Mansfield Park is a very interestingly plotted book of Jane Austen's. I've only read Pride and Prejudice and this one so far. The subject of marriage jumped out at me through Miss Crawford's perception of it. It seems that marriage is a frequent topic of Austen's.
Ironic really considering not only did Jane Austen never marry, but she turned down proposals (perhaps Elizabeth Bennet was a slight reflection on herself?) and yet marriage is a key topic, and the ending to I think all of her major works. The thing I find interesting though is that most of her heroines have faults. Fanny's fault is the eyes of the social world around her would be her lack of wealth, thus forcing her to hang between the position of servant and family, not really having a proper place. Between Edmund trying to bring her into th family and her Aunt trying to make her a servant, it's a wonder she didn't return to Portsmouth before Mr Crawford's proposal!
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