- "Other books were produced, and after some deliberation he chose Fordyce's Sermons. Lydia gaped as he opened the volume, and before he had, with very monotonous solemnity, read three pages, she interrupted him." (p. 47)
One night after dinner at the Bennet's home, Mr. Collins requests to read aloud to the girls. He chooses James Fordyce's Sermons on Young Women, which was a popular guidebook on women's conduct. Jane Austen alludes to this particular novel mainly to show Lydia's unruly manners and lack of interest in literature, particularly literature she considers boring. Unlike the other daughters in the Bennet family, Lydia is more self-absorbed ad could care less if she is offensive. Austen also alludes to Fordyce's Sermons to show the contrast between Mr. Collins and Elizabeth. Elizabeth claims that she could never make Mr. Collins happy and they were perfectly wrong for each other. Mr. Collins' interest is in more sophisticated women, and it is ironic he favors this novel as James Fordyce believed 'men of the best sense have usually been averse to the thought of marrying a witty female.’ The contrast clearly shows how poor of a match this couple would be.
Work Cited: "Fordyce’s Sermons; Mr Collins’ Favorite Book."
My Pride and Prejudice. Web. 13 Mar. 2010. http://www.myprideandprejudice.com/2009/08/mr-collins-favorite-book-on-the-dangers-of-witty-women/.
Photo Credit:
Insomnia Small. Photograph. Councelling Cornwall. Web. 13 Mar. 2010. http://www.counsellingcornwall.org.uk/IMAGES/INSOMNIA%20SMALL.gif.
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