In her Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen uses satire to convey the social commentary of the book. Austen pokes fun at many aspects of the culture and conventions of her time, and almost no facet of society escapes her sharp wit. Austen roughly judges the way the people around her lead their lives, but one often gets the feeling that this scorn is well deserved.

Mr. Collins is, so far, the most lampooned character of the entire bunch. He is silly, pretentious, conceited, and obsessed with the thought of doing what it is proper by society's standards. Although he is a parson, he is much more interested in the opinions of his so-very-highly-esteemed benefactor, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Collins never passes up a chance to boast of De Bourgh's immense wealth and, more often than not, her stature in society and the rank of the title she holds...