The novel begins when Fanny's overburdened, impoverished family—where she is both the second-born and the eldest daughter out of 10 children—sends her at the age of ten to live in the household of her wealthy uncle, Sir Thomas Bertram, and his family at Mansfield Park.

Because of the Price family's poverty, Sir Thomas Bertram offers to take Fanny in and bring her up at Mansfield Park, his Northamptonshire estate.

Fanny is described as small for her age, "with no glow of complexion, nor any other striking beauty; exceedingly timid and shy, and shrinking from notice."

The house seems far too big; Sir Thomas is daunting, Lady Bertram silent, Mrs Norris oppressive and her four cousins (Tom, Edmund, Maria and Julia) are distant.

Fanny, who had been taught to read, write and do needlework but nothing more, now receives her education from Miss Lee in the school-room alongside Maria and Julia.

Instead they explored her psychological development, seeing her as ‘a trembling, unstable entity, [an] erotically driven and conflicted figure, both victim and apostle of values inscribed within her by her history of adoption'.

[7] Joan Klingel Ray suggests that Fanny Price is Austen's insightful study of "the battered-child syndrome", a victim of emotional and material abuse in both households.

[9] Once the governess, Miss Lee, has left, Fanny continues to find in Edmund a considerate companion who tries to protect her from discrimination within the family.

Even Sheehan, who is deeply sympathetic to Fanny, describes her as pure, poor, plain, timid, sickly and without wit, and also rather prudish.

[15] Other critics, like Claire Tomalin, point out that she is a complex personality, perceptive yet given to wishful thinking, and that she shows courage and grows in self-esteem during the latter part of the story.

She has a core strength and In the end, Fanny unwittingly undermines prevailing attitudes to propriety, and finds inner resources to place conscience above obedience and love above duty.

Here she reflects that, "though there had been sometimes much of suffering to her; though her motives had often been misunderstood, her feelings disregarded, and her comprehension undervalued; though she had known the pains of tyranny, of ridicule, and neglect, yet almost every recurrence of either had led to something consolatory", and the chief consolation had always been Edmund.

"The remembrance of all her earliest pleasures, and of what she had suffered in being torn from them, came over her with renewed strength, and it seemed as if to be at home again would heal every pain that had since grown out of the separation.

On the family visit to Sotherton Court, Fanny, now aged eighteen, silently observes Henry flirting, first with Julia and then with Maria.

[21] David Monaghan, arguing for a conservative view of the novel, states that Fanny values what has emerged naturally over the centuries, that she alone is able to appreciate the charm of Sotherton as a great house despite its imperfections.

She sees the house 'built in Elizabeth's time' as a symbol of tradition and when Mr Rushworth calls it as 'a dismal old prison' she defends the English idyllic society, despite in many ways being unequipped for the task.

Fanny, also present, urges Maria not to climb the gate, warning of spikes, a torn garment and a fall, all unconsciously suggestive of moral violence.

[28] While Sir Thomas is still in Antigua, the elder son, Tom, recently returned to England, and influenced by his new friend, Mr. Yates, decides that the young people should entertain themselves with amateur theatricals.

On reading the script, Fanny is astonished that the play should be thought suitable for private theatre and considers the two leading female roles as "totally improper for home representation — the situation of one, and the language of the other so unfit to be expressed by any woman of modesty".

His most notable work, The Task[36] was an assault on contemporary society, condemning the slave trade, French despotism, fashionable manners and lukewarm clergymen, all matters of concern to Austen.

It begins when he gives her permission to attend the Grant's dinner party at the parsonage and makes his carriage available to her, despite Mrs Norris' objections.

[38] Henry dances with Fanny at the ball, and later, by using his uncle's influence, tries to gain her favour by facilitating the promotion of William to lieutenant in the Royal Navy.

Fanny cannot tell of her secret love for Edmund and she is not willing to harm Maria and Julia by revealing Henry Crawford's scandalous behaviour towards them.

Austen biographer Claire Tomalin argues that "it is in rejecting obedience in favour of the higher dictate of remaining true to her own conscience that Fanny rises to her moment of heroism.

[citation needed] Sir Thomas sends Fanny back to her family in Portsmouth so that she can better understand the benefits of what he believes to be an ideal match.

While still refusing Henry, she begins to think about him a little more favourably; while Fanny has seen some seemingly positive change in his character, she has not seen enough to feel that it will be permanent or enough to revise her previous opinion of him, which later proves to be valid.

She is welcomed as comforter to Aunt Bertram, listener to Edmund in his disappointed assessment of Mary, and increasingly as a special friend to Sir Thomas.

Susan Morgan says that Fanny, though a flawed heroine, possesses "the energy, open to us all, to struggle against selfishness, toward self-knowledge and that generosity of mind which should illuminate our view of the people around us.

Austen's sister, Cassandra, thought Fanny should have married Henry, but despite their arguing about the matter, Jane stood firm.

Some commentators, like Thomas Edwards,[citation needed] see this as a rare weakness in the text, believing that if Fanny had accepted Henry, the narcissistic regency rake would have soon lost interest and turned his attentions elsewhere.