Poor Mary Bennet. In a book in which even the characters we aren’t supposed to admire fizz and pop with energy – step forward Lydia Bennet – only Mary fails to shine. But the same sympathy that drew me towards Mary made me reluctant to accept in its entirety Austen’s version of her. The Mary I wanted to write about would look rather different from Austen’s character. Photograph: Matthew MurphyI’ve always believed that everything appears different if you can persuade readers to look at the world through that character’s eyes.

Source: The Guardian January 04, 2020 10:52 UTC