This is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I've often said that if Charlotte Bronte had written about the Bennets, she'd have made Mary the heroine.
And she'd have made Mary's life far more miserable than it already was. Every second sentence in Mary's narration would have been about how ugly she was. Mary would have remained pious and virtuous whilst all her sisters in one way or another wasted their lives. In Mary's story, the story would probably start with her sisters marrying or about to be married and we would see in all gory detail how all their marriages failed because they were too fixated on superficialities and vanities. Jane probably would be the most sympathetic sister, but she'd be constantly used as a doormat by her other sisters, leading Mary to despise her and her husband for their lack of strength and fortitude. There'd be long paragraphs of Mary judging Lydia for succumbing to lust and desire, but on her deathbed, Lydia would forgive Mary. The most complicated relationship Mary would have would be with the Darcys. Mr Darcy's gloomy, brooding potential would be explored fully and Mary would be half-drawn to him, half repulsed by him and she'd both envy and despise Elizabeth for daring to try to be pretty and vivacious and flirtatious with her husband instead of keeping to herself. Then Elizabeth would die a horrible death because of her follies (maybe falling down a peak while out walking alone) and Mr Darcy would try to seduce Mary in his grief but then Mary would reform Mr Darcy and then marry him, probably after Pemberley burnt down.
I'm sorry, I do really appreciate Charlotte Bronte and Jane Eyre, but her constant doom-and-gloom narrators with all their constant professions of being ugly get on me. I love that Jane Eyre is a woman who will stand up for herself, but I still prefer Shirley. Much less gloomy ;-)
And she'd have made Mary's life far more miserable than it already was. Every second sentence in Mary's narration would have been about how ugly she was. Mary would have remained pious and virtuous whilst all her sisters in one way or another wasted their lives. In Mary's story, the story would probably start with her sisters marrying or about to be married and we would see in all gory detail how all their marriages failed because they were too fixated on superficialities and vanities. Jane probably would be the most sympathetic sister, but she'd be constantly used as a doormat by her other sisters, leading Mary to despise her and her husband for their lack of strength and fortitude. There'd be long paragraphs of Mary judging Lydia for succumbing to lust and desire, but on her deathbed, Lydia would forgive Mary. The most complicated relationship Mary would have would be with the Darcys. Mr Darcy's gloomy, brooding potential would be explored fully and Mary would be half-drawn to him, half repulsed by him and she'd both envy and despise Elizabeth for daring to try to be pretty and vivacious and flirtatious with her husband instead of keeping to herself. Then Elizabeth would die a horrible death because of her follies (maybe falling down a peak while out walking alone) and Mr Darcy would try to seduce Mary in his grief but then Mary would reform Mr Darcy and then marry him, probably after Pemberley burnt down.
I'm sorry, I do really appreciate Charlotte Bronte and Jane Eyre, but her constant doom-and-gloom narrators with all their constant professions of being ugly get on me. I love that Jane Eyre is a woman who will stand up for herself, but I still prefer Shirley. Much less gloomy ;-)