Other Fiction Austen, Jane: Mansfield Park (Illustrated). v2, 3 Mar 2008

[zelda_pinwheel]

imp conversion of HarryT's illustrated Austen series. I will do the others as well. to avoid confusion in case of further revisions i have copied the title of HarryT's post, including version number and date (they correspond to the mobi version i converted).

conversion notes : thanks to Nick's brilliant conversion tool, i can make an .imp 1150 *and* a 1200 version with very little extra effort on my part, so i have included both here. the color illustrations make the 1200 particularly worthwhile. i have fixed the problem with the images being too long in this 1200 version, and will redo the previous ones after i finish the series.

HarryT's original description :

Originally Posted by HarryT

A fully illustrated version of Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park", with 24 full-page watercolour illustrations by C.E.Brock.

Description, from an Amazon review:

Mansfield Park, although certainly regarded as a part of the canon of English literature, is often considered to be the weakest, least dazzling of Austen's novels. Without the witty sparkle of Pride and Prejudice or the gothic indulgence of Northanger Abbey, it has struggled at time to match the popularity of her other titles. But oh, what a treat those who pass over Mansfield Park are missing. Certainly, it is the most disturbing and perhaps the least superficially pleasing of Austen's output but it has rewards aplenty for the careful reader.

Mansfield Park, home of the affluent Bertram family, takes in a young poor relation with the overt intention of giving her the advantages of a good education and good connections while preserving her sense of gratitude and subservience. Fanny, the haplessly lucky chosen beneficiary of such benevolence is uprooted from friends, home, family and all that it familiar to take up residence in the grand house with her grand relations. Austen sets Fanny up as the heroine, designed to evoke the sympathy of the reader: this is a challenge for a modern audience, many of whom will find her weak and too self-deprecating to be genuinely engaging. And similarly, the sins and deficiencies in disposition and feeling with which Austen gifts brother and sister, Mary and Henry Crawford, may seem not so damning today as Austen intended. This however, does little to detract from the overall value of the novel itself. The relationship between the Bertram family and its colonial role (their wealth derives from sugar plantations in Antigua) is only hinted at overtly, but beautifully explored through the metaphorical position of Mansfield as the centre of all that is English. Similarly, contemporary values regarding manners, position, influence and identity are gently rolled out for the reader through the evolving relationship between the Bertrams and their acquaintances and within the family itself. And yet, with all this meat beneath the surface, there is still a gentle and touching domestic love story, which evolves over the course of the novel as the more passionate, less fatalistic engagements and attachments of side characters wax and wane.

Mansfield Park is a masterpiece of English manners, of Englishness and of empire.

Illustrations are used, with thanks, from http://www.mollands.net and http://www.solitary-elegance.com. Both these web sites are great resources for all fans of Jane Austen!

Enjoy!

This work is in the Canadian public domain OR the copyright holder has given specific permission for distribution. It may still be under copyright in some countries. If you live outside Canada, check your country's copyright laws. If the book is under copyright in your country, do not download or redistribute this work.

To report a copyright violation you can contact us here.

[nrapallo]

As requested, I've updated these .imp ebooks using Mobi2IMP v9.4e to the latest version posted by HarryT, namely:

EDIT: 10 Aug 08

Replaced the cover with a much improved one. Thanks to Paul Durrant for this.

This work is in the Canadian public domain OR the copyright holder has given specific permission for distribution. It may still be under copyright in some countries. If you live outside Canada, check your country's copyright laws. If the book is under copyright in your country, do not download or redistribute this work.

To report a copyright violation you can contact us here.