Character List
Tom Bertram: The profligate older son and the sole heir to Mansfield Park. Tom causes his father and brother hardship for his excessive debts. Eventually, his lifestyle causes his collapse, as he acquires an illness from which he nearly fails to recover.
Edmund Bertram: The second son of Lord and Lady Bertram. Because he is not heir to the estate, he must pick an occupation, and chooses to become a clergyman - much to the chagrin of Mary Crawford, with whom he falls in love. Fanny Price loves him quietly and patiently.
Julia Bertram: The second daughter of Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram. Julia and her sister fall in love with Henry Crawford, but Henry favors her married sister, Maria. Eventually, Julia runs away with Yates.
Lady Bertram: An extremely indolent woman who spends the day on her couch petting her lap dog. Lady Bertram is kind to Fanny, and manages to make a happy marriage with Sir Thomas Bertram.
Maria Bertram: Sir Thomas and Lady Bertrams' narcissistic older daughter. Maria marries Mr. Rushworth for money and social standing despite her attraction to Henry Crawford, with whom she ultimately runs away.
Sir Thomas Bertram: A baronet, the patriarch of Mansfield Park, and Fanny Price's uncle through marriage. Strict and stern, Sir Bertram's financial investments take him to his Antigua plantation, and he returns to find that his children have met the wrong sort of people, the Crawfords.
Mrs. Norris: Lady Bertrams's miserly busybody sister and the scourge of every inhabitant of Mansfield Park. Mrs. Norris is married to the parson, Mr. Norris, until he dies and is replaced by Dr. Grant in the parsonage. She thinks only of herself, and treats Fanny like a servant.
Mary Crawford: Mrs. Grant's younger sister, who hails from London. Although on the surface Mary appears beautiful and charming, underneath she is manipulative, proud, and narcissistic. She feigns friendship with Fanny to get Edmund's attention.
Henry Crawford: Mrs. Grant's wealthy younger brother, who also hails from London. Henry's charm makes up for his plain looks, and he entices women to fall in love with him. He plays Maria Bertram off against her sister Julia, and seems to fall in love with Fanny until he runs away with the married Maria.
Fanny Price: The protagonist, and the poor ward and niece of Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram. Fanny comes to Mansfield Park as a child of nine. Although she is initially kept in her place as a poor relation, over time her good sense and modesty cause her to become be an accepted member of the family. Fanny secretly loves her cousin Edmund, who is himself attracted to Mary Crawford. At the end of the novel, Fanny marries Edmund and moves with him to the Mansfield Park parsonage.
Susan Price: Fanny's younger sister. Because Susan is smart and well-mannered, she comes to replace her sister at Mansfield Park after Fanny marries.
William Price: Fanny's younger brother, who has retained a commission in the Navy. Henry arranges with his admiral uncle to get William promoted to lieutenant in an effort to entice Fanny into marrying him. Fanny and William illustrate how siblings should act, and stand in contrast to the more "high-class" Bertrams.
Mr. Rushworth: The bumbling owner of Sotherton, Mansfield Park's neighboring estate. Blinded by Maria Bertram's beauty, he fails to see that she has married him strictly for his fortune.
Mr. Yates: A visitor to Mansfield Park who puts together the troubling play, Lover's Vows. Mr. Yates eventually elopes with Julia Bertram.
ClassicNote on Mansfield Park
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