Why We Love Mary Bennet

Oh, Mary. Anyone who has read Pride & Prejudice can be forgiven for thinking those words. Mary is the plain Bennet sister, the one with the fewest prospects. She’s the girl most likely to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. She sings badly, plays the piano poorly, and is vain and affected in her thoughts and motivations. She exposes herself and the family to ridicule. Mr. Bennet makes fun of her. Mrs. Bennet barely thinks about her. The numerous movie adaptations hardly consider her at all. So why is Mary Bennet getting something of a makeover, with new novels that focus on the mostly forgotten Bennet sister?