In Defense of Mary Bennet 

If you enjoyed this, I reckon you'd love a WHOLE GAME SHOW all about Jane Austen. It's silly, it's funny, and it's for charity. Watch JANE AUSTEN: TASKMISTRESS here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EN38Oom0nlU.html

We are all Mary's wishing we were Elizabeth's.

in the 2005 adaptation when mr darcy accuses lizzies "3 younger sisters" of being improper I was like "what did mary do?!?!!?" nothing, the answer is nothing

I always felt that, in addition to being admirably realistic portrayals of siblinghood, the Bennett sisters all represented unbalanced aspects of Lizzie Bennett herself. If you shone a light through Lizzie The Prism, it would split into quiet beauty (Jane), sociability or extroversion (Lydia), idealist contrarianism (Mary), and a sort of blind tribal loyalty (Kitty). Lizzie and Mary were so much alike, except Lizzie could really read a room whereas Mary really couldn't. They were both opinionated and well-read, considered themselves experts when to their elders such expertise seemed absurd, led with contrarian viewpoints and disapproved of the hollow, harmful social practices they saw around them. They were social critics who were ambitious and strove to be more than "pretty and popular."

This is GREAT. Like you said, I think people ignore Mary because she shows some of the most annoying traits/biggest fears that we ourselves have: being a know-it-all and show-off, working hard to make up for not being pretty enough, secretly fearing everyone is talking about us behind our back (although Mary doesn't realize this--I think this is more of a fear readers have that would make her character uncomfortable to focus on!) Anyway, great analysis. It's always bothered me that even Lizzy and Jane don't care enough to specifically spend time with her--especially Jane! all that is pure and good in the world and even SHE seems to forget about Mary. It also always bothered me that characters treated her as being boring because SHE WAS DOING WHAT SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO DO. Focusing on accomplishments, studying the Bible and texts on morality, not flirting too much with men, being generally a good person (though I guess we don't get to see too many scenes of her putting those ideals into practice, but that's more a result of the structure of the novel.) Aside from the fact that she wasn't overly proactive about making useful acquaintances (romantic or otherwise), she was basically the poster child of the perfect Georgian woman and people wrote her off because of it! #JusticeForMary

I feel for her. Mary is the plain, socially awkward introvert in a time and place where being any of these is out of fashion.

I am Mary Bennet, I have always known it, I have two older sisters who hang out, and two younger sisters who hang out. I am the odd one out, and that is okay. I am average in everyway. But as you said there has to be us average people out there to be compared with. I live a simple life, I am an introvert and love time to myself. I am a musician, and have spent a life time practicing. I did find a husband and have been with him for over 40 years and counting. From a extroverts point of view I have such a boring life, but I am happy, no drama. I have not watched TV since the 90's. Yes, I am a Mary. So happy I saw this video.

I have a theory about girls/women like Mary Bennet in literature. The author portrays the person she secretly wants to be as the heroine and the person she really is as the anti-heroine. In other words it is either a display of authorial self-loathing, or rebellion against repression. Just a thought. Thank you for this thought provoking video.

I watched the 2005 film before reading the book (heinous, I know. I'm so sorry) and I immediately connected with Mary in one of the first scenes when she's told to stop playing the pianoforte and she just kinda... slumps over in defeat. I think that feeling of disdain and embarrassment when you're told that doing the thing you love is bothering people was so relatable. What solidified her in my mind "If anyone hates on her I will hate on them" was (also in the 2005 film) when she's playing the pianoforte at a party and people are laughing at her a little bit and trying to get her to stop playing and then later you see her crying into her father because she feels so hurt.

I love this! “You’ve delighted us long enough” is one of the most quoted lines in my family

Mary has been all of us once seeking validation and wisdom but just missing the mark. I found it weird how the book dismissed her as silly when we've all been through that phase and have been able to grow out of it with a little bit of a wake up call.

We all already know about the meme "searching for my Darcy on a world of Wickhams", now we need to make a mem out of "We all think we are Elizabeths when most of us are Marys" Like we all think if we lived in a movie we would be the protagonist when most of us would be the extras, just passing by on a random street or something...

"Minerva, could you eat my plants a bit more quietly please" Luv it

"Misfortunes we are told, are often sent to test our fortitude. And may often reveal themselves as blessings in disguise". I use Mary's quote often.

I love Mary Bennet. I guess most people have their own perspective when reading Pride and Prejudice but when I read it I loved all the Bennett sisters. While Elizabeth never explicitly paid attention to Mary, she always somewhat defended her family. She knows her Mary, Kitty, and Lydia are young and annoying but they are her sisters and she loves them.

Yes!! Thank you! Poor Mary, caught between the two capable sisters & the two ... "flighty" sisters. The thing about Mary is that she tries so hard! She wants to be so good! She wants to do well! Even if people hint she's performed at the pianoforte too long (which she doesn't really pick up on), still she perseveres. Her appearances in P&P are always a treat. Excellently perceptive video!

Thank you for this rant. I personally think Mary is the most realistic of the sisters. She is not given character traits that make her stand out, make her above average or special in some way. She is an every-girl and I think her 'plain-ness' and the reason she dosn't get a love interest, is the reason people don't want to be a Mary. If Mary was a modern women I think of her as someone who puts all her energy into academia. A woman who would want to nurture her mind.

I identified with Mary so much in high school, when my introvert self first started to realise I might not be straight. All the other Bennet sisters were so boy-crazy, whereas Mary was just chilling in the background, reading books or playing piano and not giving a f**k for her family's drama. Definitely a cool character!

I remember the Bollywood movie, "Bride and Prejudice" where the girl who represented the character of Mary was hilarious. She terrified guests with her aggressive classical dancing.

I must admit I didn't notice Mary much but the more I've reread P&P the more I notice how Mary is treated by her sisters and her parents. This is such an interesting discussion video, I do wish Mary got a little more page time. I always wish Georgiana had more page time too, especially to see her interactions with Lizzie. Great video :)

I noticed in the Ehle/Firth P&P, where Lizzie wanders through bidding goodnight, she doesn’t say goodnight to Mary. It’s as though she doesn’t exist.

What I think is most admirable about Mary is how she pursued her own path in the midst of a family that was bent on ignoring and mocking her.

Thank you for giving Mary her due. Lizzy Bennet is wonderful but I wouldn't want her as a big sister. I hope with three of her sisters out of the way she gets a bit more care and attention from her parents for a start. Minerva is definitely the best name for a cat. I could be biased. Mine is a dear but daft 19 year old.

I'm 15 seconds in and I'm all "FINALLY!" Because when I read P&P I was really upset and saddened by how Mary was treated. She was just dismissed and forgotten. It made me so sad for her. She was never given an opportunity to grow and develop, and was never treated with love or compassion. Ok. Going to watch the video now.

I'm a middle child (3rd of 4) and I truly relate to Mary. Neglect is pervasive so we overcompansate by studying and trying harder than others. We are starved of attention. I prefer to be alone because society tends to compare me more to others when I know I'm ordinary. What the hell is wrong with being ordinary?

Hello Mary Bennets of 2021! Nearly two years after I recorded it, this video seems to be getting some new views for some reason. If you enjoy Jane Austen related content, check out the two playlists that are linked up in the description box of other Austen-related videos I've done, and have a look at my channel in general for lots of bookish discussion, much of it about classic literature.

I wasn't the Mary amongst my sisters, but I have huge sympathy. I've noticed how attention or natural gifts go to siblings unequally, and often all their lives. I especially hated that in the end of the book Mary is said to be satisfied with staying home with her mother. That seems so unlikely! She'd be happier as a governess, I suspect.

It is ironic that such a characterization is coming from Austen who herself had a literary career and did not marry...i think the author has focused on putting Elizabeth between two extremes of her sisters. On one hand Jane the beautiful, amiable,easy, agreeable and someone who always get attention naturally. On the other, Mary who is not beautiful, preachy, bookish, confident and not running after any men ! Elizabeth is balancing BETWEEN beauty and intellect...in a society which does not appreciate the latter in a lady if she is confident and unapologetic regarding her abilities!

Try reading "The Other Bennet Sister" by Janice Hadlow for Mary's viewpoint on P&P and what happens to her in the end. An enjoyable read

Spot on! I relate to Mary as well, trying hard to impress people but being too awkward and unremarkable to succeed. We're together in this, girls!

I have always thought that Mary got the short end of the stick. I own a couple Mary Bennet retellings that I love.

I tend to agree with the assessment that Mary was a somewhat unsuccessful experiment of Miss Austen's. She made Mary too much of an Individual and then didn't do enough with her; the much more blurrily drawn Kitty is a better fit.

I've always been annoyed at Jane Austen's indifference to Mary, who wasn't a bad sort at all. Yes, I was very much a Mary when I was younger, though with a slight difference. I'm a competent pianist and a fervent bookworm who gets a lot of respect, but at home - where it mattered the most - I was very much neglected and far worse, my father always played me down and hated the attention I got. If I was a Jane Austen character, I could well imagine what rank I'd be!

I thought Mary wasn't actually plain (all the Bennets were considered beautiful compared to the average woman). She was just the plainest Bennet sister. Her obsession with accomplishments came from having her beauty compared to her prettier sisters. She was desperate to distinguish herself as accomplished because she couldn't be the "father's favorite" or "mother's favorite" or the "family beauty". Once the other sisters were out of the way and Mary's looks weren't being compared to them, her place in the family improved and going around with her mother was fun!

We need a POV movie/book for Mary. I’m sure she has adventures we don’t know about. Her internal thoughts on the world around here would probably hilarious.

Go to a party, seek out the nearest piano! She's so much more relatable than the others.

I have great sympathy for and with Mary.

I always thought she would make a good match for Mr. Collins

I’ve always thought that in the P&P films they wrongly portray Mary as hardly being able to play the piano. Given that Mary practices a lot I imagine that she was expressionless and rather boring in her playing but probably technically quite good. Even Mary would have understood what was required to play at a ton party.

Another great discussion Claudia. I like to think that Mary had her day after the two eldest were married. Mary became the heroine of her own story and some perfectly suitable man soon snatched her up and she delights him on the pianoforte nightly.

I have read Pride and Prejudice (and listened to the audiobook) more times than I can count. You have hit the nail on the head of something I had never even thought about. What a brilliant analysis of Mary and her predicament! I just LOVE Elizabeth and her witty comments, but if I am honest with myself, and if I had been in Elizabeth’s shoes (re witty comments and retorts), where she gets an A+, I would get a D-minus, and I would be awake at 3 a.m. working out all the clever things I SHOULD have said (not unlike Mr. Collins pre-planning his compliments, I guess!) I DO love to study. Obligatory parties (work-related) make me nervous and I don’t look forward to them. Ah, me. Am I Mary? I think so. We are ALL Mary!

It's been several years ago now, so I do not (sadly,) remember details, however, I borrowed a book of short & unfinished Jane Austen works from the local library. In it, there was an entire section dedicated to the life of Jane & it also included some descriptions, comments, etc as described by her near relatives. I think It was a nephew or niece that said that she had told them a few details about her P&P characters & what happened to them after the book! Yes, Mary Bennett DID find herself a husband & marry. I want to say he was a clerk of some kind or a clergyman. It escapes my memory now. We have since moved, so I no longer have access to that library system to look further into it again, but after seeing this video, I thought you would be pleased to know Jane had a happy ending for Mary in her imagination!!!😃 ~Liz

If that had been my Gizmo eating the plants that lovely teapot would be smashed on the floor (and probably half the books would have been there as well).

Oh I love this! I made a Mary Bennet tribute video years ago on this site, and recently someone recommended your video to me because of that video, so I had to look you up. Good to know I'm not alone in my love for Mary. To me, the Bennet parents are quite flawed and very clearly favorite some kids over others. Mr. Bennet favorites Jane and Elizabeth, Mrs. Bennet favorites Jane and Lydia, and they both do nothing but make fun of or criticizes their other kids. Their respective favorites learn by their example and ignore or scoff at Mary and Kitty as well. And both Kitty and Mary became who they are due to being ignored. Kitty became someone who latches onto the kids who get attention anad mimics them out of hope she'll soak up their spotlight (keep in mind that once Lydia leaves the house she immediently tries to mimic Elizabeth and then Jane), whereas Mary tries to get noticed through her own merit, but tries so hard due to being ignored that she comes across as a know it all and a show off. I always thought the Bennet family was a very flawed one, but I guess that's part of what makes the book so interesting.

Mary Bennet would have done well in our times. She would have gone on to get a university degree - probably even a PhD, travelled and enjoyed a full and independent life. The clever use ofake-up and a personal stylist would have made up for any "plainness" - had she been so inclined - but as a successful professional, I don't think she would have as much trouble finding a partner as she did in her day and age. Jane Austen used to read her family unpublished sequels to her novels, and apparently some of her surviving notes reveal that Kitty and Mary both also found husbands some time later: Kitty married a clergyman who had a living clise to Pemberley (possibly the one Wickham had turned down) and Mary married a clark whi wirked at in her uncle's firm and settled down in Merryton, where she was quite popular.

Mary actually gets married to one of her uncle's law clerks and they live Meryton. I loved her character so much that I couldn't stand not knowing what happened to her. Apparently, Austin's family felt the same way about many of her characters. So, she'd verbally tell them what became of the characters. According to her family, Mary does indeed get the social recognition she deserves. Catherine marries a clergymen who lives near Pemberley for anyone interested in that. Hopefully this makes everyone feel better. I know it made me feel better.

Before seeing your video I hadn’t really thought much about Mary Bennett’s role in P&P. Maybe she is the character who is, to a degree, Jane Austen’s avatar. Jane was a middle child and she was ambitious. It’s been theorized that Jane didn’t marry because she would not have been able to pursue her writing. Mary Bennett was usually in the background observing the interplay of those about her adding her “two cents” here and there. Admittedly, it’s quite a few years since I last read P&P so my recollections of Mary may be fuzzy.

Someone should write a novel about Mary Bennet. She deserves her own story. I think there's a big plot deficit about what happens to Mary and Kitty. Surely through Elizabeth and Jane, she and Kitty should meet someone special. I see Mary with an intellectual/ scientist/ professor/ writer. Kitty ? would probably run off with a dancing master.

I love Mary; she's my favorite out of all the sisters. And her singing lol.

This was a lovely description of Mary to hear, I always felt sad that she didn't end up with Mr Collins, she would have perhaps been the happiest with him. Apparently Jane Austen told her family that Mary ended up marrying one of her Aunt's clerks and living in Meryton and Kitty married a clergyman near Pemberley, which I thought was quite nice.

I haven't actually read the book but my sister got the TV-series of Pride and Prejudice on DVD and we watched it together, and I identified with Mary a lot! I liked her and thought it was sad that she was so put aside by everyone.

I just finished reading the book "The Other Bennett Sister" about Mary. I tell you, I shall never look at Mary Bennett again with derision and laughter. The book follows her from being a young girl playing innocently with Jane and Lizzy to discovering from her mother that she was ugly and only tolerated by the family to real growth into a warm blooded young woman who was worthy of love and finding love. The silly Mr Collins was even a little redeemed in this book as we see him through Mary's eyes.

Your quote from Mary on pride... it shows she actually is smart, well-educated, and someone who has deep thoughts. We forget how very young she is. She’s, what, 18 or 19? Few modern girls that age have anything to say that comes close to being coherent, much less deep. When Mary parrots the stuff she’s been reading, it’s on topic, if unwelcome. Most modern girls can only parrot hashtags and empty slogans. It’s hard to be the gifted kid; a gifted kid with no one taking the time to explicitly teach the nuances of social cues is doomed. The only person Mary might have been able to really talk to was probably her dad, and we don’t have any evidence that he took the time to do it. I have often thought that Mary and Mr. Collins would have been a good match, but the more I think about it now, writing this comment, I realize that Mary was in even a worse predicament than Elizabeth. Elizabeth wanted to marry only for love, and she had all the benefits of pleasing manners and beauty. Mary needed someone who would be equally interested in the life of the mind, and Mr. Collins, for all of his seminary training, was not really that kind of person. It was all for show. Without beauty and naturally pleasing manners, Mary was in for a very lonely life. She’s really a tragic character.

I came late to the Pride & Prejudice game - my first exposure to the tale was the 2005 film adaptation starring Matthew MacFadyen and Keira Knightley. In this, I adored Mary even though she was only granted minor cameos and fewer lines. I found her to be the most level of the sisters, absolutely lovely and overlooked (possibly yet to come into her own in the shadow of her two elder sisters), and made irrelevant by her family socially and in their private life. All she truly seems to supply is the soundtrack piano and one line scoffing at the idea of a ball rather than a social conference among peers. The fiasco with Mr. Collins had me wondering why on earth Mr. Collins hadn't seen Mary as a gem - Surely her eldest sister was beautiful but was involved elsewhere and Lizzy was not at all compatible and too willful for a man such as he - but Mary was devout in her faith and appeared quiet and dutiful - a true wallflower waiting to bloom - and I'd think that would have been favorable by a man of his profession and standing. I think this was more of an oversight by Jane Austen rather than Mr. Collins, but then had Mary been chosen by him, the story would not need to further progress to save the Bennet family and their estate. Even so, I would love to see a spinoff of Mary which is true to her character and lets us see her finally get what is due as she moves into womanhood. ♥ PS. The actress who portrayed Mary in that film is drop dead gorgeous off screen, by the way, and even in the attempt to make her more common and plain, her beauty shines through. I feel that is, quite possibly, the best projection of Mary the middle sister in contrast to her siblings. ............................ ETA: AHA! I looked it up after writing this. There *is* a novel all about Mary Bennet which transpires after Pride and Prejudice! It's called The Other Bennet Sister by Jo Baker. There is a large synopsis which I refuse to read because it might entail spoilers. I will, however, pick up a copy of the book asap! More on it here, warning of possible spoilers in the review: www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jan/11/the-other-bennet-sister-janice-hadlow-review Also another book: The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet by Colleen McCullough - Though I know nothing about this novel as I stumbled on it looking for the other.

I kinda wish Mr Collins had gone down to the next sister after Lizzie turned him down. Charlotte was said to be very plain too so, while he wanted a pretty wife, he would have accepted Mary. I think he was so insulted by the Bennetts as a whole after the refusal that he didn't wish to consider the Bennett name at all.

There is also the scene at the Netherfield ball when Mary is humiliated by her father when she was play the piano.

I always thought I was 70% Jane and 30% Elizabeth. But after watching this video, I can empathise with Mary. As an only child, I got a lot of love and attention from my parents but not so much from the outside world. I work hard but I am very shy and can be self critical

I have heard Mary being described as the fulcrum between the elder sisters and the younger, in which case she is essential to the whole plot as without her the family dynamic couldn't possibly work.

Mary Bennet was given far more characterisation than Kitty. We know that she is proud of her accomplishments and works hard at them. She reads, extracts and quotes moral texts without really understanding their meaning. Mary is quite proud but does not keep her pride under good regulation, she also believes that she enjoys a real superiority of mind without this being even close to the truth. She has, on at least one occasion wished to say something very sensible but been unable to do so and it is fair to say that the narrative voice wishes us to believe that this is not an unusual occurrence. She is exactly the sort of person who would talk about offering the balm of sisterly consolation then continue by offering exactly the opposite. We know that Mary is attracted to Mr Collins and would be open to an offer, she noted his solidity more than once. Mary seems to view solidity as the cardinal virtue. Comparatively, we know that Kitty seems to like what Lydia likes and do what Lydia does but with less 'success'. We can infer a fair bit but we know very little. I agree with what you say about Mary being isolated by her status as the middle child but the text provides some support to the idea that Mary is isolated, at least in part, because she is not very pleasant to be around. In Mary's defence, she was raised by the least effective parents in literature. By parents whose treatment of her would be called emotional abuse today. Perhaps Mary and Kitty Bennet should be commended for not developing into the Regency equivalent of bond villains.

I actually do remember actively disliking Mary all the way back when I first read the book and this video finally helped me understand why. 14yo me knew nothing, ha. Enjoyed this immensely!!

I really enjoyed this video Claudia 📚💜😊 and Minerva is hilarious in the background.

Spot on! This was great and entertaining! Much more than I had hoped when I clicked. 😉 I watched until the end. Thank you for this!

If you want some attention for Mary, read Pride and Prometheus by John Kessel, it's a crossover between Pride and Prejudice and Frankenstein, where Mary is the centre character.

why did Jane write five Bennet sisters if she was only going to use three of them as actual characters? That's like if Little Women had a fifth March sister who just stood in the background like a ghost in a horror movie watching her sisters drive the plot of the story.

I relate with Mary the most and like her best of the five sisters, although I've started to understand people's different perspectives on her and the fact that different people *have* different perspectives. D: But since I was kid getting introduced to this series, I was dumbfounded, wondering at people judging her or finding her boring or annoying.

Loved this video. I've always been a big fan of Mary Bennett too!

Idk if it’s just me, but i loveee Mary Bennet, is one of my favorite characters in the book/movie. I love the way she is, the way she acts ( most of the time) and i don’t get why ppl think she is boring, in fact… i found her really interesting, the way she talks and things is really different compared with ther other sisters, idk… there is something i love about her.

One question that's always bothered me was why didn't Collins see that Mary was closest to him in temperment and ask her instead of Elizabeth?

I really enjoyed your video. I (a 68 year old man) has loved Jane Austen stories for years. I have read all the books, but P & P is my favorite. The original Rom-Com. Boy meets girt. Girl hates boy...

Lovely analysis of Mary Bennet. I discovered your channel today and am immediately hooked. Minerva's scenes were greatly appreciated.

Hello, Im Tata from Argentina. Literally now Im writting a short novel in spanish, of course, with Mary Bennet and Colonel Fitzwilliams as lead couple. The characters are based in the fault of something genuine for their in life . Thanks for your exposition. We both share the believing that Mary is a wonderful character non explorated. So, in my book she is searching the salt of her life and founds it with Richard. They had been the second or third in life of others. Like your form to express yourself. Really can understand your thoughts. Greetings from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

New to this channel, but I think I will look for more videos! Your description of Mary as having more apparent confidence than ability reminds me strongly of Mr. Brittas of "Brittas Empire", although Mary does not go to that extreme. No lives are lost because of her arrogance, we presume!

I loved this video and the cat behind your head. Now I really want to read Pride and Prejudice just to read every account of Mary. 🤎🤎🤎

Yes, poor Mary tried very hard but was ignored by all of her family. At the end of the book we learn that Kitty improved because she started spending most of her time at Elizabeth and Jane's homes and got introduced to "superior" society. Mary was the only daughter who remained with her parents. And she was happier because she started finally getting some attention from her parents. That was the proof by Austen that Mary was ignored by her parents prior to that. But it bothered me how unfair Elizabeth and Jane continued to be towards Mary by constantly inviting Kitty to visit and spend time with them and introducing her to the superior society but not inviting Mary even though Mary was the elder of the two remaining unmarried sisters and Kitty was at fault for covering up Lydia's affair with Wickham while Mary was blameless.

Jane Austin told Cassandra that she saw Mary as ending up with one of her Uncles law clerks.

Mary is not ugly. She's described as being less pretty than her sisters and, if she had been in another family, would have been considered quite lovely.

Super excited to play Mary!

Very interesting. In the 1995 series she is portrayed as humorless, sanctimonious and smug. She is basically unlikeable. In the 2005 movie, in the opening scene when the girls crowd in on Mrs. Bennett pestering Mr. Bennett to invite Mr. Bingley, she, last to enter the room, is completely ignored, repeatedly asking "who?" with no answer. It is painful to watch if one actually notices her. If someone is ignored that way long enough, it could produce what we see in the 1995 version, an "I just don't care!" attitude, the forgotten girl who develops emotional armor. She is out of sync for her era. In today's world, she would have double majored in philosophy and piano. In today's world she could have had a make-over and been transformed if only someone showed a little care soon enough.

I’m reading Mary B. right now and it makes me feel for her more than I did when reading Pride and Prejudice. Great video! Maybe you should rename Minerva to Mary. Lol!

I love Marry Bennet! ^_^ Probably because she's reading all the time.

Mary had too much competition and sadly her sisters didn't support her at all.

Thank you for this. I always thought I was a perfectionist, but I don't think I can play the piano in public again after the incident at the party.

I watched the film before reading the book. In the film (not the mini series) she seemed to me so gothic, introverted and quite lost. I could relate to her. When I read the book I felt sorry for her, like everyone wrote her off: she's not cool enough to be with Jane and Lizzy and not fun enough to be with the younger ones. I think Lizzy could have helped her. Mary just needed direction. She was neglected by everyone. No one even cared enough to bully her (in a sense that even such experiences tell us what others find acceptable and what they don't. And maybe we can reflect on our behaviour. If siblings won't do it, eventually the society will ridicule you and it is more painful and humiliating)

Great points. Your cat eating your plant in the background was pretty entertaining as well.😅

I find it interesting that you hope that she gets another Mr Collins and saying that the book makes it clear that she would have married him - I don't remember that part, although I do remember strongly thinking that they should have been a couple at first. Firstly, Mary deserves much, much better than Mr Collins. But secondly I love the occasional presence of the unromantic female in Austen's work. Why should Mary marry? I don't think she's really fitted out for managing a household. Instead I'd rather think of her having the run of the Pemberley library, being a lively and educational aunt to her many nieces and nephews, and spending the occasional summer relaxing by the seaside with the latest new books, able to be more noticed with the rest of her siblings out of the way, to make agreeable friends, but not necessarily have her life ruled by matrimony. Perhaps a little like Jane Austen herself.

I have the honor of playing Mary Bennet in a local play of Pride and Prejudice. This really helped how I connect to Mary and I agree entirely! In our rendition Mr Collins settles for her but they fall in love and Im so glad she gets the ending she deserves!

I love Mary Bennett as I see myself in her. I've been disappointed, in my reading of Pride and Prejudice, that Mr Collins did not see Mary as the potential for Mr Collins. As well, I agree the Mary's comment that she prefers a book over shopping. Definitely!

I love that you have a cat named Minerva😹💖 One of my cats, Stark, likes to monch/destroy plants as well, thus I haven't had a live plant in my house in almost ten years😭 He even chews on the Christmas tree if we get a real one, which is suuuper fun for me as I get to clean up the piney puke piles! I'm always afraid that my flatmate will accidently bring in something that's poisonous to them and he'll eat it (she isn't the most *aware* person, bless her).

Mary would have been a great match for Mr Collins. What a shame she didn't have the wherewithal to captivate him 😕 But then, how would Caroline Lucas have fared... She was right to grab that once in a lifetime opportunity when she did.

The cat eating the plant in the back 😂😂

In the Web series she is not even a sister but a cousin, Lizzie always forgetts they have and is never showen . . . Kitty at least got to be Lydias cat, . . . We also never got to see . . .

The first time I read the book in high school, I hoped Mary would meet a college professor , she would have a great deal in common with a teacher.

I really enjoyed this . Thank you.

Totally agree, though you missed the point that in fact Mary is very well read; she even copies out passages and makes summaries, which implies close study, not just running her eyes over the words. I think she would have done very well as Mrs Collins, she would have enjoyed parish work and probably was cleverer than her male cousin. She is even sententious enough to please Lady Catherine, though the endless card games would have bored her to death. Today Mary would be called an introvert; perhaps that's why I've always had a sneaking sympathy for her.

Not sure what I loved more, the fact that the cat’s name is Minerva or that you stopped midway to scold her for loudly chewing on the plant.

I've always wished that Austin had told us more about Mary's fate at the end of P&P. I read somewhere that according to Austin she ended up marrying one of her uncle's clerks.

I always thought Mary should have married Mr. Collins. I thought them most suited for each other.

Love your view and the cat! 🐈‍⬛

I feel like Mary is very similar to Fanny Price in many ways, except that no one finds her pretty or agreeable to look at. Her inner world is rich and full of all sorts of interesting thoughts and feelings, but because everyone else in her family is busy being absorbed in everything else, she gets overlooked. Also, not to be a know it all, in pride and prejudice Mary is mentioned to Miss Bingley as the most accomplished girl in the neighborhood, she overhears the compliment, which may explain her eagerness to showcase her talent at the ball at Netherfield later in the book. She's just doing what she thought was appropriate & agreeable to other people.

I agree with literally everything you said there. In fact, some adaptations actually cut out the character of Mary, as "useless." However, they don't understand that, with her prudery, she is a foil for Elizabeth and Jane. Lydia and Kitty are flighty, and have no compunction about flirting and to hell with propriety. Mary is ALL ABOUT propriety. Elizabeth and Jane fall in the middle, and so they are more likable. When in Mansfield Park, there is no "Propriety is everything!" foil for Fanny Price, she takes on the role of "unlikable prude," even though she's not as far on that end of the spectrum as people believe. She would have acted, had she not been TERRIFIED of her uncle and his displeasure, and she KNEW he would not like it. But that's all internal, as is most of her characterization. It's a very internalized novel, and so a lot people think Fanny is actually "The Mary" of the book, and she's not. Poor girl. Also, Mary HAS CHARACTER. As you say! I remember reading, somewhere, that Jane Austen wrote a letter to someone, saying that Kitty and Mary did eventually marry. I forget who married Kitty, but I believe Mary married a clerk in her uncle's firm? Someone who would, as you say, appreciate her work ethic and her confidence. And, who would NOT have to worry about his wife being improper in public, if he would only give her a little attention and praise for her hard work on the piano forte. If she gets that at home, from a husband, she has no more need to show off, and that was her only impropriety - hogging the spotlight at the piano forte. Someday, I wish someone would write an adaptation from the point of view of Mary. Just like Fanny Price stands quietly, and properly, at the side, watching the drama unfold around her, Mary would, I believe, have some very interesting internal monologue about it all. Of course, she would only know about what happens to Elizabeth at the Collin's home, or abroad with her aunt and uncle, through letters, and does Elizabeth BOTHER to write to Mary? I think not. We know that Elizabeth and Jane write to each other often, but do they ever write to Mary? Does ANYONE write to Mary? I'm not the middle child. I was spoiled and bossed about, in equal measure, by my older siblings. But, yeah, I FEEL Mary, so often! The whole, "I'm a GOOD PERSON! Why don't people NOTICE me?! I also believe that Mary would have SO MUCH MORE to say, had she access to the internet and an anonymous online persona. Not that she'd troll, of course. But she'd have an outlet, where she can speak her mind, without people shutting her down, as they do at home. "THANK YOU, Mary. On to the next subject."