Mansfield Park

Main characters

• Fanny Price

  As a young girl, Fanny is moved from her poor family to live with her wealthy aunt, Lady Bertram, at Mansfield Park. As with other Austen protagonists, Fanny is a shy yet intelligent girl, who falls in love with a young man and against all odds, makes it her life's mission to win his heart. She does, of course, eventually succeed.

• The Price family

  Between his mariner duties, Lt. Price managed to have nine children with his wife, Frances, who is sister to Mrs Norris and Lady Bertram. Susan is Fanny's younger sister, who later joins Fanny to live at Mansfield Park. William is the eldest son of the Price family, a 'nice guy' in the story, who follows his father's footsteps to become a midshipman.

• The Bertram connection

  Fanny's aunt, Maria Ward, marries the landed Sir Thomas Bertram, baronet of Mansfield Park, and they produce four children: Tom (black hat); Edmund (white hat); Maria and Julia, pretty, but nevertheless the story's uugly sisters'.

• Mrs Norris

  The eponym of a cat featured in a Harry Potter novel, Mrs Norris is another aunt of Fanny and wife of the parson at Mansfield Park. If there were an Olympic medal for scowling, she would win the gold.