Mansfield Park

This page intentionally left blank th e c a m b r i d g e e d i ti o n o f th e w o r k s o f JA N E A U S T EN m a n s f i el d p a r k Cambridge University Press and the General Editor Janet Todd wish to express their gratitude to the University of Glasgow and the University of Aberdeen for providing funding towards the creation of this edition. Their generosity made possible the employment of Antje Blank as research assistant throughout the project. th e c a m b r i d g e e d i ti o n o f th e w o r k s o f JA N E A U S T EN g e n e ra l e d i t o r : Janet Todd, University of Aberdeen e d i t o r i a l bo a r d Marilyn Butler, University of Oxford Alistair Duckworth, University of Florida Isobel Grundy, University of Alberta Claudia Johnson, Princeton University Jerome McGann, University of Virginia Deirdre Le Faye, independent scholar Linda Bree, Cambridge University Press v o l u m e s i n th i s s e r i e s : Juvenilia edited by Peter Sabor Northanger Abbey edited by Barbara Benedict with Deirdre Le Faye Sense and Sensibility edited by Edward Copeland Pride and Prejudice edited by Pat Rogers Mansfield Park edited by John Wiltshire Emma edited by Richard Cronin and Dorothy McMillan Persuasion edited by Janet Todd and Antje Blank Later Manuscripts edited by Brian Southam Jane Austen in Context edited by Janet Todd Frontispiece: ‘Fitting out Mastr Willm Blockhead HM Ship Hellfire, West India Station’ (1835). Caricature in aquatint by George Cruikshank, reproduced by permission of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. JA N E AU ST EN M A N S F I EL D PA R K Edited by John Wiltshire    Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge  , UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521827652 © Cambridge University Press 2005 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published in print format 2005 - - ---- eBook (EBL) --- eBook (EBL) - - ---- hardback --- hardback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of s for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. CO N T EN T S General Editor’s preface ix Acknowledgements xiii Chronology xvi Introduction xxv Note on the text lxxxv Mansfield Park 1 Introductory note on Lovers’ Vows 549 Lovers’ Vows by Elizabeth Inchbald 555 Corrections and emendations to 1816 text 630 Appendix: Commentary on the text 633 Abbreviations 637 Explanatory notes 639 vii G EN ER A L ED I T O R ’ S P R EFAC E Jane Austen wrote to be read and reread. ‘[A]n artist cannot do anything slovenly,’ she remarked to her sister Cassandra. Her subtle, c