How old is Fanny Price in Mansfield Park?

Fanny is ten years old when she comes to Mansfield Park. She has just turned eighteen when the Crawfords arrive and most of the story begins.

Why does Fanny refuse Henry Crawford?

She has watched him flirt with her cousins Maria and Julia, and she does not believe his heart is good or steady. She also secretly loves Edmund.

Why does Fanny live at Mansfield Park?

Her parents are poor and have many children, so her mother’s rich sister, Lady Bertram, and Sir Thomas agree to bring her up at Mansfield Park.

From Mansfield Park

Fanny Price

A gentle cousin • Quiet and true

A shy girl from a crowded Portsmouth home whose gentle heart and quiet honesty guide her through life at grand Mansfield Park.

Who is Fanny Price?

Fanny Price is a shy, gentle girl from a crowded home in Portsmouth who is sent at ten years old to live with her rich uncle and aunts at Mansfield Park. She is quiet and often overlooked, but she notices everything and has a steady, honest heart. Again and again she quietly does what she knows is right, even when everyone around her disagrees.

Fanny Price is a character in Mansfield Park, the 1814 novel by Jane Austen, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.

What is Fanny Price like?

gentle
honest
loyal

Fanny Price’s story

Fanny is the eldest daughter of a poor family in Portsmouth. Her aunt Mrs. Norris suggests that the rich Bertrams take her in, and at ten she travels to Mansfield Park. She is frightened of her stern uncle, Sir Thomas, scolded by Aunt Norris and teased by her cousins Maria and Julia. Only her cousin Edmund is truly kind, and she misses her brother William terribly. In time she makes the chilly old East Room her own quiet nest of books and plants.

By eighteen, Fanny is gentle and graceful. When the lively Henry and Mary Crawford arrive, she watches quietly as Edmund falls for Mary and as Henry flirts with both of her cousins, though Maria is engaged to Mr. Rushworth. During a visit to Sotherton she sees Maria slip past a locked gate with Henry. When her cousins put on a play while Sir Thomas is away, Fanny is the only one who refuses to act.

Sir Thomas comes to respect her and gives a ball in her honor. Henry Crawford then falls in love with her and proposes, but Fanny says no, because she does not trust his heart. Her uncle is angry and sends her to visit her family in Portsmouth. There, news arrives that proves she was right about Henry. Fanny is called home, becomes the comfort of the whole family, and at last marries Edmund.

“We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be.”

Fanny Price, when Henry Crawford asks her advice about his estate, as they say goodbye in Portsmouth. From the original 1814 novel by Jane Austen.

A moment to remember

When Aunt Norris pushes a script into her hands and scolds her, Fanny’s voice shakes, but she does not bend: she says she cannot act.

Edmund Bertram: kind cousin she loves
William Price: beloved older brother
Henry Crawford: suitor she refuses
Mary Crawford: friendly neighbor she does not fully trust

Talk about it

Fanny was quiet but very brave. When have you done the right thing even though it felt hard?

Questions about Fanny Price

How old is Fanny Price in Mansfield Park?: Fanny is ten years old when she comes to Mansfield Park. She has just turned eighteen when the Crawfords arrive and most of the story begins.
Why does Fanny refuse Henry Crawford?: She has watched him flirt with her cousins Maria and Julia, and she does not believe his heart is good or steady. She also secretly loves Edmund.
Why does Fanny live at Mansfield Park?: Her parents are poor and have many children, so her mother’s rich sister, Lady Bertram, and Sir Thomas agree to bring her up at Mansfield Park.