How does Jane Austen present Mr Collins in Pride and Prejudice

How does Jane Austen present the character of Mr Collins in chapters 13-16 of Pride and Prejudice?

The character of Mr Collins is introduced by Jane Austen once the initial stage has been set for the novel-that of the Bennet family, Mr and Mrs Bennet and their five unmarried daughters. Mr Collins is a cousin of Mr Bennet and stands to inherit their property as the only male heir. Mrs Bennet refers to Mr Collins as ‘that odious man’ and also ‘a man whom nobody cared anything about’. However this opinion was formed before the two were acquainted and is based on her feelings of injustice that Mr Collins stands to inherit Longbourn on the death of Mr Bennet. Mr Collins is a clergyman and would have held a respectable position in Jane Austen’s society. He wishes to obtain a wife because in the eyes of society it is time for him to settle and be married, his sponsor Lady Catherine de Bourgh has advised him to marry and he is keen to comply with her wishes.

Pride and Prejudice was originally called First Impressions and it is through the letter that Mr Bennet receives that we learn of Mr Collins and our very own first impressions are formed. Jane Austen’s choice to introduce Mr Collins to us in the form of a letter gives us an idea to his formal personality and to his social awkwardness. The letter shows him to be very pompous in style, referring greatly to the fact that he was so “fortunate as to be distinguished by the patronage of the Right honourable Lady Catherine de Bourgh’ and in response he feels he must ‘endeavour to demean myself with grateful respect towards her Ladyship’. The letter announcing his intended visit is written in a formal style using long convoluted sentences, which later proved to accurately reflect his mannerisms, formality and affected humility to the point of ridiculousness. Elizabeth ponders over Mr Collins describing him as ‘an ‘oddity and saying that she cannot understand why he apologizes for being the only male heir. She feels that he is either a hypocrite or not sensible. In this instance as through out the novel Elizabeth is used as the mouthpiece of the author.

His letter, as Mr. Bennet puts it, contains ‘a mixture of servility and self-importance’ and his personality turns out to be similar. Mr Bennet comments on the letter that his cousin seems to be a ‘peace making gentleman’ and a most ‘conscientious and polite young man’. He states that Mr Collins may prove to be ‘a valuable acquaintance especially if Lady Catherine should be so indulgent as to let him come to us again’. To the reader Mr Bennet is mocking Mr Collin’s pretentious style and sycophantic manner but this sarcasm is lost on all his family with the ...

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When Mr Collins arrived he was observed to be ‘a tall, and heavy looking young man of five and twenty. His air was grave and stately and his manners were very formal. He had not been long acquainted with them before he complimented Mr and Mrs Bennet on having five attractive daughters. Mr Collins describes how he is used to complimenting Lady Catherine and her daughter. Mr Bennet is delighted by Mr Collin’s absurdity and satirically asks him if he prepares his speeches in advance, the question is so dryly humorous that Mr Collins completely misses its sarcasm.

Jane Austen shows Mr Collins trying to enhance his own social status by his association with Lady Catherine de Bourgh. She is a member of the lesser aristocracy and shows this class at its most materialistic and ill bred. Mr Collins is primarily concerned with meeting the wishes and needs of his patroness and going though the motions of his duties to the church. He praises Lady Catherine de Bourgh excessively because she is his social superior. Elizabeth Bennet was chiefly struck by Mr Collins exaggerated deference to Lady Catherine, and Lady Catherine had even condescended to advise him to marry him as soon as he could.

Jane Austen was fascinated by human character and her intelligent sense of humour especially enabled her to see the ‘follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies’ of the people she portrayed. It is the through the long rehearsed speeches, that Mr Collins is seen. The reader perceives Mr Collins as a person who thinks he is something else to that of his real character. Jane Austen makes fun of Mr Collins through Mr Bennet’s ironic remarks and through Collins own hypocritical judgements. His speech is always formal with no hint of embarrassment. For Mr. Collins, speech is not a means to communicate truth but a means to say what he thinks the people around him want to hear or what will make the people around him think well of him.

At the same time Mr Collins enters the novel, we are introduced to the handsome and charming Mr Wickham. These two could not be more opposite in their outward manner. Wickham’s ‘appearance was greatly in his favour; he had all the best part of beauty a fine countenance, a good figure and a very pleasing address. These outward advantages he uses so well that he deceives everyone. Like Collins, Wickham is a selfish character who only cares about out-ward appearances and has no good feelings. But unlike Collins he breaks the social code and is in time exposed to the eyes of the world. Both men’s perceptions do not go beyond obvious formalities and social standards.

Collins as Mr Bennet understands at one is ‘absurd’; he is not very well educated but is portrayed by Jane Austen as a character with a mixture of pride and obsequiousness of over inflated sense of self. Jane Austen uses the character of Mr Collin’s to inject elements of humour into the novel. Through the eyes of Mr Bennet and Elizabeth, Mr Collins is seen as both ridiculous and absurd, a pompous and opinionated young man. With whom she draws contrast with the other young men in the novel, Mr Wickham, Darcy and Bingley. However as usual in her novels Jane Austen enjoys her characters follies, she never fails to judge them against the eyes of society. Austen describes the personality of Collins as shallow more concerned with the external trappings of social status, more concerned with carrying out the duties of his church than any more Christian feelings. Jane Austen’s present Mr Collins as lacking in depth and principals.

Teacher Reviews

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Val Shore

17th of Jun 2012

The writer realises that this is a question about Jane Austen's technique in character presentation, and offers several appropriate comments on this, mostly avoiding a merely descriptive account of what Mr. Collins is like. The essay could be improved by more detailed analysis of language, and more care with punctuation, expression and proof reading. Also more attention could be paid to the comic presentation of Collins. Satire mixes criticism with comedy. This essay is good at pointing out how and why Austen is critical of the character, but there is less focus on the humour and the lively sense of fun she creates. ***

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