What made the experience of listening to Mansfield Park the most enjoyable? Holmes.įrances Barbar has narrated an impressive list of titles, including The Chimney Sweeper's Boy by Barbara Vine, The Voyages of the Princess Matilda by Shane Spall and Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Her film credits include The Escape The Bookshop Blue Iguana Film Stars don't Die in Liverpool El Elegido (The Chosen) and Mr. Her numerous television credits include Father Brown, Medici: Masters of Florence, Mapp and Lucia, Psychobitches, The Spa, a new regular in the series Silk, several episodes of Doctor Who, Midsomer Murders and A Passionate Woman. Other theatre credits include Madame Rubinstein, The School for Scandal, What The Butler Saw, Julius Caesar, Les Parents Terribles, That Face, Afterplay, Madame De Sade, and King Lear. Her plots often explore women's dependence on marriage in the pursuit of favourable social standing and economic security.įrances Barber has received Olivier Award nominations for her work in the plays, Camille, and Uncle Vanya.

Jane Austen was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels which focused on the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. The most serious of Austen's works due to its discussion of religion and religious duty, Mansfield Park also offers a subtle examination of social position and moral integrity, making it one of Austen's most profound works. It is only Fanny whose deep but secret love for Edmund remains true despite his fascination with her brilliant but frivolous cousin Mary. During the absence of Fanny's uncle, the others become entangled in a maze of flirtation and intrigue upon the arrival of Mary Crawford and her brother Henry. But Fanny's steadfast and purposeful character eventually makes her an indispensable part of the household. Growing up in the Bertram household, she is always treated as an inferior, only finding an ally in her cousin Edmund.

When the self-effacing 10-year-old Fanny Price is sent to live with her wealthy relations at Mansfield Park she seems shy and withdrawn beside her witty and vivacious cousins.