“I am not now to learn… that it is usual with young ladies to reject the addresses of the man whom they secretly mean to accept... I am therefore by no means discouraged by what you have just said, and shall hope to lead you to the altar ere long.” (93)
I remember to have thoroughly enjoyed this scene from the 2005 film version of Pride and Prejudice, starring Keira Knightley and Tom Hollander. The portrayal of such differences between men and women seems to be so ironic yet so true. Prior to his humiliating display, Mr. Collins had made clear his intentions of finding a wife in Longbourn. To this, Mrs. Bennet responded by encouraging the elopement between him and her second daughter Elizabeth, who in her eyes seemed to be least likely to find favor in other men.
As matters thus unfold, the reader as well as the characters themselves can anticipate the critical irony that would be presented by Mr. Collins’ pathetic proposal and Elizabeth’s unrestrained refusal. By Austen’s literary artistry, the societal expectations of female modesty and docility are set at odds with Elizabeth’s individual character. Mr. Collins’ efforts are then, furthermore, exacerbated by his mistaken assumption of Elizabeth’s rejection as a distorted expression of the truth and his determination to fulfill the ideal role of a gallant man in persistent search for love. The incident (or maybe “accident”) seems to be the perfect portrayal of the difficulties involved in the values that society sets on the role of men and women.
How can a character be so annoying yet so amusing? I do believe Mr. Collins to have become an irresistible favorite of mine.
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