Mansfield Park takes place in rural locales in Southern England (specifically the estates of Mansfield Park and Sotherton) as well as Portsmouth, a nearby city. Though there are no scenes set in London, characters come and go from that city as well and send many letters describing their experiences there. There is a noticeable divide between the country and the city in the novel—the country is calmer and signifies people who are more down-to-earth, whereas the cities tend to represent chaos, vice, and snobbery.
The novel is set in the early 1800s. Though Austen does not make direct reference to the fact that England is actively defending itself from invasion by France during the Napoleonic Wars at this time, she alludes to it via the inclusion of characters who are part of the Navy (specifically Fanny’s brother William and father Mr. Price).
Historically speaking, the early 1800s were also immensely significant in British history as this was when the slave trade was legally abolished (specifically in 1807). Mansfield Park takes place in the years immediately before abolition, as is evident in Sir Thomas Bertram traveling to Antigua for “business.” Though Austen does not state it directly, this business is certainly tied to sugar plantations in Antigua worked by enslaved people.
Mansfield Park primarily focuses on the relationship between wealthy land-owning aristocrats (like Sir Thomas Bertram and his family), upper-middle-class “landed gentry” (like the Crawfords), and lower-middle-class people (like Fanny and her immediate family). Austen specifically plays with the different social dynamics between classes, especially as young people seek to find romantic matches that move them up the socioeconomic hierarchy.
