someone suggested that Fanny refuses to act in the play because she is always acting a part. I immediately thought that if Fanny was only acting righteous and timid, her real personality must be the opposite. On another day, Dr. Eberle mentioned a critical text accusing Fanny of being emotionally vampiric; immediately I thought of making her an actual vampire. When Frankenstein was brought up later, I realized that Fanny should be a vampire’s servant rather than a fully fledged vampire. She does not understand why Edmund prefers Mary, when he made her what she is. Because the film Mansfield Park makes Fanny essentially Jane Austen, it gives her power over all of the other characters and the plot. Watching it encouraged me to think of Fanny as manipulative. I find a reading of Fanny as a villain much more satisfying than my former reading of her as completely passive. I wrote “Fanny’s Price” in an alternate universe because that was the only way I could include real rather than metaphorical vampires. I wanted the vampires to be real because I feel that it raises the stakes for Mary, my heroine. I made Mary Crawford the heroine because of class discussion comparing her to Elizabeth Bennett. I also changed the plot significantly to fit the short length of my piece as well as to adapt it to the alternate universe. There are a few references to Northanger Abbey. My vampires are taken from the Bram Stoker tradition, in which a vampire’s servants are compelled to obey him or her, rather than from the Twilight tradition. 2 Fanny’s Price Before her aunt’s death, there had been nothing to suggest that Mary would ever be a heroine. Instead of having delicately pale skin, she glowed with youth and vitality, and her eyes were sparkling and light, rather than dark and mournful. Against all expectations, however, Mary Crawford became a heroine the day she and her brother Henry went to stay with their cousin Dr. Grant. Dr. Grant had just moved to a new parsonage across from the famous Mansfield Abbey. A family of very new wealth had purchased and renovated it some twenty-five years ago; before that time, the gothic ruins had been a popular tourist destination. When Mary and her brother arrived, Dr. Grant informed them that they had been invited to spend the evening at Mansfield. “Lady Bertram truly is a most condescending neighbor,” he gushed, “she never forgets to think of me alone in my cottage. Why, just last week she invited me to dinner three times. And her children are all perfectly polite, too. The girls-Maria and Julia-are very accomplished young ladies, and Edmund-her son-is quite the gentleman.” He went on to say that Lady Bertram had another son who was with her husband doing business in Antigua. *** The family was gathered in the drawing room. Lady Bertram reclined on a sofa, apparently half asleep, but when they entered, she sat up and looked at them with cool grey eyes. Three young ladies were on another couch, and a gentleman leaned against the fireplace. “Lady Bertram,” said Dr. Grant, “allow me to introduce you to my cousins, Mary and Henry Crawford. 3 “I’m delighted to make your acquaintance,” the lady drawled, “these are my daughters, Miss Bertram and Miss Julia Bertram, and this is my son, Mr. Edmund Bertram. Oh, and Fanny Price.” Edmund was very handsome, and Maria and Julia were as elegant and pale as Greek statues. Fanny Price, the third young lady who Dr. Grant hadn’t mentioned, was thin with dark hair. She immediately looked away when her name was mentioned, her expression unreadable. Miss Price had the right looks for a heroine, but she wasn’t one. Miss Price was hard to decipher. She sat very still and hardly spoke but seemed to be always watching and listening. Once Mary accidentally met her eyes and felt a chill as Fanny Price seemed to look straight through her, into her soul. Miss Price almost immediately turned away, however, and Mary shook off the feeling as a product of her imagination brought on by the gloom of Mansfield Abbey. *** For the next several weeks, the party at the parsonage was invited to Mansfield Abbey for dinner or the evening almost every day. Edmund knew that his father would not approve of such frequent intercourse with practical strangers, but he couldn’t help wanting to see Mary more. Fanny had always been first in his affections, but Mary outshone her like the sun outshone the moon. *** It was a dark and stormy night, and Edmund proposed that Dr. Grant, Henry and Mary stay at Mansfield rather than attempt to walk back to the parsonage. They were happy to extend their visit; it promised much more amusement than an evening spent at the parsonage. Dr. Grant could fawn over Lady Bertram, and Henry could redouble his attempt to captivate Fanny. Mary was amused by the apparent fruitlessness of the mens’ efforts. 4 The only member of the party who didn’t seem to welcome a chance to extend the evening was Fanny Price. Mary noticed her lips press together slightly when Edmund proposed their stay, and shortly afterwards, she saw the two of them have a muttered conversation that resulted in Miss Price turning away and declaring that she would have no part in such an imposition on Mr. Bertram senior’s wishes. “Would your father disapprove so much of our staying here?” Mary asked Edmund when Fanny had swept out of the room, “Perhaps we had better borrow a carriage and return.” “Nonsense,” said Edmund immediately, sounding annoyed, “Fanny doesn’t know my father’s temper like I do. He would never expect you to venture out in weather like this.” As if to agree with him, thunder roared, lightning flashed, and the rain seemed to triple in volume. Edmund himself looked so forbidding that Mary didn’t dare speak again. For a moment, there was an uncomfortable silence, and Mary felt eyes on her--unfriendly eyes. The moment passed, however, and soon those who remained were playing cards into the early morning. *** When she awoke later that morning, Mary had entirely forgotten the moment of awkwardness of the previous evening. She could vaguely remember a dream about Edmund of which she doubted Miss Price would approve. When she jumped up, she had a moment of dizziness that made her reach out to one of the posts of her bed to steady herself. Remonstrating herself for getting up too quickly, she walked to a window and pushed aside the heavy drapes. It was no longer raining, but it seemed rather dark. Had she slept the whole day through? A pang in her stomach convinced her that she had. She raced downstairs and began to stammer an apology to the party there assembled. 5 “We are quite accustomed to oversleeping ourselves here,” Lady Bertram said suddenly, “most days, I don’t rise until at least dinnertime.” Mary noticed that the lady was twisting the fabric of her dress in her hands, nervously it seemed, and remembered Dr. Grant telling her that the two households never paid morning visits to each other. She was reminded of her dream, for some reason. It seemed as though she were forgetting something important. “A penny for your thoughts,” Edmund asked, interrupting them. She shook her head to clear it. It had been just a dream. When she looked up, Edmund was smiling at her, and she felt warmth spread through her body. “Now we are only missing Dr. Grant,” said Miss Price, and Mary’s blood ran cold as she turned toward the sound. The other woman was looking at a piece of work in her lap, it seemed, and as Mary saw the mousy brown hair and slight figure, she wondered what it was about Fanny Price that unnerved her so. Perhaps it was that she sat so quiet and still, one didn’t notice her presence when entering a room. Mary soon forgot Miss Price and her uneasiness and was chatting happily with Edmund when Henry said suddenly, “Where is Dr. Grant? Surely he cannot still be sleeping, and we really must go back to the parsonage.” Mary was annoyed at the interruption. Couldn’t he see she was talking to Edmund? What did she care what Dr. Grant was doing all this time, or whether he were alive or dead? “I will look for him,” said Miss Price, rising fluidly, and Mary realized the ingratitude of her thoughts. Of course she cared about her cousin. She opened her mouth to say that she would go also, but Miss Price had already left the room. *** 6 After a few minutes, Miss Price returned. “Dr. Grant is dead,” she said, and did she smile a little? When Mary looked more closely, however, there was no trace of emotion on the other woman’s face. “My God!” Henry exclaimed, “Dead! How?” “I believe he has had a stroke,” said Miss Price composedly, “though only a surgeon could be certain.” “We will have to send for one,” said Edmund immediately, beckoning a servant, “Charles, send for a surgeon.
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