Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice

the symbol of the Bennet dynasty, its intrinsic value,
forgoing all else. For Mr. Collins, Longbourn presents
an extrinsic value, something he knows about from his
youth, yet never thinks of "rising" to, something far
beyond the reach of his birth, breeding and dreaming, yet
his because of the accident of birth. In the eyes of
landed gentry, Longbourn is a small piece of land
tenanted by a man of little money but long heritage.
After Mr. Bennet' s death, the land will be a small piece
of land tenanted by a man with little money and less
breeding.
More appalling for the Bennet family is the
subsequent marriage of Mr. Collins to Charlotte Lucas.
Charlotte's father has a title, one he received as a gift
from the king while Sir William was mayor of Meryton.
Just as with Collins, Sir Lucas gains his family line,
estate or inheritance earned through good fortune rather
than through strict settlement law. The title
contributed, however, to Sir William's decision to quit
his business and remove to Lucas Lodge to "occupy himself
solely in being civil to all the world. For though
elated with his rank, it did not render him supercilious"
(18).