Mansfield Park attracted just two per cent of votes in a poll.
Some things change, but sadly for celebrated author Jane Austen some things don’t.
A new survey by book recommendation website LoveReading.co.uk has found that 200 years on from its publication in May 1814, Mansfield Park is still Austen’s least-liked novel.
The novel garnered just two per cent of a poll to find readers’ favourite Austen book.
The outright winner – with nearly 60 per cent of the vote – was Pride and Prejudice – the tale of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage that featured the iconic Mr Darcy.
Second most-popular was Jane Austen’s first novel, Sense and Sensibility, followed in third place by her fourth book, Emma – the last to be published while she was still alive.
Peter Crawshaw, Director and Co-Founder of Lovereading.co.uk said “Since its first publication 200 years ago, Mansfield Park has always been a divisive novel — the Jane Austen equivalent of Marmite.
“But least liked doesn’t necessarily mean worst and even though the Pygmalion morality epic that is Mansfield Park doesn’t have the glamorous appeal of Pride and Prejudice it certainly has some resonance today.
“Perhaps it just needs a Hollywood makeover to finally get a popularity boost.”
Mansfield Park is noted for being the most controversial of Austen’s major novels
Published in May 1814, her third novel was praised by Regency critics for its “wholesome morality”, but has since earned the dubious distinction of being the most disliked among Jane Austen fans.
Many readers find the book’s protagonist, Fanny Price, too “timid” and “priggish” to be likeable, for example, with Jane Austen’s own mother, Cassandra, herself complaining that Fanny was “insipid”.
Heated debates about the novel’s literary worth have even spawned so-called ‘Fanny Wars’ on internet discussion forums.
Crawshaw added: “Discussions between Austen fans often get heated while discussing the literary value of Mansfield Park.
“Mansfield Park is quite a complex work in comparison to Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility, and this often puts readers off, as does the unsympathetic lead character, Fanny,”
Jane Austen, who lived from 1775 to 1817, is regarded as one of English literature’s greatest authors.
Her novels include Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility.
The Bank of England has announced that it will feature Austen’s face on £10 notes from 2017.
