Language In Clarissa, Evelina And Pride And Prejudice

"name has become a byword for a silliness all of his
own-a felicitous blend of complacent self-approval and
ceremonious servility" (1) . Austen describes Collins as
originally filled with humility, but his consequent
feelings of "early and unexpected prosperity" made him
"altogether a mixture of pride and humility" (61).
Unlike Sir Lucas or Mr. Bingley, who have risen to the
occasion of their worth, Collins only sinks further into
the baser qualities that make up the greatest portion of
his personality. Morris says it best regarding Collins,
calling hi, "the living expression and microcosm of all
those things against which [Austen] must in her personal
life come to terms" (160). The language of his
inheritance and his living consume Collins. He is
incapable of speaking without making mention of either.
His communication is so severely disrupted by his
inheritance that he becomes an ugly personification of
what he cannot articulate.
At the same time, Austen makes it clear that a
womanf s job is to marry well. Charlottef s marriage to
Collins shows that Austen understood there were ups and
downs in the marriage market, and not all young women
were endowed with enough talent, beauty, charm or portion
to make an excellent match. Many women like Charlotte