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Chapter 13
They [the Bennet sisters] were not the only objects of Mr. Collins’s admiration. The hall, the dining-room, and all its furniture, were examined and praised; and his commendation of everything would have touched Mrs. Bennet’s heart, but for the mortifying supposition of his viewing it all as his own future property.
Mr. Collins first visits the Bennets at Longbourn, their home, in Chapter 13. Although he is quite complimentary of everything from the rooms to their furnishings, the Bennets understand that he is taking it all in as the future property owner, given that the house will pass to Mr. Collins as the family’s only male heir upon Mr. Bennet’s death. As a result, Mrs. Bennet, who normally enjoys being flattered, is less than thrilled. Read more about this quote in Quotes by Setting: Longbourn.
…he begged to know to which of his fair cousins the excellency of its cooking was owing. But he was set right there by Mrs. Bennet, who assured him with some asperity that they were very well able to keep a good cook, and that her daughters had nothing to do in the kitchen.
During Mr. Collins’s visit to Longbourn in Chapter 13, he continues to lavish praise upon the Bennets. In doing so, he inadvertently causes offense by asking which of his cousins was responsible for preparing the meal, suggesting they aren’t of a high enough class to have a cook. Mrs. Bennet is quick to correct him.
Chapter 14
Mr. Bennet's expectations were fully answered. His cousin was as absurd as he had hoped, and he listened to him with the keenest enjoyment, maintaining at the same time the most resolute composure of countenance, and, except in an occasional glance at Elizabeth, requiring no partner in his pleasure.
In Chapter 14, Mr. Bennet’s reaction to Mr. Collins’s visit is quite telling. After dinner, he takes the opportunity to converse with Mr. Collins, and comes away from the interaction secure in his assessment of his cousin’s absurdity. The quote above highlights two things: one, that Mr. Bennet and Elizabeth share a tendency to “[delight] in anything ridiculous,” and two, that Mr. Bennet doesn’t appear to take the reality of his family’s financial situation as seriously as he should. Mr. Collins may be ridiculous, but he will one day inherit the family home, leaving the Bennet girls to fend for themselves, something Mr. Bennet doesn’t seem overly concerned with at present. Read more about this quote in Quotes by Character: Mr. Bennet (the second quote).
Chapter 15
Mr. Collins had only to change from Jane to Elizabeth—and it was soon done—done while Mrs. Bennet was stirring the fire. Elizabeth, equally next to Jane in birth and beauty, succeeded her of course.
In Chapter 15, it’s revealed that Mr. Collins has come to Longbourn to marry one of the Bennet daughters. Upon hearing that Jane is spoken for, and soon to be engaged to Mr. Bingley, he switches his efforts from Jane to Elizabeth. It takes little more than a single brief conversation with Mrs. Bennet for him to change his mind, and to decide that Elizabeth is actually the more suitable of the two now that he knows Jane is unavailable. Such a change of heart emphasizes his foolishness, and supports the notion that for Mr. Collins, marrying is little more than a duty on his checklist.
But the attention of every lady was soon caught by a young man, whom they had never seen before, of most gentlemanlike appearance, walking with an officer on the other side of the way.
In Chapter 15, the Bennet girls and Mr. Collins walk to Meryton, and it is there that they first encounter Mr. Wickham. The general reaction to him is indicative of both his handsomeness and the novelty of his appearance; as a good-looking man they have never seen before, he offers them opportunities for fresh gossip and social interaction. They assume because of his appearance that he must be a gentleman, demonstrating a tendency to link attractiveness with good character that will ultimately prove disastrous. Read more about this quote in Quotes by Theme: The Impact of First Impressions.
Both changed colour, one looked white, the other red. Mr. Wickham, after a few moments, touched his hat—a salutation which Mr. Darcy just deigned to return.
In Chapter 15, the Bennet girls have just been introduced to Mr. Wickham when Darcy and Bingley happen by. While Bingley chats with Jane, Elizabeth notices tension between Darcy and Wickham. One goes pale, the other’s face turns red, and Wickham recovers just enough to finally touch his hat in acknowledgment, which Darcy barely returns. The strange interaction tantalizes Elizabeth, inviting both her and the reader to wonder how Wickham and Darcy know each other and what could possibly have happened between them.
Chapter 16
‘I had not thought Mr. Darcy so bad as this—though I have never liked him. I had not thought so very ill of him.’
In Chapter 16, during the Phillips’s dinner party, Wickham paints an unflattering picture of Darcy to Elizabeth, claming Darcy cheated him out of his inheritance. Elizabeth accepts his words immediately and without question. Because of Wickham’s favorable first impression, she is inclined to like and trust him, a stark contrast to her initial assessment and continued dislike of Darcy. Ultimately, however, both will prove she is not as astute a judge of character as she believes she is.
