The period drama on everyone’s lips right now is undeniably The Other Bennet Sister. Originally a novel by Janice Hadlow, it pays affectionate homage to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, centring the long-overlooked Mary in her own coming-of-age tale.

In Austen’s original, Mary is a background character. Sandwiched between four livelier, prettier, wittier sisters, Mary is often the butt of the joke.

Hadlow’s novel transforms her from a caricatured, awkward woman into a fully realised character with desires, interests and agency. Crucially, Hadlow converses with Austen and never attempts to replace her.

By filling in the spaces Austen left open, Hadlow demonstrates that classic books endure because they are aplenty with fresh material for each new generation of bibliophiles.

While adaptations of Austen, namely Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’ Diary, have certainly made the rounds in pop culture, Hadlow proves the well is not yet dry.

Her novel works precisely because readers are familiar with the witty world of Pride and Prejudice. And, perhaps unfortunately for readers, Austen’s narrative interests remain stubbornly persistent.

Like her characters, we are still searching for identity, navigating social pressures, and coping with the annoyance of unexpected guests appearing on our doorsteps (heavy on that last one).

Hadlow isn’t trying to be Austen, she is proving how relevant she still is. Her Mary feels refreshing and classically modern rather than a Tesco’s own-brand version of the original.

There is a case to be made that classics are dubbed ‘classics’ because they invite reinterpretations. Each retelling, spin-off and sequel becomes part of an ever-expanding literary conversation.

In fact, it may be physically impossible for readers to ever say farewell to them.

Like that one handsome (but intensely awkward) man who called you barely “tolerable” once, we cannot stop thinking about them.

As long as writers keep finding fresh angles to explore, authors like Austen will remain immortal.

Ultimately, Mary Bennet’s iconic comeback makes one thing clear: the classics will never be sat gathering dust, no matter how often we try to shelve them.

Image credit: Polly Dye