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Dramatic Irony
Chapter 34
Explanation and Analysis—Henry and Edmund:
As Fanny’s two suitors in the novel, Henry and Edmund become foils for each other. Henry is charming and, over the course of the novel, flirts with all three eligible women at Mansfield Park (Julia, Maria, and Fanny), while Edmund remains faithfully interested in Mary, even when she toys with him because he is not as wealthy as she would want her husband to be.
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Chapter 48
Explanation and Analysis—Fanny and Mary:
As Edmund’s two potential love interests, Fanny and Mary act as foils for each other. Fanny is reserved, anxious, and well-mannered, while Mary is outgoing, charming, and occasionally offensive. This comes across in her suggestion that Tom’s death would be fine since it would guarantee Edmund more money, her “joke” that she would never settle for a dance with a clergyman like Edmund, and in the way that she blames Fanny for Henry and Maria’s affair (saying Fanny should have accepted his marriage proposal and the whole situation could have been averted).
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