Henry developing romantic feelings for Fanny is an example of situational irony because he was the one who set out to make her fall in love with him. Henry—and readers by extension—did not expect to genuinely want to make Fanny his wife. His sister Mary’s response to his declaration of love for Fanny captures readers' surprise as well:
The surprize was now complete; for in spite of whatever his consciousness might suggest, a suspicion of his having any such views had never entered his sister’s imagination; and she looked so truly the astonishment she felt, that he was obliged to repeat what he had said, and more fully and more solemnly.
This passage shows how shocked Mary is, highlighting the ironic twist. Henry even later says directly to her, “You know with what idle designs I began—but this is the end of them.” He, too, is aware of the irony of the situation.
There are a couple more layers of irony to Henry’s feelings for Fanny. First, he had known Fanny for many months by the time he falls in love with her and had no interest in her when there were other available women his age at Mansfield Park. He chose to focus on flirting with Julia and Maria and barely took note of Fanny at all.
Second, Fanny not reciprocating Henry’s feelings—and outright rejecting him—is ironic because she comes from such inferior social standing. In other words, readers would expect her to say yes to his proposal in order to secure a financially advantageous match that Sir Thomas and Lady Bertram would be proud of, while being her typical well-mannered self to boot. That she rejects him shows how she prizes morality over manners—she sees Henry as a flirt who flits from woman to woman and cannot marry someone who has no moral center.
The situational irony at the heart of Mansfield Park is that, while most of the characters talk about the importance of marrying for love, marriage in practice is much more about strategy and socioeconomic advancement. This tension is particularly apparent in how the Bertrams respond to Henry asking for Fanny’s hand in marriage. In Chapter 36, Edmund centers the importance of romantic love in his reaction to the proposal by trying to convince Fanny that she will come to love Henry one day if she gives him a chance:
Edmund now believed himself perfectly acquainted with all that Fanny could tell, or could leave to be conjectured of her sentiments, and he was satisfied […] She must be used to the consideration of his being in love with her, and then a return of affection might not be very distant.
While Edmund acts as if Fanny’s feelings toward Henry (or lack thereof) are the most important consideration regarding whether or not she should marry Henry, his father (Fanny’s uncle), Sir Thomas, takes a different approach. In Chapter 32, in a rare moment of rage and honesty, Sir Thomas names directly that marriage is about what’s advantageous for a family, while berating Fanny for not accepting Henry’s proposal:
“The advantage or disadvantage of your family—of your parents—your brothers and sisters—never seems to have had a moment’s share in your thoughts on this occasion. How they might be benefited, how they must rejoice in such an establishment for you—is nothing to you.”
As someone with no access to inheritance or wealth of any kind, Fanny is—in Sir Thomas’s mind—someone who should prioritize financial security for herself and her family. This leaves Fanny in a difficult position: she does not love Henry so does not want to marry him (as, in her mind, he is an immoral person who is not a good match for her), yet he offers her and her family financial security (which makes marrying him, in a way, the moral choice). Ultimately, of course, she stays her ground and decides not to accept his proposal.
With all the talk of love-matches throughout the novel, readers would expect the characters to prioritize love the way Fanny does, but time and again they do not (like Maria marrying Mr. Rushworth, Mary rejecting Edmund because of his lack of wealth, and more).
After ten years of neglecting and looking down on Fanny, Lady Bertram suddenly sees her as beautiful and approves of her as a family member, simply because a wealthy and desirable man (Henry) has proposed to her—an example of situational irony. Here the narrator captures Lady Bertram’s ironic internal thoughts on the matter:
Lady Bertram took it differently. She had been a beauty, and a prosperous beauty, all her life; and beauty and wealth were all that excited her respect. To know Fanny to be sought in marriage by a man of fortune, raised her, therefore, very much in her opinion. By convincing her that Fanny was very pretty, which she had been doubting about before, and that she would be advantageously married, it made her feel a sort of credit in calling her niece.
This is an example of situational irony because readers would expect Lady Bertram to continue to disapprove of Fanny, as nothing about Fanny herself has changed. The way that Henry’s proposal “convince[s] her that Fanny [is] very pretty” is quite humorous and shows how superficial Lady Bertram’s character is. It also shows how powerful access to money (and wealthy men) is to the Bertrams.
The situational irony at the heart of Mansfield Park is that, while most of the characters talk about the importance of marrying for love, marriage in practice is much more about strategy and socioeconomic advancement. This tension is particularly apparent in how the Bertrams respond to Henry asking for Fanny’s hand in marriage. In Chapter 36, Edmund centers the importance of romantic love in his reaction to the proposal by trying to convince Fanny that she will come to love Henry one day if she gives him a chance:
Edmund now believed himself perfectly acquainted with all that Fanny could tell, or could leave to be conjectured of her sentiments, and he was satisfied […] She must be used to the consideration of his being in love with her, and then a return of affection might not be very distant.
While Edmund acts as if Fanny’s feelings toward Henry (or lack thereof) are the most important consideration regarding whether or not she should marry Henry, his father (Fanny’s uncle), Sir Thomas, takes a different approach. In Chapter 32, in a rare moment of rage and honesty, Sir Thomas names directly that marriage is about what’s advantageous for a family, while berating Fanny for not accepting Henry’s proposal:
“The advantage or disadvantage of your family—of your parents—your brothers and sisters—never seems to have had a moment’s share in your thoughts on this occasion. How they might be benefited, how they must rejoice in such an establishment for you—is nothing to you.”
As someone with no access to inheritance or wealth of any kind, Fanny is—in Sir Thomas’s mind—someone who should prioritize financial security for herself and her family. This leaves Fanny in a difficult position: she does not love Henry so does not want to marry him (as, in her mind, he is an immoral person who is not a good match for her), yet he offers her and her family financial security (which makes marrying him, in a way, the moral choice). Ultimately, of course, she stays her ground and decides not to accept his proposal.
With all the talk of love-matches throughout the novel, readers would expect the characters to prioritize love the way Fanny does, but time and again they do not (like Maria marrying Mr. Rushworth, Mary rejecting Edmund because of his lack of wealth, and more).
Henry and Maria having an affair near the end of the novel is an example of situational irony because readers are, by that point, convinced that he has given up his flirtatious, fickle ways in order to be faithful to Fanny. Fanny’s confused reaction to reading the newspaper clipping that revealed the affair captures the irony of this moment:
“It is a mistake, Sir,” said Fanny instantly; “it must be a mistake—it cannot be true—it must mean some other people.” She spoke from the instinctive wish of delaying shame, she spoke with a resolution which sprung from despair, for she spoke what she did not, could not believe herself.
This passage shows how, like readers, Fanny is shocked by this turn of events. Henry had just been visiting her in Portsmouth and she had just begun opening her heart to him, and now, suddenly, he is having an affair with her married cousin.
Not only had Henry been completely focused on winning Fanny’s affections mere weeks before this news leaked, but, according to an even more recent letter from Edmund, Henry had barely interacted with Maria at a recent party, implying that the two were not on good terms. Edmund goes as far as to describe it as a “coolness” between them. Just as Fanny is shocked by the news, readers are also shocked, as Austen intentionally set the scene for this ironic twist.
