Generating heated debate , Edward Said devoted a chapter of his book Culture and Imperialism ( 1993 ) to Mansfield Park , arguing that the peripheral position of `` Antigua '' and the issue of slavery demonstrated that colonial oppression was an unspoken assumption of English society during the early nineteenth century . Generating heated debate , Edward Said devoted a chapter of his book Culture and Imperialism ( 1993 ) to Mansfield Park , arguing that the peripheral position of `` Antigua '' and the issue of slavery demonstrated that colonial oppression was an unspoken assumption of English society during the early 19th century .