CC&M
Posted by Laura W on December 01, 1997 at 17:21:22:
In response to Charlotte, Mary and Collins, written by Constanza on December 01, 1997 at 15:54:06
] ] Instead, Charlotte crosses his path by chance and he asks her.
]
] Actually, she CATCHED Mr. Collins intentionally. ;-)
(A nasty English verb, this one: "she caught him." Catch, catches, catching, caught, have caught, had caught.)
I know you put a ;-) up there but do you really think she did? I think she certainly took advantage of the situation, but she can't seriously have considered marrying him much before she showed up at Longbourne after Lizzy's refusal; she knew as well as everyone else that he intended to marry a Bennet. So I don't think it would be fair to suggest that she tried to catch him.
I see the omitted proposal scene as something like:
Mr. Collins rants a little about Lizzy;
Charlotte sympathizes with him but gently suggests that Lizzy would not have been a very good match for him, because her temperament is not suited to his (and probably not to marrying any sort of clergyman--much less kissing up to Lady Catherine);
Mr. Collins acknowledges that Charlotte is right;
[Perhaps Charlotte describes the type of woman who would make him a suitable wife; ]
Then, with his patroness's admonishments in mind ("gently bred but not brought up too high") [and perhaps with Charlotte's own description echoing in his ears], Mr. Collins realizes that Charlotte is just the sort of person whom Lady Catherine meant;
He suddenly asks her to marry him;
She accepts (for all the many reasons we have discussed before and will no doubt discuss again).
] I still think that if Mary had married Collins she would have lost any chance of improving, which she later does!!!
] On the other hand, Charlotte may manage to infuse some sense into Collins!!!
No argument here, on either count!
BTW, I am not picking on you! :-) Really!
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