Mr. Collins

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (June 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

This article lacks information on the notability of the subject matter.
Please help improve this article by providing context for a general audience, especially in the lead section. (June 2008)

Mr. Collins is a character in Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice. The heroine of Pride and Prejudice is Elizabeth Bennet. Because her father, Mr. Bennet, has no sons, his estate is entailed to Mr. Collins. Mr. Collins is a clergyman and a pompous, sycophantic fool. He enters the novel with the intention of marrying one of Mr. Bennet’s daughters to compensate the family for the estate being entailed to him. He first wants Elizabeth’s beautiful sister Jane, but is quickly persuaded to court Elizabeth. She refuses him, but within three days Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth’s friend Charlotte Lucas.

Although it is easy to assume the comic nature of Mr. Collins is the primary reason for him being in the novel, Jane Austen, with her usual skill, allowed him to serve several purposes: 1. He shows how serious it is for the women to marry. The fact that an intelligent, perceptive woman is willing to marry him for his money demonstrates how important it is for every woman to marry. This is particularly important to modern readers. 2. He shows that Elizabeth is not mercenary. She refuses to marry him. 3. He allows Elizabeth to meet and spend time with the hero, Mr. Darcy. This occurs when Elizabeth visits her friend, Charlotte Lucas Collins. 4. He passes a rumor about Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy to Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine. This starts a sequence of events that leads to Mr. Darcy’s second proposal to Elizabeth.

It was probably an error on Jane Austen’s part that Mr. Collins did not have the last name of Bennet.