Mansfield Park Q+A

Mansfield Park is over and done, but we still have much to discuss! Join us for a Q+A covering Mansfield Park and Jane Austen's works far and wide.Patron questions come from Avi, Spring, Rhona, Werebuffalo, Kaitlyn, Rukbat3, Lindsey, Emma, Flying Cupcake, and Shanibeth.Glossary of People, Places, and Things: Edward Said, Nina Auerbach, Clueless, Adam Brody, Ayo Edebiri, Bottoms, The Love Hypothesis, Lili Reinhart, Euphoria, Alexa Demie, Elijah Wood, Skeet Ulrich, Scream, Paul Mescal, Barry Keoghan, Adjoa Andoh, Bridgerton, Olivia Colman, Ralph FiennesNext Episode: Sense and Sensibility (2026)Our show art was created by Torrence Browne, and our audio is produced by Graham Cook. For bios and transcripts, check out our website at podandprejudice.com. Pod and Prejudice is transcribed by speechdocs.com. To support the show, check out our Patreon! Check out our merch at https://podandprejudice.dashery.com.Instagram: @podandprejudiceTwitter: @podandprejudiceFacebook: Pod and PrejudiceYoutube: Pod and PrejudiceMerch store: https://podandprejudice.dashery.com/

It's the FINAL CHAPTER of Mansfield Park! We made it, y'all. But we did not come out unscathed, and neither did the characters. So let's play Where Are They Now! Tom is a new man, Maria and Mrs. Norris go off to the countryside after Maria gets divorced, Henry hates himself forever, Yates works to prove himself to the family, Sir Thomas blames himself (and Mrs. Norris) for the way his daughters turned out, and Edmund notices that Fanny is an available woman and they get married and have a baby. Patron Study Questions come from Avi, Chrissy, and Abrasha. Topics discussed include the satisfaction of this ending, whether Edmund loves/deserves Fanny, and Jane Austen’s feminism.Becca's Study Questions: Topics discussed include whether this ending is consistent with the rest of the story, whether Sir Thomas has learned his lesson, the Crawfords’ role in the story, Fanny’s prize and whether it’s worth it, and whether Jane Austen succeeded with her exposé of the upper classes.Funniest Quote: “He had suffered, and he had learnt to think, two advantages that he had never known before.”Who wins the BOOK??? Social mobility!Glossary of Terms and Phrases:apoplexy (n): very great anger, or a stroke resulting from a brain hemorrhage.expedient (n): makeshift solution, stopgap, or temporary measure used to handle an urgent problem or emergency.Glossary of People, Places, and Things: Legally Blonde, Heated Rivalry, Adam Brody, Andrew Scott, You Belong With Me, Parks and Rec, A Cinderella StoryNext Episode: Mansfield Park Q+A!Our show art was created by Torrence Browne, and our audio is produced by Graham Cook. For bios and transcripts, check out our website at podandprejudice.com. Pod and Prejudice is transcribed by speechdocs.com. To support the show, check out our Patreon! Check out our merch at https://podandprejudice.dashery.com.Instagram: @podandprejudiceTwitter: @podandprejudiceFacebook: Pod and PrejudiceYoutube: Pod and PrejudiceMerch store: https://podandprejudice.dashery.com/

In today’s chapter, we learn what really happened with Maria and Henry. Edmund and Mary are broken up once and for all, and Fanny finally tells Edmund how Mary reacted to the news of Tom’s illness. Topics discussed include the effect Maria’s actions have on Mr. Rushworth, Sir Thomas’s endless despair, and dickmatism. Patron Study Questions come from Avi and Mari. Topics discussed include the future of the Crawford and Bertram families and how Mary feels about Maria.Becca's Study Questions: Topics discussed include Fanny’s new role at Mansfield park in relation to Norris, Mary’s crime and punishment, Henry’s crime and punishment, whether Mary ever loved Edmund and Fanny, Edmund’s lessons learned, and how Jane Austen feels about the Edmund/Mary breakup.Funniest Quote: However that might be, she was unmanageable. But had she been less obstinate, or of less weight with her son, who was always guided by the last speaker, by the person who could get hold of and shut him up, the case would still have been hopeless, for Mrs. Rushworth did not appear again, and there was every reason to conclude her to be concealed somewhere with Mr. Crawford, who had quitted his uncle’s house, as for a journey, on the very day of her absenting herself.Questions moving forward: What happened with Julia and Yates???Who wins the chapters? Susan and Fanny!Glossary of Terms and Phrases:guile (n): deceitful cunning; duplicityindigent (adj): ;acking enough money or basic life necessities like food, clothing, and sheltervitiate (v): to spoil, impair, or destroy the legal validity or effectiveness of somethingGlossary of People, Places, and Things: 13 Going on 30, The Princess Diaries 2, The Holiday, You Belong With MeNext Episode: Mansfield Park Volume III Chapter 17 or Chapter 48Our show art was created by Torrence Browne, and our audio is produced by Graham Cook. For bios and transcripts, check out our website at podandprejudice.com. Pod and Prejudice is transcribed by speechdocs.com. To support the show, check out our Patreon! Check out our merch at https://podandprejudice.dashery.com.Instagram: @podandprejudiceTwitter: @podandprejudiceFacebook: Pod and PrejudiceYoutube: Pod and PrejudiceMerch store: https://podandprejudice.dashery.com/

We have a funeral to attend: the funeral for Henry Crawford’s dignity and honor. Fanny gets word of a scandal, first from Mary, and then from the newspaper. The Bertrams fall into ruin, but it works out in Fanny’s favor. Plus, Julia runs off with Yates.Patron Study Questions come from Avi, Linnea, and Mari. Topics discussed include Fanny’s new position in Mansfield Park, why Julia ran off with Yates, and Henry’s passionate comments about Fanny post-Maria. Becca's Study Questions: Topics discussed include what the fuck Maria?, what Jane Austen is doing with Maria, why Henry disappoints us the way he does, and what genre Mansfield Park falls into. Funniest Quote: “As to Mr. Crawford, she hoped it might give him a knowledge of his own disposition, convince him that he was not capable of being steadily attached to any one woman in the world, and shame him from persisting any longer in addressing herself.”Questions moving forward: Are we ever going to hear from Henry and Maria about this? Is Tom gonna die??? What will happen with Edmund and Fanny?Who wins the chapters? Fanny…duh.Glossary of Terms and Phrases:Cordial (adj.): Anything that invigorates, comforts, or strengthens the heart and spirits.Étourderie (n): thoughtlessness, carelessness, or a careless mistakeFracas (n): a noisy quarrel; brawlHymen: Goddess of marriageGlossary of People, Places, and Things: Hacks, Avatar: The Last AirbenderNext Episode: Mansfield Park Volume III Chapter 16 or Chapter 47Our show art was created by Torrence Browne, and our audio is produced by Graham Cook. For bios and transcripts, check out our website at podandprejudice.com. Pod and Prejudice is transcribed by speechdocs.com. To support the show, check out our Patreon! Check out our merch at https://podandprejudice.dashery.com.Instagram: @podandprejudiceTwitter: @podandprejudiceFacebook: Pod and PrejudiceYoutube: Pod and PrejudiceMerch store: https://podandprejudice.dashery.com/

In today’s chapter, Fanny gets another letter from Mary, and it’s a doozy. Mary wishes death on Tom, and Henry may be back on his bad boy behavior. Plus, Fanny is missing out on spring.Topics discussed include Lady Bertram as Fanny’s best friend, our favorite seasons, consumption and Tuberculosis, and kettles of fish.Patron Study Questions come from Frances G, Spring, Avi, Flying Cupcake, and Mari. Topics discussed include Edmund’s suitability as a clergyman, whether Edmund would’ve sent the letter if Tom hadn’t gotten sick, Fanny’s path forward with the Crawfords, Mary projecting her own beliefs onto Fanny, and Mary’s opinion of the Bertram siblings’ treatment of each other.Becca's Study Questions: Topics discussed include the morality of Mary’s letter, if Mary would’ve written this letter if she weren’t in London, whether this is the same Mary we met at the beginning of the book, whether Fanny will tell Edmund about the letter, and whether Fanny is right about Henry.Funniest Quote: “I have not time or patience to give half Henry’s messages; be satisfied, that the spirit of each and every one is unalterable affection.”Questions moving forward: Is Tom going to die? Was Henry flirting with Maria?Who wins the chapters? Lady BertramGlossary of People, Places, and Things: Cowper’s Tirocinium, Moulin Rouge, Unbreakable Kimmy SchmidtNext Episode: Mansfield Park Volume III Chapter 15 or Chapter 46Our show art was created by Torrence Browne, and our audio is produced by Graham Cook. For bios and transcripts, check out our website at podandprejudice.com. Pod and Prejudice is transcribed by speechdocs.com. To support the show, check out our Patreon! Check out our merch at https://podandprejudice.dashery.com.Instagram: @podandprejudiceTwitter: @podandprejudiceFacebook: Pod and PrejudiceYoutube: Pod and PrejudiceMerch store: https://podandprejudice.dashery.com/

In today’s chapters, Fanny receives a BUNCH of letters. First, from Mary, in which we get confirmation that Mary and Edmund are not yet engaged; then, from Edmund, in which we hear all about how conflicted he is and learn that the Grants are going to Bath; and finally, from Lady Bertram, in which we learn that TOM IS DYING. Topics discussed include Mary’s return to London society, Fanny’s bitchcrackers, why unrequited love is a tough trope, the tea from the Crawfords’ party, Fanny’s new return date, emotional fluffers, and Lady Bertram’s letter writing skills.Patron Study Questions come from Angelika, Avi, Ghenet, and Maddie. Topics discussed include Mary’s true feelings for Fanny, the various sibling pairs in the book, why Mary starts drama between Maria and Henry and why she tells Fanny about it, and the comparison between Fanny and Edmund’s potential love interests with questionable morals. Becca's Study Questions: Topics discussed include the separation of characters in this section of the book, why Tom is dying, and what would happen if Tom died.Funniest Quote(s): She must have something to write about, even to her niece; and being so soon to lose all the benefit of Dr. Grant’s gouty symptoms and Mrs. Grant’s morning calls, it was very hard upon her to be deprived of one of the last epistolary uses she could put them to.Questions moving forward: Is Tom gonna die????Who wins the chapters? Tom!Glossary of People, Places, and Things: You Belong With Me, Lizzie McGuire, A Cinderella Story, Pretty in Pink, When Harry Met Sally, Made of Honor, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Dawson’s Creek, New Girl, The Sixth SenseNext Episode: Mansfield Park Volume III Chapter 14 or Chapter 45Our show art was created by Torrence Browne, and our audio is produced by Graham Cook. For bios and transcripts, check out our website at podandprejudice.com. Pod and Prejudice is transcribed by speechdocs.com. To support the show, check out our Patreon! Check out our merch at https://podandprejudice.dashery.com.Instagram: @podandprejudiceTwitter: @podandprejudiceFacebook: Pod and PrejudiceYoutube: Pod and PrejudiceMerch store: https://podandprejudice.dashery.com/

In today’s chapters, HENRY COMES TO PORTSMOUTH!!! He meets the parents, befriends Fanny’s sister, and reveals that he’s been on some real good-boy behavior lately. Then, he joins the Prices at church and takes Fanny on a slutty little walk, and offers to take her home at the drop of a hat. Topics discussed include the distinction between “bois” and “boyz”, Darcy’s behavior at Pemberley in relation to Henry at Portsmouth, Henry on the ha-ha vs. Henry now, the best kind of third wheel, whether doing good changes you, Henry’s appreciation of nature, and Fanny as Henry’s guiding light.Patron Study Questions come from Avi and Maddie. Topics discussed include what Henry’s actions say about his character, and what Henry can do to prove himself to Fanny. Becca's Study Questions: Topics discussed include why Jane Austen has Henry visit Portsmouth, whether Henry is just better by comparison to his old self, why Jane Austen uses multiple POVs in this set of chapters, Henry’s manners with the Bertrams vs. with the Prices, Henry as Logan, the motions of courtship, and Henry treating Fanny as a moral compass.Funniest Quote(s): “Fanny was most conveniently in want of rest. Crawford could not have wished her more fatigued or more ready to sit down; but he could have wished her sister away.”Questions moving forward: Are Edmund and Mary engaged? Will Fanny write to Mary asking for her and Henry to pick her up?Who wins the chapters? Henry Crawford <3 Glossary of Terms and Phrases:Lounger (n): a person is someone who spends their time in a lazy, relaxed, or idle way.Eulogium (n): a formal expression of praise for someone who has died recently.Salutary (adj): favorable to or promoting health; healthful.Glossary of People, Places, and Things: The Brontë sisters, Gilmore GirlsNext Episode: Mansfield Park Volume III Chapters 12-13 or Chapters 43-44Our show art was created by Torrence Browne, and our audio is produced by Graham Cook. For bios and transcripts, check out our website at podandprejudice.com. Pod and Prejudice is transcribed by speechdocs.com. To support the show, check out our Patreon! Check out our merch at https://podandprejudice.dashery.com.Instagram: @podandprejudiceTwitter: @podandprejudiceFacebook: Pod and PrejudiceYoutube: Pod and PrejudiceMerch store: https://podandprejudice.dashery.com/

Portsmouth is worse than Fanny could’ve imagined, and in these chapters, she tries to find a friend among her family. Mary sends a gossipy letter to Fanny, and Fanny kind of likes it. Fanny buys a knife for her little sister AND joins a library! Topics discussed include regency era dentistry, Fanny’s llama mama, Mrs. Price’s resemblance to her sisters, the social status of the Ward sisters, Spicy Susan, the Saturday half-holiday, the comparison of Portsmouth to celibacy, Mary poking the bear, Baron Wildenhaim’s courtship of Julia, what qualities in a person are innate, and luxurious and daring wealth.Patron Study Questions come from Avi, Kate, Ghenet, and Linnea. Topics discussed include how Fanny’s sisters could’ve benefitted if she’d come home earlier, Mrs. Price as a tragic figure, and Fanny’s lack of a female friendship, where Fanny truly belongs, whether Portsmouth is an enticement or warning about marrying Henry, and Maria as a warning.Becca's Study Questions: Topics discussed include the picture Jane Austen is painting of the lower classes and how Susan complicates that picture, what role Susan plays in the narrative, whether Fanny really misses Mansfield, why Maria is unhappy, and predictions about our former main characters. Funniest Quote(s):“As to the little irritations, sometimes introduced by Aunt Norris, they were short, they were trifling, they were a drop of water to the ocean, compared with the ceaseless tumult of her present abode.”“I hope she will recollect it and be satisfied, as well she may, with moving the queen on a palace, though the king may appear best in the background.”Questions moving forward: How close will Fanny and Susan get? Will we go to the Rushworths’ party? Will Edmund propose?Who wins the chapters? Mary Crawford!Glossary of People, Places, and Things: Arthur (Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone), High School Musical, Is Your Mama a Llama?, Mean Girls, Rugrats, the White Lotus, Dr. Johnson, the Office, Money with MelNext Episode: Mansfield Park Volume III Chapters 10-11 or Chapters 41 and 42Our show art was created by Torrence Browne, and our audio is produced by Graham Cook. For bios and transcripts, check out our website at podandprejudice.com. Pod and Prejudice is transcribed by speechdocs.com. To support the show, check out our Patreon! Check out our merch at https://podandprejudice.dashery.com.Instagram: @podandprejudiceTwitter: @podandprejudiceFacebook: Pod and PrejudiceYoutube: Pod and PrejudiceMerch store: https://podandprejudice.dashery.com/

Fanny’s in Portsmouth! We meet all the Prices, and they do not live up to our expectations; but more importantly, the Thrush has gone out of harbor. Fanny starts to feel that Portsmouth is not going to be all that she’d hoped for. We also learn that Fanny had another sister, Mary, who died while she was at Mansfield.Topics discussed include Fanny and William’s dream home, the Crawfords’ love letters, Fanny’s rose-tinted glasses for Mansfield, the return of the fire symbolism, dirty martinis, the lack of good servants in Portsmouth, knife fights, and toasted cheese.Patron Study Questions come from Ghenet, Avi, Angelika, Linnea, and Sarah K. Topics discussed include our impressions of Fanny’s family, whether Austen’s portrayal of the Prices is fair, Fanny not fitting in with either class, all the new characters we’ve met, whether Fanny would be a different person if she’d grown up with the Prices, and a comparison between Henry and Frank Churchill. Becca's Study Questions: Topics discussed include a comparison between Fanny’s first day at Mansfield and her first day at Portsmouth, Fanny’s shift in status, Mr. Price in comparison to Sir Thomas, and what's going to happen with the characters we’ve left behindFunniest Quote: "But though she had seen all the members of the family, she had not yet heard all the noise they could make."Questions moving forward: How long will Fanny last here? How long will William stick around? Will Fanny befriend Susan?Who wins the chapters? Betsey!Glossary of Terms and Phrases:Sally-port (n): dock where boats picked up or dropped off ship crews from vessels anchored offshoreGlossary of People, Places, and Things: Toy Story 3, The Three Sisters, Lord of the RingsNext Episode: Mansfield Park Volume III Chapters 8-9 or Chapters 39 and 40ALERT ALERT!!!! Come see us LIVE for a talkback after the 2 PM performance of The Betrothed on July 26th. The Betrothed is an absurdist comedy of love, ambition, and social expectation set in the 19th century and performed by an all-women cast. When her brother’s broken engagement disrupts Kitty’s plans to secure a suitor, she’s forced to confront the rigid expectations placed upon her and schemes to restore order and ensure everyone gets their happily ever after. As romantic entanglements unravel and betrayals come to light, The Betrothed queers the classic marriage plot. After the 2PM performance on July 26th, we will be chatting with members of the team about rom-coms and marriage plots. ****Get your tickets HERE!****Our show art was created by Torrence Browne, and our audio is produced by Graham Cook. For bios and transcripts, check out our website at podandprejudice.com. Pod and Prejudice is transcribed by speechdocs.com. To support the show, check out our Patreon! Check out our merch at https://podandprejudice.dashery.com.Instagram: @podandprejudiceTwitter: @podandprejudiceFacebook: Pod and PrejudiceYoutube: Pod and PrejudiceMerch store: https://podandprejudice.dashery.com/

Fanny is going on a trip! Edmund has plans to go to London and propose to Mary, William returns to Mansfield, and Sir Thomas offers to send Fanny back to Portsmouth with him. Fanny hopes to get over Edmund while she’s gone…good luck, girl.Topics discussed include Edmund’s pride spinoff, Mary’s daddy issues, the sexiest instrument of all time (the harp), whether Fanny is the type of person to adopt her man’s opinions, Sir Thomas’s real reasons for sending Fanny to Portsmouth, and Fanny’s relationship with her family.Patron Study Questions come from Avi and Angelika. Topics discussed include Fanny’s relationship to her mother and what it will be like for her at Portsmouth, and whether Edmund is willfully misunderstanding Fanny’s emotions.Becca's Study Questions: Topics discussed include how Fanny’s status will shift at Portsmouth, why Jane Austen is sending her there, why Sir Thomas sucks, the parallels between Edmund/Mary and Fanny/Henry, and what Portsmouth itself will be like. Funniest Quote: "It had, in fact, occurred to her, that though taken to Portsmouth for nothing, it would be hardly possible for her to avoid paying her own expenses back again. So her poor dear sister Price was left to all the disappointment of her missing such an opportunity, and another twenty years’ absence, perhaps, begun."Questions moving forward: What will happen in Portsmouth? What will happen if/when Edmund goes to London? Who wins the chapters? Fanny!!! Glossary of Terms and Phrases:Vicissitude (n): the quality or state of being changeable Glossary of People, Places, and Things: Avatar: The Last Airbender, JASNA New York MetroNext Episode: Mansfield Park Volume III Chapter 7 or Chapter 38Our show art was created by Torrence Browne, and our audio is produced by Graham Cook. For bios and transcripts, check out our website at podandprejudice.com. Pod and Prejudice is transcribed by speechdocs.com. To support the show, check out our Patreon! Check out our merch at https://podandprejudice.dashery.com.Instagram: @podandprejudiceTwitter: @podandprejudiceFacebook: Pod and PrejudiceYoutube: Pod and PrejudiceMerch store: https://podandprejudice.dashery.com/