My ignorant opinion or feeling is, when I try to descibe what Jane Austen writes about, that it is about a young woman, to find a husband. But it is not so boring, as it would be today, because of the delicate state of society, rank, wealth, poverty, consequence and so on. So, in that light, Fannys social prolem is from this point of view, that Fanny is poor and in social status beneath the man she loves. So, the question is, can she get over that obstacles. What I like is, that MP shows, that Fanny, from a poor family, and looked decidetly down at from the part of her cousins, aunts, and even uncle shows herself a superior character to the others, and that the borders, put up from society are nothing compared to her superiority of person. And in the end, common sense wins - and not "the society". About the Edmund and Fanny relation: I agree absolutely with you, Edmund is not a bad person, he is a good friend an mentor to Fanny, always loves and esteems her, but of course, he hurts her by his wrong descisions and love for a woman, that does not deserve him. I esteem it in Edmund, that he keeps to his plan to be a clergyman, despite Marys nonaproval. Itīs a good notion that he wants to live in his parish, be the friend and help for his "flock" - but his fault is, but a pardonable one, that he tries to get Mary into this picture, what would never work. Fanny is exactly fit for it, and will surely enjoy it. But I also admit, that I sometimes also feel, Edmund does not deserve her, but we see him from his weakest side - so I to put in my twopenn'orth :-)