Jane Austen discussion

Sir Thomas decides that Fanny should pay a visit to Portsmouth and her family. Fanny is looking forward to seeing them again after all those years, as well as getting away from Mansfield for a while - and Edmund! However, it is a very different story once she arrives. She is shocked and horrified at the difference.

Fanny's parents are just awful! The poor girl just can't catch a break anywhere it seems...

I guess I'm not made of the stern stuff that Fanny is. I think I'd prefer marriage to a cad like HC than spending another moment in the house at Portsmouth. Ugh!

It's certainly not a home for the faint-hearted! Poor Fanny, I wonder if she would like her older brothers better.

Given her delicate health, I can't help speculate that she, like sister Mary, would not have made it to adulthood if left in that environment.

@ Louise

Despite being treated as a "poor relation" for most her time at Mansfield, perhaps living there saved her life. Her mother seems incompetent to care for a child who is less than hearty.