Mr. Collins settles into life at Longbourn and wastes little time explaining the importance of his position and the generosity of his patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. His admiration for her wealth, rank, and opinions dominates the evening conversation.

In Chapter 14 of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Bennet quietly entertains himself by encouraging Mr. Collins to talk at length about Lady Catherine, her daughter, and his carefully prepared compliments. The result offers an increasingly comic portrait of Mr. Collins and his devotion to social status.

Key topics:

• Mr. Collins’s admiration for Lady Catherine
• Lady Catherine de Bourgh and her daughter
• Mr. Bennet’s amusement with his cousin
• Mr. Collins’s rehearsed compliments
• Status, flattery, and social hierarch ...