Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Mr. Collins: Funny or Nightmare?
To Elizabeth, Mr. Collins is a Nightmare. She values love for what it truly is and, unfortunately for her, the norm in her society is to marry for an economic gain. For Mr. Collins to propose to Elizabeth is a comic relief for some however Elizabeth is almost captured by the "comic monster" that embodies the social institutions of that day. Moreover, in the readers eyes Mr. Collins interactions with, for example, Lady Catherine are considered comical; especially to the readers of the eighteen-hundreds.
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Thor- I agree with your statement in that Mr. Collins's interactions with Lady Catherine are comical. However, don't you think that maybe his interactions with Elizabeth are also somewhat funny? Yes, when he was proposing to her, she found it a nightmare to make him understand her rejection, but in all of their other scenes, she seems to be enjoying making a mockery of Collins. Do you think that it is possible that similar to his interactions with Lady Catherine, Collins's scenes with Liz are also noticeably comical to the reader?
ReplyDeleteComic Monster- genius.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, however, Collins symbolizes the stereotypical man of 19th century aristocracy in order for Austen to contrast Darcy's original introduction and his true, as later proven, humble character.