Spatial Boundaries and Moral Order in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park

Abstract

This article examines the representation and preservation of home in Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park (1814) through three interrelated spatial levels: the estate of Mansfield Park, the countryside, and Britain, all of which are represented in a state of moral crisis. Arguing that spatial boundaries signify moral and ideological boundaries, this analysis explores how the novel constructs and maintains distinctions between domestic and public spheres, rural and urban values, and Britain and its colony Antigua. The disappearance of the clearly demarcated boundaries between what lies within and outside of home leads to the disruption of the status quo with potentially destructive results. The transgression of these boundaries, through theatrical chaos within the estate, the allure and corruption associated with London, and the economic reliance on slavery in Antigua, reveals the fragility of the moral structures that define the sanctity of Mansfield Park as home. By presenting the consequences of spatial transgression and the silence surrounding colonial exploitation, the novel underscores that home is not merely inherited but must be continuously protected.