Love and Marriage
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Love and Marriage |
| Author(s): | solvent90 |
| Date(s): | 2008 |
| Length: | ~3,300 words |
| Genre(s): | het, alternate universe |
| Fandom(s): | Mansfield Park (Jane Austen) |
| Relationship(s): | |
| External Links: | Yuletide |
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Love and Marriage is a Mansfield Park short story by solvent90, written in 2008 for Yuletide. It is rated PG-13. The author summary is A story from another pen.
Like many Mansfield Park stories, "Love and Marriage" is an AU in which the canonical pairings are overturned: Fanny Price marries Henry Crawford, Mary Crawford marries Edmund Bertram, and Maria Bertram remains with Mr Rushworth. In many Fanny/Henry AUs, such as the popular Everingham by Katharine T, Henry reforms to a greater or lesser extent, and the marriage is generally portrayed in a positive light. Solvent90's take is less optimistic: neither Mary nor Henry has changed greatly from their canon selves, and none of three marriages is portrayed as being happy, although the ending leaves a little hope for Fanny and Henry.
Reception
The story was well received, with 25 comments in the Yuletide archive, more than any other Mansfield Park story. It is recommended at Crack Van and elsewhere. Anghraine describes it as The best MP fic I've ever seen, bar none.[1] "Love and Marriage" received particular praise for its believable yet sympathetic characterisations of all the main characters.
Recs & Reviews
This is an excellent, well written story, where the silences are almost as important as the things said. A powerful look at what may have been, it's not a happy story, but a necessary one. It's honest to a fault, and gives a new perspective on the canon characters. Definitively a different look at the Fanny accepts Henry scenario. It has a very good narrative voice, which makes for a quick, pleasant read. (hele at Crack Van)[2]
A thoughtful look at how it might have turned out if the novel had ended differently, with characterisations that feel very true to the original. Highly recommended (Espresso Addict)[3]
What a brilliant take on this most popular of alternate pairings - I love it! While the author does, so to speak, take up the offer Austen makes in MP, she doesn't try and make it bunny rabbits and rainbows, either, as so many do. She doesn't blacken anybody, and she doesn't whitewash them either. There's no sense that this is about any of the parties being unworthy of the other, that they're all unhappy because Henry and Mary are selfish sophisticates or, alternatively, Fanny and Edmund are dull and censorious - rather, she shows how they're genuinely ill-suited. ...
Here, it's quiet, desperate, everyday tragedy - not what you'd find in Austen, but what I think she foresaw for them in MP, and perhaps why she didn't go there. (elizabeth hoot)[2]
It depicts two unhappy marriages without blaming anyone; all of the characters (with the possible exception of Maria Rushworth) are portrayed sympathetically. Yet while Mary and Edmund will probably descend deeper and deeper into unhappiness, there are hints that Fanny and Henry will manage better. Mansfield Park is one of my least favourite Austens, but this fic makes me want to go back to the source material. (Helka Maria)[4]
The problem with Henry/Fanny is that a happy ending is dependent upon Henry coming around to Fanny's morality and never regressing to his old ways because you know that Fanny will not compromise or come around to Henry's way of thinking. It's not impossible that he would do that, but...well, the book makes a fairly compelling case that it's not at all in his nature.The other problem with Henry/Fanny is that it's dependent on Mary/Edmund happening first and...look, I'm not crazy about Edmund and I certainly don't like Mary, but I don't hate either of them so much that I think they deserve to be married to each other.
IMHO Love and Marriage catches Fanny/Henry and Mary/Edmund in the most realistic way. (sixbeforelunch)[5]
References
- ^ a b anghraine: I come bearing recs! (lots and lots of recs) (accessed 29 June 2013)
- ^ a b crack_van: Love and Marriage by solvent90 (PG) (accessed 29 June 2013)
- ^ Espresso Recommendations: Jane Austen – Mansfield Park (accessed 29 June 2013)
- ^ Helka Maria's fanfic recs: Recs in various fandoms (accessed 29 June 2013)
- ^ sixbeforelunch: mansfield park fandom and writing (accessed 25 January 2014)