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74-454: As first described in Sense and Sensibility : "Edward Ferrars was not recommended to their good opinion by any peculiar graces of person or address. He was not handsome, and his manners required intimacy to make them pleasing. He was too diffident to do justice to himself; but when his natural shyness was overcome, his behaviour gave every indication of an open, affectionate heart. His understanding

148-414: A ball, where Mrs Bennet hints loudly that she expects Jane and Bingley to become engaged. Elizabeth rejects Mr Collins' marriage proposal, to her mother's fury and her father's relief. Mr Collins subsequently proposes to Charlotte Lucas, a friend of Elizabeth, and is accepted. Having heard Mrs Bennet's words at the ball and disapproving of the marriage, Mr Darcy joins Mr Bingley in a trip to London and, with

222-572: A better understanding of each other's point of view from the different ends of the rather wide scale of differences within that category. When Elizabeth rejects Darcy's first proposal, the argument of marrying for love is introduced. Elizabeth only accepts Darcy's proposal when she is certain she loves him and her feelings are reciprocated. Austen's complex sketching of different marriages ultimately allows readers to question what forms of alliance are desirable especially when it comes to privileging economic, sexual, or companionate attraction. Money plays

296-507: A byword for a silliness all of his own—a felicitous blend of complacent self-approval and ceremonious servility." He continues to say that Austen designed Mr Collins as a flat character, yet he is one of her great accomplishments. Morris suggests that though Mr Collins has few dimensions, he is just as rounded as Sense and Sensibility's Edward Ferrars and Colonel Brandon , or Emma 's Mr Knightley and Harriet Smith. In another analysis, Deirdre Le Faye wrote "what does make Mr Collins

370-427: A complete mismatch (not wishing for a marriage that would most certainly end up as miserable, like that of her parents, only with the roles reversed), and all of her attempts to dissuade him had been too subtle for him to recognise. When Elizabeth rejects his proposal, despite her mother's approval of the match, Collins is quite taken aback and does not believe that she is serious. Elizabeth has to tell him firmly that she

444-518: A figure of fun and rightful mockery is his lack of sense, of taste, and of generosity of spirit contrasted to his own supreme unawareness of his shortcomings in these respects". He has also been criticised for taking such a casual view of his own marriage, which is one of the primary concerns of the Church. A book review written by Dinah Birch, a professor at the University of Liverpool , examines

518-576: A friend, presumably Bingley, from an undesirable match. Elizabeth realises that the prevented engagement was to Jane. Mr Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, declaring his love for her despite her low social connections. She is shocked, as she was unaware of Mr Darcy's interest, and rejects him angrily, saying that he is the last person she would ever marry and that she could never love a man who caused her sister such unhappiness; she further accuses him of treating Wickham unjustly. Mr Darcy brags about his success in separating Bingley and Jane and sarcastically dismisses

592-457: A fundamental role in the marriage market, for the young ladies seeking a well-off husband and for men who wish to marry a woman of means. George Wickham tries to elope with Georgiana Darcy, and Colonel Fitzwilliam states that he will marry someone with wealth. Marrying a woman of a rich family also ensured a linkage to a higher-class family, as is visible in the desires of Bingley's sisters to have their brother married to Georgiana Darcy. Mrs Bennet

666-437: A gentlewoman for my sake; and for your own, let her be an active, useful sort of person, not brought up high, but able to make a small income go a good way. This is my advice. Find such a woman as soon as you can, bring her to Hunsford, and I will visit her." Mr Collins declares himself to be 'violently in love' with Elizabeth; Elizabeth, however, knows that his professed feelings for her are completely imaginary and that they are

740-575: A good fortune must be in want of a wife." This sets marriage as a motif and a central idea in the novel. Readers are poised to question whether or not these single men need a wife, or if the need is dictated by the "neighbourhood" families and their daughters who require a "good fortune". According to American Book Review the opening line of Pride and Prejudice is considered second on their list of top 100 greatest opening lines in English literature behind only "Call me Ishmael:" from Moby Dick . Marriage

814-402: A large family". Charlotte's decision is reflective of her prudent nature and awareness. Pride and Prejudice , like most of Austen's works, employs the narrative technique of free indirect speech , which has been defined as "the free representation of a character's speech, by which one means, not words actually spoken by a character, but the words that typify the character's thoughts, or the way

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888-455: A letter sent to him from Mr Collins, where Collins speaks of making amends for any past disagreements between his father and Mr Bennet. In his letter, it is clear that Mr Collins readily assumes that his overtures of peace will be gratefully accepted, and further presumes upon the family as to announce that he will come stay with them for a week, without even first asking for permission. Upon the first night of his visit, he spends time dining with

962-517: A marriage to the advantage, because "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife". At a ball, the family is introduced to the Netherfield party, including Mr Bingley, his two sisters and Mr Darcy , his dearest friend. Mr Bingley's friendly and cheerful manner earns him popularity among the guests. He appears interested in Jane,

1036-484: A mechanical extension of biology, but takes its value to be its own original form. Austen began writing the novel after staying at Goodnestone Park in Kent with her brother Edward and his wife in 1796. It was originally titled First Impressions , and was written between October 1796 and August 1797. On 1 November 1797 Austen's father sent a letter to London bookseller Thomas Cadell to ask if he had any interest in seeing

1110-441: A role in its selection. "After the success of Sense and Sensibility , nothing would have seemed more natural than to bring out another novel of the same author using again the formula of antithesis and alliteration for the title." The qualities of the title are not exclusively assigned to one or the other of the protagonists; both Elizabeth and Darcy display pride and prejudice." The phrase "pride and prejudice" had been used over

1184-403: A rumour he hears from his wife's family suggesting that Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth will soon be engaged. This causes Lady Catherine to travel to Meryton to demand Elizabeth end her relationship with Darcy and plays a significant role in the sequence of events that leads to Darcy and Elizabeth's engagement. At the end of the novel, Lady Catherine's fury at the engagement leads Collins and Charlotte, who

1258-401: A son (which he and Mrs Bennet have no expectation of), the estate of £2,000-per-annum will pass to Mr Collins. Born to a father who is described as "illiterate and miserly ", the son, William Collins is not much better '(sans the miser part)'. The greatest part of his life has been spent under the guidance of his father (who dies shortly before events at the beginning of the novel). The result

1332-498: A vacancy arose for the living of the Hunsford parish , "and the respect which he felt for her high rank and his veneration for her as his patroness, mingling with a very good opinion of himself, of his authority as a clergyman, and his rights as a rector, made him altogether a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility". He has a ridiculously high regard for Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her daughter, of whom he

1406-495: Is indifferent to true beauty and value (" Here, leading the way through every walk and cross walk, and scarcely allowing them an interval to utter the praises he asked for, every view was pointed out with a minuteness which left beauty entirely behind. He could number the fields in every direction, and could tell how many trees there were in the most distant clump ). Mr Collins is first mentioned when Mr Bennet tells his wife that his cousin will be visiting them. Mr Bennet reads them

1480-440: Is "by no means an aspirant to sainthood". The text of Pride and Prejudice includes the following passage: "The promised letter of thanks from Mr. Collins arrived on Tuesday, addressed to their father, and written with all the solemnity of gratitude which a twelve-month's abode in the family might have prompted." The Oxford English Dictionary defines a "Collins" as "a letter of thanks for entertainment or hospitality, sent by

1554-561: Is "eloquent in their praise". Elizabeth's rejection of Mr Collins's marriage proposal is welcomed by her father, regardless of the financial benefit to the family of such a match. Mr Collins then marries Elizabeth's friend, Charlotte Lucas . Mr Collins is usually considered to be the foil to Mr. Darcy , who is grave and serious, and acts with propriety at all times. On the other hand, Mr Collins acts with impropriety and exaggerated humility , which offers some comedic relief. He likes things , especially if they are expensive or numerous, but

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1628-446: Is 27 years old at the time), who encourages his regard because she seeks to improve her own social position (and does not wish to remain a spinster ). Since Collins has very good prospects, Charlotte is determined to gain his favour. Her plan works well: a few days after this, Elizabeth hears that Charlotte is now engaged to Mr Collins. Upon hearing this news from Charlotte herself, Elizabeth declares it to be impossible and wonders how it

1702-417: Is a complex social activity that takes political and financial economy into account. In the case of Charlotte Lucas, the seeming success of her marriage lies in the comfortable financial circumstances of their household, while the relationship between Mr and Mrs Bennet serves to illustrate bad marriages based on an initial attraction and surface over substance (economic and psychological). The Bennets' marriage

1776-483: Is a primary motivation driving the plot. Pride and Prejudice has consistently appeared near the top of lists of "most-loved books" among literary scholars and the reading public. It has become one of the most popular novels in English literature, with over 20 million copies sold, and has inspired many derivatives in modern literature. For more than a century, dramatic adaptations, reprints, unofficial sequels, films, and TV versions of Pride and Prejudice have portrayed

1850-487: Is a younger Collins who is "not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society": having "belonged to one of the universities" (either Oxford or Cambridge ), he "merely kept the necessary terms , without forming at it any useful acquaintance", nor accomplishments. So despite his time spent in university, his view of the world is apparently scarcely more informed or profound than Mrs. Bennet's (a fact which would cast doubts upon

1924-697: Is able to attach himself to other people and form bonds of friendship and love with ease. He exemplifies great loyalty when he sacrifices his potential happiness with Elinor to honour a promise he made to another girl when he was younger. He and Marianne's future husband Colonel Brandon are both models of great character under unimpressive exteriors. This simplicity makes them rather less three-dimensional than Pride and Prejudice ' s Fitzwilliam Darcy and Emma ' s Mr. Knightley . Disinherited by his mother for refusing out of honour to break his engagement to Lucy Steele, he eventually marries Elinor, having been abandoned by Lucy Steele for his brother, now heir to

1998-405: Is also about that thing that all great novels consider, the search for self. And it is the first great novel that teaches us this search is as surely undertaken in the drawing room making small talk as in the pursuit of a great white whale or the public punishment of adultery . The opening line of the novel announces: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of

2072-644: Is also the current heir presumptive to the Bennet family estate of Longbourn in Meryton, Hertfordshire , due to the estate being entailed to heirs male. Mr Collins is first introduced during his visit to Longbourn. Mr William Collins, 25 years old as the novel begins, is Mr Bennet's distant cousin, a clergyman, and the heir presumptive to Mr Bennet's estate of Longbourn. The property is entailed to male heirs, meaning that Mr Bennet's daughters and their issue cannot inherit after Mr. Bennet dies. Unless Mr Bennet has

2146-529: Is an example that the youngest Bennet, Lydia, re-enacts with Wickham and the results are far from felicitous. Although the central characters, Elizabeth and Darcy, begin the novel as hostile acquaintances and unlikely friends, they eventually work toward a better understanding of themselves and each other, which frees them to truly fall in love. This does not eliminate the challenges of the real differences in their technically equivalent social status as gentry and their female relations. It does however provide them with

2220-448: Is by now expecting a child, to take an extended visit to Charlotte's parents until they can no longer be the targets of her rage. Some scholarly analysis has been conducted on Jane Austen 's characterisation of Mr Collins. Possibly the most thorough examination of this character was made by Ivor Morris in his book Mr Collins Considered: Approaches to Jane Austen . Morris says "there is no one quite like Mr Collins [...] his name has become

2294-483: Is disclosed to us solely through Elizabeth's point of view and her free indirect speech is essential ... for it is through it that we remain caught, if not stuck, within Elizabeth's misprisions." The few times the reader is allowed to gain further knowledge of another character's feelings, is through the letters exchanged in this novel. Darcy's first letter to Elizabeth is an example of this as through his letter,

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2368-467: Is frequently seen encouraging her daughters to marry a wealthy man of high social class. In chapter 1, when Mr Bingley arrives, she declares "I am thinking of his marrying one of them". Inheritance was by descent but could be further restricted by entailment , which in the case of the Longbourn estate restricted inheritance to male heirs only. In the case of the Bennet family, Mr Collins was to inherit

2442-432: Is good and evil balanced, that to PRIDE and PREJUDICE you will also owe their termination." (capitalisation as in the original) A theme in much of Austen's work is the importance of environment and upbringing in developing young people's character and morality. Social standing and wealth are not necessarily advantages in her works, and a further theme common to Austen's work is ineffectual parents. In Pride and Prejudice ,

2516-402: Is in fact serious. Mr Collins seems surprised and insulted. He had not considered that his proposal would ever be undesirable. He even claims that Elizabeth is only pretending to reject his repeated proposals to be coy as a means to stoke his desires for her. "I am not now to learn," replied Mr. Collins, with a formal wave of the hand, "that it is usual with young ladies to reject the addresses of

2590-454: Is invited to visit Charlotte at her new home in Hunsford for Easter . Mr Collins makes it his goal to show Elizabeth that she made a grave mistake when refusing to marry him (and is dissatisfied when she does not express any regret.) Later on, he seems intent on convincing the Bennets that his pride was never injured and that he never had intentions towards Elizabeth (almost acting as if he was

2664-567: Is not likely that Elizabeth intends changing her mind (although she is not happy about the refusal, because she wants one of her daughters to marry the man who will inherit Longbourn). Mrs Bennet goes to Mr Bennet and talks to him about the refusal; she wants him to force Elizabeth to accept him because Elizabeth has great respect for her father. Mr Bennet says that if she accepts Mr. Collins, he will refuse to see her. A few short days after this rejection, Mr Collins' sentiments are quickly transferred to Elizabeth's particular friend, Charlotte Lucas (who

2738-443: Is that someone could find Mr Collins less than ridiculous, let alone choose to marry him. This engagement takes place rather quickly and later, Mr Collins comes to visit the Bennets with his new wife to pay their respects. Charlotte Lucas married him to make the most of an opportunity as she is growing older and is becoming less likely to get married; she does not think love is essential for a good marriage. A few months later Elizabeth

2812-478: The perspicuity of the Bishop who oversaw Mr. Collins' ordination , in the eyes of the reader). His manner is obsequious and he readily defers to and flatters his social superiors. Physically, he is described as a "tall, heavy looking young man of five and twenty. His air was grave and stately, and his manners were very formal". Austen writes that before his entry into the novel, his circumstances in early life, and

2886-428: The 'subjection' in which his father had brought him up, had "originally given him great humility of manner". However, this characteristic has been "now a good deal counteracted by the self-conceit of a weak head, living in retirement", altered greatly and been replaced with arrogance and vanity due to "early and unexpected prosperity". This early prosperity came, by chance, at the hands of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, when

2960-617: The Bennet family at Longbourn, where Lydia tells Elizabeth that Mr Darcy was at her wedding. Though Mr Darcy had sworn everyone involved to secrecy, Mrs Gardiner now feels obliged to inform Elizabeth that he secured the match, at great expense and trouble to himself. Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy return to Netherfield. Jane accepts Mr Bingley's proposal. Lady Catherine, having heard rumours that Elizabeth intends to marry Mr Darcy, visits her and demands she promise never to accept Mr Darcy's proposal, as she and Darcy's late mother had already planned his marriage to her daughter Anne. Elizabeth refuses and asks

3034-495: The Bingley fortunes stem from trade. The fact that Bingley rents Netherfield Hall – it is, after all, "to let" – distinguishes him significantly from Darcy, whose estate belonged to his father's family and who through his mother is the grandson and nephew of an earl . Bingley, unlike Darcy, does not own his property but has portable and growing wealth that makes him a good catch on the marriage market for poorer daughters of

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3108-518: The accusation regarding Wickham without addressing it. The next day, Mr Darcy gives Elizabeth a letter, explaining that Wickham, the son of his late father's steward, had refused the " living " his father had arranged for him and was instead given money for it. Wickham quickly squandered the money and tried to elope with Darcy's 15-year-old sister, Georgiana, for her considerable dowry . Mr Darcy also writes that he separated Jane and Bingley because he believed her to be indifferent to Bingley and because of

3182-513: The character would think or speak, if she thought or spoke". Austen creates her characters with fully developed personalities and unique voices. Though Darcy and Elizabeth are very alike, they are also considerably different. By using narrative that adopts the tone and vocabulary of a particular character (in this case, Elizabeth), Austen invites the reader to follow events from Elizabeth's viewpoint, sharing her prejudices and misapprehensions. "The learning curve, while undergone by both protagonists,

3256-413: The development of a particular literary form and then transitioning into empirical verifications, it reveals free indirect discourse as a tool that emerged over time as practical means for addressing the physical distinctness of minds. Seen in this way, free indirect discourse is a distinctly literary response to an environmental concern, providing a scientific justification that does not reduce literature to

3330-463: The difference between superficial goodness and actual goodness. Mr Bennet, owner of the Longbourn estate in Hertfordshire , has five daughters, but his property is entailed and can only be passed to a male heir. His wife also lacks an inheritance, so his family faces becoming poor upon his death. Thus, it is imperative that at least one of the daughters marry well to support the others, which

3404-523: The eldest Bennet daughter. Mr Darcy, reputed to be twice as wealthy as Mr Bingley, is haughty and aloof, causing a decided dislike of him. He declines to dance with Elizabeth , the second-eldest Bennet daughter, as she is "not handsome enough". Although she jokes about it with her friend, Elizabeth is deeply offended. Despite this first impression, Mr Darcy secretly begins to find himself drawn to Elizabeth as they continue to encounter each other at social events, appreciating her wit and frankness. Mr Collins ,

3478-486: The failure of Mr and Mrs Bennet as parents is blamed for Lydia's lack of moral judgment. Darcy has been taught to be principled and scrupulously honourable but he is also proud and overbearing. Kitty, rescued from Lydia's bad influence and spending more time with her older sisters after they marry, is said to improve greatly in their superior society. The American novelist Anna Quindlen observed in an introduction to an edition of Austen's novel in 1995: Pride and Prejudice

3552-422: The family and reading to them from Fordyce's Sermons in their parlour. It is at this point that Mr Collins seems to take a fancy to the eldest daughter, Jane Bennet. When discussing his intentions with Mrs Bennet he is told that Jane may very soon be engaged. It takes Mr Collins only a few moments to redirect his attentions to Elizabeth Bennet, who he believes, in "birth and beauty", equals her sister. He spends

3626-408: The family estate upon Mr Bennet's death in the absence of any closer male heirs, and his proposal to Elizabeth would have ensured her security; but she refuses his offer. Inheritance laws benefited males because married women did not have independent legal rights until the second half of the 19th century. For the upper-middle and aristocratic classes, marriage to a man with a reliable income was almost

3700-449: The family property. This article about a literature character is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice is the second novel by English author Jane Austen , published in 1813. A novel of manners , it follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet , the protagonist of the book, who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreciate

3774-607: The generous candour of my sister, and gratified my vanity in useless or blameable distrust. How humiliating is this discovery! yet, how just a humiliation! Had I been in love, I could not have been more wretchedly blind. But vanity, not love, has been my folly. Pleased with the preference of one, and offended by the neglect of the other, on the very beginning of our acquaintance, I have courted prepossession and ignorance, and driven reason away, where either were concerned. Till this moment I never knew myself." Other characters rarely exhibit this depth of understanding or at least are not given

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3848-838: The gentry, like Jane Bennet, or of ambitious merchants. Class plays a central role in the evolution of the characters and Jane Austen's radical approach to class is seen as the plot unfolds. An undercurrent of the old Anglo-Norman upper class is hinted at in the story, as suggested by the names of Fitzwilliam Darcy and his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh; Fitzwilliam , D'Arcy , de Bourgh ( Burke ), and even Bennet , are traditional Norman surnames. Through their interactions and their critiques of each other, Darcy and Elizabeth come to recognise their faults and work to correct them. Elizabeth meditates on her own mistakes thoroughly in chapter 36: "How despicably have I acted!" she cried; "I, who have prided myself on my discernment! I, who have valued myself on my abilities! who have often disdained

3922-509: The heir to the Longbourn estate, visits the Bennet family with the intention of finding a wife among the five girls under the advice of his patroness Lady Catherine de Bourgh , also revealed to be Mr Darcy's aunt. He decides to pursue Elizabeth. The Bennet family meet the charming army officer George Wickham , who tells Elizabeth in confidence about Mr Darcy's unpleasant treatment of him in the past. Elizabeth, blinded by her prejudice toward Mr Darcy, believes him. Elizabeth dances with Mr Darcy at

3996-644: The help of his sisters, persuades him not to return to Netherfield. A heartbroken Jane visits her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner in London to raise her spirits, while Elizabeth's hatred for Mr Darcy grows as she suspects he was responsible for Mr Bingley's departure. In the spring, Elizabeth visits Charlotte and Mr Collins in Kent . Elizabeth and her hosts are invited to Rosings Park, Lady Catherine's home. Mr Darcy and his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, are also visiting Rosings Park. Fitzwilliam tells Elizabeth how Mr Darcy recently saved

4070-711: The lack of propriety displayed by her family. Elizabeth is ashamed by her family's behaviour and her own prejudice against Mr Darcy. Months later, Elizabeth accompanies the Gardiners on a tour of Derbyshire . They visit Pemberley , Darcy's estate. When Mr Darcy returns unexpectedly, he is exceedingly gracious with Elizabeth and the Gardiners. Elizabeth is surprised by Darcy's behaviour and grows fond of him, even coming to regret rejecting his proposal. She receives news that her sister Lydia has run off with Wickham. She tells Mr Darcy, then departs in haste. After an agonising interim, Wickham agrees to marry Lydia. Lydia and Wickham visit

4144-498: The large number of letters in the final novel, it is assumed that First Impressions was an epistolary novel . Mr William Collins Mr William Collins is a fictional character in the 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen . He is the distant cousin of Mr Bennet, a clergyman and holder of a valuable living at the Hunsford parsonage near Rosings Park, the estate of his patroness Lady Catherine De Bourgh , in Kent . Since Mr and Mrs Bennet have no sons, Mr Collins

4218-514: The man whom they secretly mean to accept, when he first applies for their favour; and that sometimes the refusal is repeated a second, or even a third time. I am therefore by no means discouraged by what you have just said, and shall hope to lead you to the altar ere long." Elizabeth has to insistently repeat to Mr Collins that she does not intend to marry him since he believes she is really only trying to behave with propriety by refusing him. Collins only accepts her refusal once Mrs Bennet admits that it

4292-569: The manuscript, but the offer was declined by return post. The militia were mobilised after the French declaration of war on Britain in February 1793, and there was initially a lack of barracks for all the militia regiments, requiring the militia to set up huge camps in the countryside, which the novel refers to several times. The Brighton camp for which the militia regiment leaves in May after spending

4366-511: The memorable characters and themes of the novel, reaching mass audiences. In the early 19th century, the Bennet family live at their Longbourn estate, situated near the village of Meryton in Hertfordshire , England. Mrs Bennet's greatest desire is to marry off her five daughters to secure their futures. The arrival of Mr Bingley, a rich bachelor who rents the neighbouring Netherfield estate, gives her hope that one of her daughters might contract

4440-448: The one who rejected her), or any of her sisters. Mr Collins appears in the novel only a few more times, usually via letters. After Lydia Bennet elopes with the duplicitous Mr Wickham he sends a letter of consolation to Mr Bennet, in which his sympathetic tone is confusingly contrasted with his advice to cast Lydia out of the family lest her disgrace reflects on the rest of the family. His respect for Lady Catherine leads him to alert her to

4514-578: The only route to security for the woman and the children she was to have. The irony of the opening line is that generally within this society it would be a woman who would be looking for a wealthy husband to have a prosperous life. Austen might be known now for her "romances" but the marriages in her novels engage with economics and class distinction. Pride and Prejudice is hardly the exception. When Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, he cites their economic and social differences as an obstacle his excessive love has had to overcome, though he still anxiously harps on

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4588-410: The outraged Lady Catherine to leave. Darcy, heartened by his aunt's indignant relaying of Elizabeth's response, again proposes to her and is accepted. Many critics take the title as the start when analysing the themes of Pride and Prejudice but Robert Fox cautions against reading too much into the title (which was initially First Impressions ), because commercial factors may have played

4662-490: The pleasure of being her partner for the first two dances. Though Mr Collins quite enjoys himself during these dances, Elizabeth has entirely different feelings on the matter. Miss Elizabeth has a strong aversion for Mr Collins. However, she usually tries to avoid any conversation beyond what is polite and proper. At the Netherfield ball, she describes her dances with Mr Collins as "dances of mortification". She comments that Mr Collins acts awkwardly and solemnly, and gives her "all

4736-421: The possibility of Darcy's marriage to Elizabeth. However, as the novel closes, "...through curiosity to see how his wife conducted herself", Lady Catherine condescends to visit them at Pemberley. The Bingleys present a particular problem for navigating class. Though Caroline Bingley and Mrs Hurst behave and speak of others as if they have always belonged in the upper echelons of society, Austen makes it clear that

4810-471: The preceding two centuries by Joseph Hall , Jeremy Taylor , Joseph Addison and Samuel Johnson . Austen is thought to have taken her title from a passage in Fanny Burney 's Cecilia (1782), a novel she is known to have admired: "The whole of this unfortunate business," said Dr Lyster, "has been the result of PRIDE and PREJUDICE. ... if to PRIDE and PREJUDICE you owe your miseries, so wonderfully

4884-517: The problems it poses for him within his social circle. His aunt, Lady Catherine, later characterises these differences in particularly harsh terms when she conveys what Elizabeth's marriage to Darcy will become, "Will the shades of Pemberley be thus polluted?" Although Elizabeth responds to Lady Catherine's accusations that hers is a potentially contaminating economic and social position (Elizabeth even insists she and Darcy, as gentleman's daughter and gentleman, are "equals"), Lady Catherine refuses to accept

4958-406: The reader and Elizabeth are both given knowledge of Wickham's true character. Austen is known to use irony throughout the novel especially from viewpoint of the character of Elizabeth Bennet. She conveys the "oppressive rules of femininity that actually dominate her life and work, and are covered by her beautifully carved trojan horse of ironic distance." Beginning with a historical investigation of

5032-465: The rest of his stay making visits around the neighbourhood with the Bennet sisters, minus Mary. They visit Mrs Phillips, Mrs Bennet's sister. Mr Collins is quite charmed by this encounter and seems extremely pleased to be treated so well by the family. He continues to pay specific attention to Miss Elizabeth. Collins first gives Elizabeth a hint of his intentions prior to the Netherfield ball hosted by Charles Bingley. He asks Elizabeth if she will allow him

5106-494: The role of Mr Collins as a clergyman in Jane Austen's writing. Birch says that "one of the strongest points of Pride and Prejudice is its understanding that Jane Austen's Christianity ... is also an imaginative force in her writing", because Austen is "deeply interested in the role of the church", in her society. She writes about the lack of religious dedication she sees in some clergymen through her character Mr Collins who

5180-600: The shame and misery which a disagreeable partner for a couple of dances can give". At the end of Mr Collins' week-long visit he seeks a private audience with Miss Elizabeth. Oblivious to how Elizabeth might be feeling, Mr Collins tells her that "almost as soon as he entered the house, he singled her out as the companion of his future life" (despite the fact that he was eying Jane first before Mrs. Bennet directed him away from Jane). He also expounds upon his reasons for getting married, which are: "Mr. Collins, you must marry. A clergyman like you must marry. Choose properly, choose

5254-470: The space within the novel for this sort of development. Tanner writes that Mrs Bennet in particular, "has a very limited view of the requirements of that performance; lacking any introspective tendencies she is incapable of appreciating the feelings of others and is only aware of material objects". Mrs Bennet's behaviour reflects the society in which she lives, as she knows that her daughters will not succeed if they do not get married. "The business of her life

5328-455: The winter in Meryton was opened in August 1793, and the barracks for all the regiments of the militia were completed by 1796, placing the events of the novel between 1793 and 1795. Austen made significant revisions to the manuscript for First Impressions between 1811 and 1812. As nothing remains of the original manuscript, study of the first drafts of the novel is reduced to conjecture. From

5402-406: Was good, and his education had given it solid improvement. But he was neither fitted by abilities nor disposition to answer the wishes of his mother and sister, who longed to see him distinguished—as—they hardly knew what." His personality, while it lacks the flash of Marianne Dashwood's romantic interest Willoughby, indicates more fortitude. Despite the good common sense that links him to Elinor, he

5476-404: Was to get her daughters married: its solace was visiting and news." This shows that Mrs Bennet is only aware of "material objects" and not of her feelings and emotions. A notable exception is Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth Bennet's close friend and confidant. She accepts Mr Collins's proposal of marriage once Lizzie rejects him, not out of sentiment but acute awareness of her circumstances as "one of

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