Sarah’s Reviews > The Other Bennet Sister > Status Update

If Miss Bingley's use of truth universally acknowledged was bad, Mrs Bennet's substitution of search for want was somehow worse. Too on the nose and yet also not understanding what makes it clever.

I wish that Mary had incorporated Mrs Gardiner's advice into her thinking and decided that she had to speak first because of Mr Hayward's diffidence.

The TV series gave quite a different impression. The book is much clearer that Mary prefers Mr Hayward. Mrs Gardiner warns her that he might be slower to declare himself and not to think that means he isn't interested.

I didn't think it seemed proper for Mr Ryder to run into Mary walking alone and after taking her to enjoy an ice letting her walk home alone. Or for Mr Hayward to comment hypothetically in front of the Gardiners on how nice it would be if he and Mary were married and eating greengage jam. I disliked Jane and Mrs Gardiner telling Mary they hope for her to marry.

Haaaated Miss Bingley's reference to "a truth universally acknowledged" in her attempt to put down Mary.

No. I refuse to believe that Mary Bennet would be ashamed to show her knowledge. γνώθι σεαυτον.

It still feels like the author doesn't understand Austen's Mary Bennet and has changed her into a character whose problems she knows how to solve. Mrs Gardiner is beautifully wise and kind and tries to thread the needle of saying it's OK not to care about your appearance but if you do care about your appearance you should not refuse to improve it.

The end of Mary's visit at Longbourn was pleasanter than I feared but I still think it was hard on Charlotte and soft on Mr Collins. One thing I think is missing is an awareness that society is part of the problem and not just all of these absolutely hideously unkind people. Also Mr Darcy could absolutely afford to support Mary so she doesn't need to be a governess. She should not have had to borrow £ for the coach.

So Mary has observed that Mr Collins is unhappy because Charlotte doesn't love him. Austen's Mr Collins proposed to Lizzie without any encouragement and switched to Charlotte very quickly. It is interesting to consider the husband's feelings but it feels a bit unfair to Charlotte as presented. Did she entrap him with false sentimentality?

Does Austen suggest that Longbourn was not well-maintained when the Bennets lived there?

Interesting to note that in the book, Caroline Bingley insults Mary's wardrobe before Mary has ventured to get things to her own taste. In the TV show I think it was after?