Mary Crawford (Mansfield Park)

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Mary Crawford
Jane Austen, Mansfield Park character
Mary Crawford and her brother, Henry Crawford, in the 2007 ITV television drama Mansfield Park
In-universe information
Family	(both parents deceased)
Relatives	siblings: Henry Crawford (full); Mrs. Grant (half)
Home	Mansfield Parsonage

Mary Crawford is a major character in Jane Austen's 1814 novel, Mansfield Park. Mary is depicted as attractive, caring and charismatic. The reader is gradually shown, often through the eyes of Fanny Price, a hidden, darker side to Mary's personality. Her wit disguises her superficiality and her charisma disguises her self-centredness. Edmund Bertram, an earnest young man and destined for the clergy falls deeply in love with her. Only at the end of the novel does reality overcome his romantic fantasies and he leaves her with deep regret.

There is love and warmth in Mary's character and she is capable of genuine kindness. She grows in respect for Edmund and his values despite her fervent opposition to them. This heightened tension between her moral and materialistic values makes Mary's future search for a suitable husband more complex. She has great potential but it is unclear whether she will ever overcome the corrupting influence of London society's narcissistic culture.