Gry Ranfelt asked:

Anybody else who think it would've been more interesting to see Henry and Fanny together at the end? Jane Austen hints that they woul've been happy together, and I do think it would've been a healthy development for both characters. There's something so irky about Edmund and Fanny, not due to family relations but to the fact that Edmund basically gave Fanny all her opinions.

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9 years ago
7 answers

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Lisa Maxwell

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Grace Austen addresses this concern within the last two chapters. She explains that while Crawford could have improved, his vanity led him to such a scandalous affair. Being a virtuous philosopher, Austen really hits on consistency in forming habits and, thereafter, fortitude within the virtues.

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Jennie Winters I am not sure that either Edmund or Henry truly deserved Fanny. I almost wish she met someone else entirely. I wouldn't want her to end up living at Mansfield Park taking care of her Aunt Bertram for her whole life either.

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Linda Hendrex

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Amanda

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)[I think Austen did a wonderful job of letting Fanny be herself. The only time when Fanny really started to like Henry was when she was at Portsmouth (a long ways from Mansfield), Edmund was focused on Mary, and Fanny had nobody else except Henry paying attention to her. (All part of Sir Thomas' schemes to get Fanny married off to Henry.) It's like people we meet in real life today - we think a couple would "be great together" but eventually one of them falls out of interest or never quite sees themselves settling in with the other person. Fanny knew in her heart that she wouldn't be good with Henry, even though everyone else (including the reader) hopes that Fanny and Henry might get together and fall in love.

On that note, maybe Austen was simply attempting to portray that it's okay for a woman to know her feelings and to stick with them. That sometimes, something can be said for intuition when it goes against all societal norms. Fanny didn't have a good impression of Henry (for good reasons), and eventually time told that Henry was too hungry for attention and that he couldn't wait any longer for Fanny to come around.

The way I see it is this. What would have happened if Fanny and Henry eventually got married? The honeymoon phase would've eventually worn off. (Remember that part in the book where we learn that Henry was never before rejected by a woman and that only made him want Fanny even more?) After marrying Fanny, Henry would've realized he was only lusting after Fanny and he would likely have found interest in another woman - or multiple - and had an affair later on in their marriage. I think Fanny's simplicity and introversion would've eventually become dull and boring to Henry.

Come on - let's be real here: Henry is a player! (Remember, Mary even says that Henry could have almost any girl he wanted, but he wanted Fanny - likely because she was "hard to get".) Henry can't get what he really wants (Fanny), so he'll settle for the girl he didn't want before, but who he knew was really into him (Maria). He wanted another "game" to play since he wasn't winning at getting Fanny, even if that meant breaking up a marriage to do so. (hide spoiler)]

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NorikoY Yes, it would have been interesting, if Fanny's opinion towards Henry improved. I think he would have improved, with proper love and attention. Then, grow family intimacy between the Crawfords and the Bertrams. But- to do so, the novel would have been much longer. I don't think Jane Austen wanted to write needlessly long novels, like Tom Jones.(thouth, Tom Jones is fun to read) I have a feeling that Jane Austen wanted to keep her novels as simple as possible. Her general description in her stories is much simpler, compared with other authers in those days.

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Sofie Boysen Probably everyone who's ever read the book! I recently read it, actually, and had to go online to find a fanfiction that finally settled my Henry/Fanny-cravings. Austen's sister also asked her for a different ending. But I still love the book, though.
It's even worse in the 1999 film adaption - even though it's such a weird adaption that changes Fanny's character completely. But movie-Henry is the dappest of all the dappers ever. :)

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