『맨스필드 파크』

A Study of Mansfield Park: on the Patriarch's Absence and Return

Jane Austen wrote during a transitional period, as the late 18th century was giving way to the Victorian Era. During this time the English economy was invigorated by the industrial revolution and its expansion of overseas settlements. However, England was facing a national crisis. Austen gave in depth descriptions of love and marriage against the backdrop of quiet country life in her works during this time. country life in her works during this time. Austen seemed indifferent to traditional Victorian social issues, but as Q. D. Leavis pointed out, Austen not only described the changing picture of life through the everyday issues of love and marriage, but also illustrated the psychological and moral issues caused by the transition. Mansfield Park, one of her works, did not deal with foreign affairs in politics directly, but it did show the effects of those affairs throughout society. Austen was able to reveal society's true picture by focusing on the Bertrams as they went through the changes of domestic order and ethical collapse of the landed gentry within the country. This study focuses on the changes and problems of English society due to political and economical changes, and reveals Austen's awareness of the change in society, and the issues of the day by analyzing the Bertrams. The Bertrams highlight the dependence on patriarchal power and its absence, and its effects on the relationships with other families around them.