pride and prejudice satire
... egoistic and wealthy and enjoys letting others know of their inferiority to her. She always gives her own opinion and does not expect to be contradicted. Lady Catherine de Bourgh epitomises class snobbery, especially in her attempts to order the middle class Elizabeth away from her well-bred nephew, Darcy. She is Proud and does not let the other characters forget their inferior rank. Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Elizabeth Bennet’s conversations are very comical, and illustrate Elizabeth’s strength in standing up to Lady Catherine, compared with Collins imitative behaviour. Lady Catherine de Bourgh is constantly surrounded by flattery, especially received from Mr Collins; of whom excessively praises her. She has a habit of speaking her mind and often displays a manner of incivility, lack of respect, and rudeness. Jane Austen uses Lady Catherine as an example that high rank doesn’t really mean that you will be well mannered and courteous. Considerations of class are omnipresent in the novel. Austen's character, Mr. Collins, is a silly and conceited man who displays an abundant amount of flattery for Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and praises her excessively. Austen uses Collins as a very comical character because he shows a personality mix of obsequiousness and pride. He is a pompous and a generally idiotic clergyman who stands to inherit Mr Bennet’s property. In the nineteenth century, high social status was of top priority. Mr Collins' own social status is nothing to boast about, but he takes great measures to let everyone know that Lady Catherine de Bough is his patroness. Mr. Collins is very much aware of social class and status, and is seen as a social climber. He is a man who is constantly aware of society and what people think of him, which is what makes him proud. Society has made Collins into a man who constantly feels the need to please everyone around him, which makes him a completely false character. He is a priest and people expect him to be intelligent and calm, but he is actually a clumsy, imprudent man who only wants a wife for social purposes. He sees himself as a moral figure, but his personality and actions prevent other people from seeing him as one. Collins shows a form of ridicule and sarcasm, and he is a great object of the social satire of that time. His mixture of obsequiousness, arrogance, self-importance and modesty makes him appear very foolish. He is a classic representation of what Austen hated about the clergymen of her time. Mr. Collins’ views are merely the most extreme and obvious. The satire directed at Mr. Collins is therefore also more subtly directed at the entire social hierarchy of the time. Finally, the novel depicts a society in which a woman’s reputation is of the utmost importance. A woman is expected to behave in certain ways. Stepping outside the social norms makes her vulne...