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The book, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, is a romantic novel of 1813 in which, Austen charts the emotional development of the heroine- Elizabeth Bennet. The book provides insight into the disastrous effects of having excessive pride and prejudice and distinguishes between being indispensable and secondary. This book contains several important characters, but some characters have the role of being comedic relief, and Austen uses these characters to draw a parallel between the characters in the book and the characters they are based on in real life.
One of these characters is Mr. Collins, a pompous, generally idiotic clergyman who stands to inherit Mr. Bennet’s property. Mr. Collins’s social status is nothing to brag about, but he takes great pains to let everyone and anyone know that Lady Catherine de Bourgh serves as his patroness. Even with all the comedic moments, that Austen’s work is known for, Mr. Collins serves a greater purpose than just that. He is representative of the life back in the 19th century, and an enactment of social standard/reality that Austen is trying to ridicule. Austen, with the use of satire, could be mocking the selectively educated clergymen of the 19th century. According to the Journal of Jane Austen Society of North America, Austen was a part of the Church of England and watched the incompetence of a few clergymen with amusement. She didn’t intend to group all of the clergymen in that grouping. A regular perspective held by many commoners in the 19th century was that clergymen’s job was only to “eat” since unemployment was on the rise, so it was a power move used by Austen to appeal to the audience. Clergymen are supposed to be too holy for the earthly pleasures, Mr. Collins is quite the opposite, “Your portion is unhappily so small that it will in all likelihood undo the effects of your loveliness and amiable qualifications” (Austen 67). In addition to that, Mr. Collins has mentioned Lady Catherine in every conversation he has with anyone instead of God, which is what’s expected. He holds Lady Catherine as a symbol of wealth, and superior to anyone, and holds the portion he will inherit from the Bennet family “unhappily small”. This all points to materialistic goals, which anyone following Christianity, especially a clergyman, should stay away from. In Chapter 15, we see again how Jane Austen mocks Mr. Collins. While explaining Mr. Collins' life, she says a fortunate chance had recommended him to Lady Catherine de Bourgh.' However, we know that this was not a fortunate chance because now, Lady Catherine controls his life like God should. Jane Austen then says 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.' This is all very ironic. Mr. Collins, though having the position as a clergyman does not have authority because he is not taken seriously by anyone, because he is a very shy character, and because he does not fulfill his role as a clergyman. Also, he says a mixture of pride and obsequiousness (abject or cringing submissiveness)' but we know that he does not mind submission to Lady Catherine and without her, he would have no one to follow and take after and Mr. Collins would be a failure because he is not a leader. He uses learned behavior, that is straight out of the book Rules of Etiquette and Home Culture. While much of Mr. Collins’s conduct returns censure and mockery from other characters and readers alike, it often parallels the behavior demanded by his era.
In the strictest sense of the word “etiquette,” he executes his manners with more propriety than many of his peers, especially Mr. Darcy. While most of Darcy’s actions tend not to disturb present-day readers, Austen’s Regency audience would have been appalled by the total absence of propriety he exhibits. His rejection of social mores accords him a modern personality, which is probably another reason current readers, and viewers of film adaptations, are particularly drawn to Mr. Darcy. His initial introduction to Mr. Collins is via a letter, but his physical appearance occurs when he presents himself at the Bennet house, “punctual to his time” (Pride and Prejudice 45). This phrase not only emphasizes the prompt arrival of Mr. Collins but also his singular interest in social decorum. His dedication to etiquette is further accentuated in the same paragraph which describes Mr. Collins’s air as “grave and stately, and his manners […] very formal” (45). Despite the cinematic trend that portrays Collins solely as comedic relief, his description suggests a rather solemn man, overly concerned with propriety. Since Mr. Collins believes “there is nothing so advantageous […] as instruction,” it is reasonable to assume that his profligate devotion to manners is the effect of an avid study of such literature (P&P 47). Etiquette books of this period discussed everything from fashion, dancing, and recreational activities, to the proper method of constructing letters. As the writer attempted to cover even the most menial tasks, he would have been able to incorporate a substantial amount of these instructions into his daily life. His application of such advice is evidenced by some of his habits and quirks, which seem to come directly from the pages of the etiquette pamphlets. For example, many of the books “suggest first that time spent reading is time well spent;” however, only if it is the proper type of reading, and the list does not include “romances” (Fritzer 33). Mr. Collins particularly takes this assertion to mind since his choice of evening activity consists of reading from Fordyce’s Sermons, and he protests “that he never [reads] novels” (P&P 47). r. Collins is very aware of time. He comprehends the most acceptable behavior for his period, he identifies how many times certain situations should occur, and he has excellent timing, recognizing when he should be silent and when he should speak.
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