Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 15

Jane Austen · Mountaineers 10th–12th

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Copywork

The subjection in which his father had brought him up had given him originally great humility of manner; but it was now a good deal counteracted by the self-conceit of a weak head, living in retirement, and the consequential feelings of early and unexpected prosperity. A fortunate chance had recommended him to Lady Catherine de Bourgh when the living of Hunsford was vacant; and the respect which he felt for her high rank, and his veneration for her as his patroness, mingling with a very good opinion of himself, of his authority as a clergyman, and his right as a rector, made him altogether a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility.

This was exactly as it should be; for the young man wanted only regimentals to make him completely charming. His appearance was greatly in his favour: he had all the best parts of beauty, a fine countenance, a good figure, and very pleasing address.

Read both passages aloud. Whose opinion is “exactly as it should be”?

For the educator Two passages, four sentences: the narrator’s account of Mr. Collins, and her first look at Mr. Wickham. Set side by side, they are two newcomers brought into the chapter in two different ways. The first sentence turns on time: the subject, “The subjection”, carries a relative clause (“in which his father had brought him up”), and the clause before the semicolon says what that upbringing gave him “originally”, great humility of manner. After the semicolon, “but” and “now” set the present against it: the humility is “counteracted” by two causes joined by “and”, “the self-conceit of a weak head, living in retirement” and “the consequential feelings of early and unexpected prosperity.” Consequential here means self-important. The second sentence opens on a short clause with a clause of time (“when the living of Hunsford was vacant”); a living is a church post with its income. After a semicolon and “and”, a long subject builds up before its verb: two nouns, “the respect” and “his veneration”, then a phrase opened by “mingling with” that lists three things he thinks well of (“of himself, of his authority as a clergyman, and his right as a rector”). Only then does the main verb arrive, “made him”, and the sentence ends on two pairs built the same way, each setting a high opinion of himself against a low bow: “pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility.” Holding the verb back like this makes the second half periodic: its point waits for the end. The third sentence is a short clause, a semicolon, and a reason opened by “for”. Its key word is old: “wanted” means lacked, so the young man lacked only a uniform (“regimentals”) to be completely charming. The fourth is a clause, a colon, and a second clause in which a general phrase, “all the best parts of beauty”, is spelled out by a list of three: “a fine countenance, a good figure, and very pleasing address.” A countenance is a face; address here means manner, the way a person speaks and carries himself. For mechanics, notice the semicolons in the first three sentences, the colon in the fourth, the commas that set off “living in retirement” and the phrase that opens on “mingling with”, and the comma before “and” in the closing list. For the talk prompt, listen for a student who hears “exactly as it should be” as the young ladies’ delight, carried into the narration, that the handsome stranger will wear a uniform; one who hears the narrator smiling at that delight; and one who sets it beside the first passage, where the narrator gives her own verdict in her own voice. No answer may say that Mr. Wickham is not what he seems: in this chapter he is only charming.

Discussion

Narration Tell the chapter back in a few sentences, from the narrator’s account of Mr. Collins to his praise of Mrs. Philips when he gets home.

Mr. Collins will choose one of his cousins if they are as “handsome and amiable” as people say. The marriage is his way to make amends for inheriting their father’s estate. Can amends come with a condition like that? Moral reasoning
Mrs. Bennet warns Mr. Collins off Jane “amid very complaisant smiles and general encouragement”. Is she steering him, or telling him what she believes is true? Character
Mr. Bennet tells Elizabeth he expects “folly and conceit in every other room in the house”. Who is he counting in those rooms? Inference
Austen never says which man went white and which went red. What would you lose if she told you? Author's choice
Bingley rides on “without seeming to have noticed what passed”. How much do you think he saw? Inference
Mrs. Philips says she has been watching Mr. Wickham for the last hour, yet she can tell her nieces only “what they already knew”. What has the hour of watching given her? Character

Make a Connection Think of a time, in a story or in your own life, when a whole group made up its mind about someone in one afternoon. What made it happen so fast?

Vocabulary

obsequiousness: A fortunate chance had recommended him to Lady Catherine de Bourgh when the living of Hunsford was vacant; and the respect which he felt for her high rank, and his veneration for her as his patroness, mingling with a very good opinion of himself, of his authority as a clergyman, and his right as a rector, made him altogether a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility. Too much eagerness to please and obey people of higher rank (from Latin obsequi, to comply, literally to follow). The narrator pairs it with its opposite, “pride”, and then makes a second pair the same way, “self-importance and humility”. Mr. Collins bows low to Lady Catherine and thinks very well of himself, and the sentence shows both at once.
veneration: A fortunate chance had recommended him to Lady Catherine de Bourgh when the living of Hunsford was vacant; and the respect which he felt for her high rank, and his veneration for her as his patroness, mingling with a very good opinion of himself, of his authority as a clergyman, and his right as a rector, made him altogether a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility. Deep respect that comes close to worship (from Latin venerari, to worship, the root of venerable). It is a word more often used of saints and holy things than of a living patroness. Mr. Collins feels “respect” for Lady Catherine’s rank and “veneration” for her as his patroness: the second word lifts the first, and shows how high he has set her.
complaisant: The next morning, however, made an alteration; for in a quarter of an hour’s tête-à-tête with Mrs. Bennet before breakfast, a conversation beginning with his parsonage-house, and leading naturally to the avowal of his hopes, that a mistress for it might be found at Longbourn, produced from her, amid very complaisant smiles and general encouragement, a caution against the very Jane he had fixed on. Eager to please; ready to agree and be agreeable (from Latin complacere, to please, the same root as complacent). Mrs. Bennet’s smiles are “very complaisant” as she warns Mr. Collins off Jane: the caution comes wrapped in welcome, so it does not sound like a refusal.
prepossession: As to her younger daughters, she could not take upon her to say--she could not positively answer--but she did not know of any prepossession;--her eldest daughter she must just mention--she felt it incumbent on her to hint, was likely to be very soon engaged. A liking or leaning formed in advance (pre-, before, and possess: a mind already taken). Mrs. Bennet does not “know” of any in her younger daughters, which leaves them free for Mr. Collins. The word shares its idea with prejudice: an opinion that takes hold before the facts arrive.
discomposed: Such doings discomposed Mr. Bennet exceedingly. Upset; disturbed someone’s calm (dis-, undoing, and compose, to settle). Mr. Collins’s talk discomposes Mr. Bennet because the library is the one room where he has always been sure of “leisure and tranquillity”. The word is mild and a little grand, and the comedy is in how much annoyance it politely covers.

Critical thinking

Austen tells us about Mr. Collins’s father, his schooling and his luck, but of Mr. Wickham only his looks and his manner. Why might she tell us so much about one stranger and so little about the other?
Wickham wins the whole party within minutes of meeting them. Is so good a first impression a reason to trust him, or a reason to wait?