Collins essay plan

Who is Mr Collins?

A cousin to the Bennet family and set to inherit Longbourn - patronised by LCdB - obsequious, sycophantic, self-important and excessively humble - clergyman - satirical portrait of sycophancy and the church - proves injustice of inheritance - different attitudes towards marriage

Paragraph 1 overview

Introduced as silly - excessive sycophancy towards LCdB - mocked

Paragraph 1, quote 1

Narrator’s explicit judgements criticise him

‘not a sensible man’ - foolish, negative ‘not’

‘a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility’ - listing of his negative traits emphasises his overly eager and odious characteristics of overly humble and arrogant - eager to please all - a caricature of sycophancy

Paragraph 1, quote 2

'I have been so fortunate as to be distinguished by the patronage of the Right Honourable Lady Catherine de Bourgh’ - formality of address shows his boasting and admiration - repeated titles of importance shows his hyperbolic admiration - ‘so fortunate’ excessive, painted as a blessing - ‘distinguished’ suggests a sense of superiority

Paragraph 1, quote 3

Passage of free indirect speech of Mr Collins boasting of his patronage is used to highlight his sycophantic nature and mock his ridiculous admiration and obsequiousness towards her

‘eloquent in her praise’

‘never in his life witnessed such behaviour in a person of rank - such affability and condescension’

Paragraph 1, quote 4

‘The power of displaying the grandeur of his patroness to his wondering visitors, and of letting them see her civility towards himself and his wife, was exactly what he had wished for’

Sense of importance she gives him

Ready to show off her brilliancy

Desire to boast of his gains

‘wish’ shows strength of desire, which further mocks his sycophantic character

Paragraph 2 overview

Mr Collins’ proposal allows for her display of lack of compliancy to social expectations

Paragraph 2, quote 1 (f+s)

Whole moment is completely dominated by Mr Collins’s direct speech showing his selfishness and self-importance, this is a manage of benefit

Paragraph 2, quote 2

‘My reasons are… I think it a right thing for every clergyman… it will add greatly to my happiness… it is the particular advice and recommendation of the very noble lady whom I have the honour of calling patroness’

Very selfish points ‘my happiness’ possessive pronoun shows its gain to him, not her - not love but happiness - listing shows the benefits to himself - sycophantic in that he is doing this for her - obsequious in desire to do what she says

Paragraph 2, quote 3

‘it is usual with young ladies to reject the addresses of the man… I know it to be the established custom of your sex to reject a man on the first application… your wish of increasing my love by suspense, according to the practice of elegant females’

Repeated certainty in her desire to marry him - extremely comic moment with direct speech - certainty of women’s desire is comic, relies on information from books, not reality - delusional

Paragraph 3 overview

Ends with a marriage to Charlotte Lucas - unhappiness for both of them - marriage of benefit - Austen exposes the brutal reality for women like Charlotte - Mr C is self-interested of his own advancement

Paragraph 3, quote 1

‘In as short a time as Mr Collins’s long speeches would allow’

Narrator mocks his over the top nature and self-centred character - the free indirect discourse juxtaposes his long passage of direct speech in E’s proposal - possibly symbolises Charlotte’s admittance to this fate also Mr Collins repetitive obseqiousness

Paragraph 3, quote 2

‘Mr Collins to be sure was neither sensible nor agreeable; his society was irksome, and his attachment to her must be imaginary. But still, he would be her husband’

His dislikeable nature is revealed again through display of his disagreeable qualities - shown to be irritating and uncomfortable for C - lack of love in marriage

Statement is certain which reveals the brutality of regency era expectations of marriage

Paragraph 3, quote 3

‘with no other delay than his pointing out the neatness of the entrance… welcomed them a second time, with ostentatious formality’

Even after marriage, he has remained unchanged in his laughable manner - irony in ‘humble abode’ - obsequious in his over-the-top introduction - repeated welcome - narrator through E’s eyes mocks his pretentiousness

Paragraph 3, quote 4

‘When Mr Collins could be forgotten, there was really a great air of comfort throughout’

He is the reason for C’s unhappiness in marriage, shows brutality of societal expectations - he causes discomfort and an unpleasant atmosphere in her own home when around