Abstract: Starting with the complicity between classic works and imperialistic ideology as pointed out by Said, the thesis refutes his view about the famous "silence" in Mansfield Park. The silence is open to another understanding: it is not caused by the characters- embarrassment when Fanny puts forward the issue of slavery, nor is it a forbidden topic, thus the attitude of Austen towards slavery is not that of taciturn agreement. She does not remain silent about the issue: she expresses her ameliorationist views.