“Mary was the only daughter who remained at home; and she was necessarily drawn from the pursuit of accomplishments by Mrs. Bennet’s being quite unable to sit alone. Mary was obliged to mix more with the world, but she could still moralize over every morning visit; and as she was no longer mortified by comparisons between her sisters’ beauty and her own, it was suspected by her father that she submitted to the change without much reluctance.”
“To this Mary very gravely replied, ‘Far be it from me, my dear sister, to depreciate such pleasures! They would doubtless be congenial with the generality of female minds. But I confess they would have no charms for me—I should infinitely prefer a book.’” Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Oh, Mary.
During my nearly-annual read of Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice last year, I wrote at the top of a page: “Let’s talk about Mary. She was clearly in ‘perfect sympathy’ or ‘harmony’ with Mr. Collins. But what do we know about this meek sister, in touch with her moral compass and completely overlooked?” Readers have endlessly analyzed Mrs. Bennett, Jane, Lizzy, and Mr. Collins, but what about the other Bennett sister? What about plain, pious Mary who is one of the more intriguing characters in the novel. How did she become so withdrawn? Why did she flee to religion? Does she feel her disappointments? What shaped her?
Austen offers her as the character to be dismissed for her prudish and judgmental views, a perfect match for Mr. Collins, although he fails to see it. She is entirely out of place with her boisterous family and outgoing sisters. Another of my margin notes says “I wish there were an entire book about Mary. Wouldn’t that be great?” So, imagine my delight when author
Janice Hadlow in The Other Bennett Sister tackled the very topic I was hoping for – a character analysis of Mary including how she became the introverted sister and how her life played out
__________
How often is Mary mentioned in Pride and Prejudice?
Not often!
_________
In the genre of Austenesque Fiction, the sequels of
Pride and Prejudice are among the most popular. These can include action beyond the scope of the original and retellings of Austen’s novels from another character’s point of view.
Jo Baker’s 2013 Longbourn is an outstanding example of the latter. In it, we meet the Bennet sisters through the eyes of their maid. Only a few books have ever attempted to explore Mary as a character and a person and none so well as
The Other Bennett Sister.
In her 2020 novel, Hadlow explores the interactions that shaped Mary, who is an awkward, quiet, less attractive girl in a house full of confident beauties. Largely ignored by her parents and sisters, Mary is shuttled to the back of the line without the encouragement to find her voice. Because she is plain (and needs spectacles), she is dismissed by her mother as unmarriageable. Instead, she focuses on developing her own skills – piano, and her own course of study. She is desperate to connect, and we witness some heartbreaking interactions with her father who only has room for one favorite daughter, Elizabeth. The book visits interactions with Elizabeth and Charlotte Lucas who knowingly – or unknowingly – insult and betray Mary. (If you couldn’t forgive Charlotte’s betrayal of Elizabeth, this is the book for you.) As Mary’s sisters marry and leave home, she is abandoned as a lost cause left to navigate a world on her own.
When we meet Mary as an adult, she is unwanted and unwelcome, facing a lifetime as the maiden Aunt, an obligation to her family permanently visiting with no home of her own. Given no peace by her mother and out of place with the Darcys, she visits the Charlotte where Mary and Mr. Collins form a bond over the study of Greek. When Charlotte becomes jealous and calls in Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mary is again made to feel that she is in the way, unwelcome and alone. Her confidence is at an all-time low.
Along the way, Hadlow shows us the terrible bleakness of being a young woman with no prospects. Mary has no hopes as she is faced with the very real possibility of becoming an unmarried burden – and we feel it with her. We can only imagine the 19th century life of a spinster moving from house to house, never feeling truly welcomed, and relegated to the fringes of society. When Lady Catherine de Bourgh nearly forces her to take a governess position, Mary flees to her Aunt Gardiner in London. And there her life begins.
“This! This is the story I wanted for Mary!” I wrote on a page. “This is the study of her character that Austen didn’t give us.” And she is an interesting character on her own. (In parts, more Brontë than Austenesque, perhaps?) Understanding who Mary is and how she developed her insecurities gave me the satisfaction I’d craved, happy that Mary finally had her day in the sun. At long last, Hadlow gives us a thorough understanding of how Mary became the introverted, overlooked girl we meet in Pride and Prejudice and how she blossomed when given love and support.
Of course, what would the book be without some Autenesque romantic drama? Through misunderstandings, suitors, balls, and a visit from Mrs. Bennett, we finally see Mary come into her own as she finds acceptance in a new world. With a deft hand, Hadlow turns Mary into a true Austenian heroine.
Apparently, we’re not the only ones who loved Mary’s story. The BBC has announced
plans to develop The Other Bennet Sister into a miniseries.
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