Marriage Vows, Part Two

[silvestria]

Title: Marriage Vows
Fandom: Jane Austen - Mansfield Park
Author: Silvestria
Rating: U/G
Summary: “Fanny was disposed to think the influence of London very much at war with all respectable attachments.” 'Mansfield Park', Volume III, Chapter XIV

Comments

[ibmiller]

I love the little details, like Julia showing that she is Edmund's sister, but hating that part of herself. Mr. Yates is a very nice variation on the rattle, like a more noble version of John Thorpe. still missing Fanny, though. :-) The resolution is touching, despite the rather shallow and vicious nature of Julia's characterization - I'm very impressed. Though I'm very curious - do you envision Mary and Sybil here at all?

[epea_pteroenta]

I'm really glad you enjoyed it - I was hoping you'd read it as I know you're a MP fan. I had to make Julia and Yates a little more sympathetic otherwise it would be completely impossible to write a story about them I think, but I hope I did manage to still keep true enough to their characterisation in the novel.

Do you envision Mary and Sybil here at all?Actually, no, at least not consciously. I think both the Crawleys are nicer than the Bertrams (especially Sybil) and I don't think that Mary and Sybil have the kind of relationship that Maria and Julia have. If anything, I feel the parallel would be more with Edith. Do you think there are similarities/evidence of influence? I have wondered though about the similarity in name between Mary Crawford/Mary Crawley. Was there any reference there intended by Julian Fellowes or is it coincidence

[ibmiller]

Oh, I always think there should be more non-fixfic (Mary and Henry do NOT deserve happy endings) MP stuff, and this is very well done.

I don't know if Fellowes had the Bertrams in mind specifically - I think both Fellowes and Austen were tapping into the rich and ready-made relational tensions of prized eldest sibling and rejected middle or youngest sibling (which, as an oldest of many siblings, I have much experience in).

I'm not sure how Edith would fit more with the Bertram sisters - the star elder (Mary and Maria) who are expected to make the marriage of society, and the younger/middle sister (Julia/Edith) who are not inferior, but constantly denigrated because they aren't as important socially, not to mention the way the two constantly undercut each other in both stories - it just struck me as a strong parallel.