Gack! Never would have thought it possible for Austen to jump the shark, but she sure did here. By about 3/4 of the way through, I felt that Austen had really written herself into a corner, and wondered how in the world she was going to wrap things up into the ending that summaries and reviews had prepared me for. (view spoiler)[That Fanny ends up with Edmund (hide spoiler)] 
 Well apparently she really had written herself into a corner, because the only way out of it was to jump the shark and conveniently sweep away all obstacles in an almost soap opera style. 
 In addition the whole thing felt like a morality play intent on beating us on the heads with right and wrong (according to the privileged, religious, and conservative gentry's code of ethics). 
 The characters and psychology of the characters were very interesting and nuanced however. 
 Reading other reviews, I see that Fanny is generally disliked. I didn't dislike her, I thought she was a very realistic character coming from the background she did, and treated by her so-called benefactors as she was. So I didn't dislike her for her passiveness as many do. Some things that I disliked about her were her tendency to priggishness, being unforgiving (except, of course, towards her so-called benefactors, who are rather terrible to her -- of them, she is forgiving beyond their deserving), and a tendency to martyrdom. But these qualities only serve to keep her human and grounded and imperfect. So while there were things about her I didn't like, I didn't dislike her, if that makes sense. 
 You know who I did dislike though? EDMUND. Geez what a prick! By the end of the book he still hadn't improved at all. For being the only one of the entire family who shows Fanny any kindness or consideration, he still falls woefully short of any real respect or esteem for her. He is selfish and presumptuous, and reads into her words and actions only what he wants to see. (view spoiler)[And then apparently one of the eventual turn-ons for him is the fact that he had "formed" Fanny's mind and judgment and blah blah blah. BARF. That isn't love, that's narcissism. He doesn't really deserve Fanny tbh. (hide spoiler)] 
 Oddly enough, I think my favorite character was one that is ultimately condemned by the "good" characters -- Mary Crawford. I got the impression that the character got out of Austen's control, that she took on her own life beyond Austen's original intentions. (view spoiler)[And in order to procure the ending which Austen wanted, she had to take some swift strokes with Mary's character towards the end in order to make her irredeemable in contemporary readers' eyes. (hide spoiler)] I thought she was a wonderfully deep and three-dimensional character. 
 The most disturbing thing about the entire book is (view spoiler)[when Henry Crawford starts "courting" Fanny against her will. And then her whole family and acquaintance, including Edmund-the-prat, are forcing her to accept his attentions despite her protestations. It is really quite upsetting and disturbing to read, nothing less than stalking and harassment, almost tantamount to rape if you ask me (and I am a survivor, so please don't assume that I throw that term around lightly). And the ultimate culmination of this disturbing trend occurs in the last chapter or two, as Austen is wrapping things up, when the narrator starts going on about how Crawford would have eventually succeeded with Fanny if he'd only kept to his plan, blah blah blah. What?? Ugh! Terrible! (hide spoiler)] 
 I read on Wikipedia that Mansfield Park was the best selling of Austen's novels when she was alive. While reading it, I found myself wondering if Austen really espoused all the moral points presented in the novel, or if she simply knew her audience. While reading her novels, I find myself trying to read into her works and discover some aspect of her own character and personality, but she remains such a cipher.