There's Something About Mary ... Bennet

 Pride and Prejudice fans rejoice. Another BBC adaption of the beloved Austen novel has recently dropped and even better, this is a reimagining of the source material where, finally, everyone's favourite Bennet sister takes her rightful place on centre stage. Mary.

Okay, I'm joking. I think we all know that Elizabeth was and is the rightful star of Pride and Prejudice and Mary is, of course, a supporting character who is portrayed as somewhat insufferable. And no doubt The Other Bennet Sister (based on Executive Producer Janice Harlow's novel of the same name,) will be a well made adaptation that shapes Mary into a much deeper and wholly sympathetic character that viewers will be able to identify with and cheer for. 

In the novel, Mary Bennet, the middle of the five sisters, is often left to look ridiculous through her desire to appear not only accomplished and intelligent, but her extreme pursuit of high moral standards. She quotes from various books without properly understanding the nuances and puts a misplaced version of morality ahead of other people's feelings, often in an attempt to look superior. In a comical twist, she is a near perfect match for the foolish Mr Collins, who, of course, believes himself to be in love with Elizabeth. After Mr Collins is slighted, he turns his attentions to Charlotte Lucas instead. Mary is overlooked but, perhaps, better off. At the end of the novel we get perhaps our best glimpse of Mary. With three of her sisters married and Kitty now away from home, she receives more attention from her parents, less comparisons to her sisters and seems happier mixing with people. 

Modern interpretations of Mary Bennet are often more generous toward the character. Whilst a minor character, and comic portrayal of someone who is not nearly as smart as they believe themselves to be, I've noticed a trend in Pride and Prejudice retellings to recreate Mary Bennet as well ... something else. In 2008 Colleen McCollough's The Independence of Mary Bennet portrayed the middle Bennet sister as having grown into a great beauty, one who favoured her independence over the pursuit of marriage and suitors. Janice Hadlow's The Other Bennet Sister focuses on the desire of Mary to find her place in the world. And countless posts online have readers discussing how they feel that Mary Bennet got a raw deal in Pride and Prejudice. 

For such a minor character in the novel, why does she get so much attention?

My theory is that when some readers cherry pick parts of Mary Bennet, that they can see themselves. After all, she is socially awkward, bookish and described as being plain. She gets overlooked in favour of her sisters, and no one takes her accomplishments seriously. Many young women feel that way, particularly in an era where social media favour can favour very specific beauty standards. Certainly, a modern day Mary Bennet would be far more likely to read a book than share a picture on social media of herself in a bikini. (We'll leave that to the modern day Lydia.) What people often leave out is the elements of satire that made Mary Bennet amusing. Mary was not well educated and understood very little of the things that she tried to lecture others on. On social media, she would be the person who slides into the comment section of someone's good news post and blasts them for not caring about a completely unrelated cause.

That said, through fan fiction, writers have a wonderful opportunity to approach the character differently. Making Mary Bennet a relatable character, whilst preserving the integrity of the original work, is no easy feat, yet many, whether their novel is outstanding enough to be adapted as a television series, or whether it is buried deep on a fan fiction site has done precisely that. If The Other Bennet Sister has been done even half as well as reviews suggest, then Mary Bennet may be a character who may end up being just as well loved as her sister Elizabeth.