Respect and Respectability: Susan Price at Mansfield Park

Susan Price, introduced by Jane Austen in Mansfield Park, comes of age in the sequel Respect and Respectability: Susan Price at Mansfield Park. Susan is ecstatic about joining her sister Fanny to live at Mansfield, but Susan is no Fanny. The Bertrams have lost respect as a result of their children's excesses, and pretty Susan fills the void her cousins left. Two wars are raging, and three Price brothers are at sea, but distractions include Merrill Edwards, just returned from his sugar plantation; Albert Ashton, a handsome entrepreneur fresh to the area; and the belles of the neighborhood, who are eager to meet them. The new rector's evangelical sympathies threaten Susan's view of God, and abolitionists challenge her enjoyment of luxury made possible by her uncle's slaves. Through it all, her artistry and beauty grow. By the time of her glittering coming out in the summer of 1815, Susan is enticed by testimonies, envious of others' exploits, and entangled in love. Shedding her old life to accept the new one of faith offered to her is the first---and final--obstacle Susan must navigate.