I’ve been reading Persuasion recently. The main character, Anne Elliot, is the middle sister of three girls and her characterization has made me deeply appreciate Jane Austen’s depiction of middle children. Anne is quiet and observant, overlooked by her family and perceived as inconsequential by many, save for the compliments she receives for helping others. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen also writes Mary Bennet, the middle child of five sisters, in the same way. As a middle daughter myself, I can say that this characterization hits the nail on the head and makes me wonder if Jane Austen were a middle child herself.
