Mr. Collins's first letter

Mr. Collins's first letter, addressed to Mr. Bennet and dated October 15 from Hunsford, near Westerham, Kent, is the instrument through which the Bennet family first encounters the man who will inherit Longbourn. The letter serves as a perfect self-portrait of its author, exposing his mixture of pride, obsequiousness, and folly before he ever sets foot in Hertfordshire. It arrives about a month before Mr. Bennet reads it aloud at breakfast, and the family's varied reactions—from Mrs. Bennet's indignation to Elizabeth's amused suspicion—establish the comic and dramatic tensions that will define Mr. Collins's visit.

Content and Style

The letter opens with an expression of unease over the long-standing disagreement between Mr. Collins's late father and Mr. Bennet, and a stated wish to heal the breach. Mr. Collins explains that he has delayed this overture out of respect for his father's memory, but now, having received ordination at Easter and been "distinguished by the patronage of the Right Honourable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, widow of Sir Lewis de Bourgh," he feels it his duty as a clergyman to promote peace. He describes his new rectory as a valuable one, and his patroness's bounty and beneficence as having preferred him to it. The letter then turns to the entail: Mr. Collins expresses concern at being "the means of injuring your amiable daughters" and offers a vague apology, promising to make them "every possible amends—but of this hereafter." He proposes to visit Longbourn on Monday, November 18th, and to stay until the following Saturday se'ennight, adding that Lady Catherine has no objection to his occasional absence on a Sunday provided another clergyman performs the duty. The letter is signed "WILLIAM COLLINS."

Family Reactions

Mr. Bennet, after reading the letter aloud, dryly observes that Mr. Collins "seems to be a most conscientious and polite young man" and expresses hope that he will prove "a valuable acquaintance, especially if Lady Catherine should be so indulgent as to let him come to us again." Mrs. Bennet, who had previously railed against the entail and the "odious man" who would inherit Longbourn, finds her ill-will somewhat softened by the letter's conciliatory tone. Elizabeth is chiefly struck by Mr. Collins's "extraordinary deference for Lady Catherine" and his kind intention of christening, marrying, and burying his parishioners whenever required. She pronounces him "an oddity" and detects "something very pompous in his style," asking her father whether he can be a sensible man. Mr. Bennet replies that he has "great hopes of finding him quite the reverse," noting "a mixture of servility and self-importance in his letter, which promises well." Mary, ever the moralizer, observes that the letter is not defective in composition, though the olive-branch metaphor is not wholly new. Catherine and Lydia, preoccupied with the militia officers, find neither the letter nor its writer interesting.

Significance

The letter functions as a dramatic prelude, establishing Mr. Collins's character before his arrival and priming the reader for the comic and awkward encounters that follow. It also introduces the theme of the entail and the precarious position of the Bennet daughters, which will drive much of the plot. The letter's blend of obsequiousness toward Lady Catherine, self-congratulation, and clumsy attempts at reconciliation perfectly encapsulates Mr. Collins's nature, as Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet immediately perceive. The letter's promise of "amends" foreshadows Mr. Collins's proposal to Elizabeth, which he conceives as a form of atonement for inheriting the estate. The letter thus serves as a key to understanding Mr. Collins's motivations and the social dynamics that will unfold at Longbourn.