From Mansfield Park
Mary Crawford
Henry’s bright sister • Witty and grand
Henry’s witty, fashionable sister, who plays the golden harp and fills Mansfield with laughter, catching Edmund’s eye.
Who is Mary Crawford?
Mary Crawford is Henry’s witty, fashionable sister, who comes from London to live with their half-sister at the Parsonage. She plays the harp beautifully, laughs easily and charms everyone, especially Edmund. She is often friendly to Fanny, but she cares a great deal about money and grand positions, and she cannot understand why goodness matters more.
Mary Crawford is a character in Mansfield Park, the 1814 novel by Jane Austen, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.
What is Mary Crawford like?
- witty
- lively
- worldly
Mary Crawford’s story
Mary and her brother Henry were brought up in London by their uncle, Admiral Crawford. When his home becomes unpleasant, Mary comes to live with her half-sister, Mrs. Grant, at the Mansfield Parsonage. She has a fortune of twenty thousand pounds, and she is pretty, lively and full of jokes. She soon finds herself liking Edmund, even though she thinks a clergyman’s life is dull and wishes he would choose something grander.
Mary borrows Fanny’s horse for riding lessons with Edmund and keeps Fanny waiting, then laughingly apologizes. In the family play she persuades Edmund to act the part of her stage lover. Before the ball, she gives Fanny a gold necklace, only afterward revealing that Henry chose it. She also encourages her brother’s courtship of Fanny.
When Henry runs away with Maria, Mary treats it mainly as foolishness that should be hushed up, not as a real wrong. Edmund is shocked, and he realizes he can no longer love her. Mary goes to live with Mrs. Grant in London, where she finds it hard to meet anyone as good as Edmund.
“Selfishness must always be forgiven, you know, because there is no hope of a cure.”
A moment to remember
Mary’s golden harp arrives from London, and she fills the room with sweet music while Edmund leans close to turn her pages.
Family and friends
- Henry Crawford: brother
- Edmund Bertram: young man she loves
- Fanny Price: friend she tries to win over
Talk about it
Mary was fun and clever, but Fanny saw that she did not always care about right and wrong. What makes someone a true friend?
Questions about Mary Crawford
- Why doesn’t Edmund marry Mary Crawford?
- When her brother runs off with Maria, Mary speaks of it as a foolish mistake to be smoothed over, not as something wrong. Edmund sees that her heart does not share his values.
- Does Mary Crawford play the harp?
- Yes. Her harp is brought to the Parsonage, and Edmund loves to listen to her play.
- Is Mary Crawford a villain?
- Not exactly. She is warm, funny and sometimes kind to Fanny, but she cares too much about money and position, and she does not take right and wrong seriously enough.
Read the story in
Mansfield Park
Ages 6–9, 72 pages
