CHAPTER XIII

Summary

• During breakfast, Mr. Bennet informs his family that a guest is expected for dinner, sparking curiosity among his wife and daughters.
• Mrs. Bennet speculates that the visitor might be Mr. Bingley, but Mr. Bennet reveals it is someone they have never met before – his cousin, Mr. Collins.
• Mr. Bennet explains that Mr. Collins is next in line to inherit the Longbourn estate due to the entailment, which deeply frustrates Mrs. Bennet.
• Mrs. Bennet rails against the unfairness of the entailment, while Jane and Elizabeth attempt to explain it to her, though she refuses to be reasoned with.
• Mr. Bennet reads aloud a letter from Mr. Collins, in which Collins seeks to make peace with the Bennet family after past disagreements between their fathers.
• In the letter, Mr. Collins expresses gratitude for his new position as a clergyman under the patronage of the wealthy and aristocratic Lady Catherine de Bourgh. He also apologizes for being the next in the entail and mentions his intention to visit the Bennet household.
• The family discusses Mr. Collins’s letter, with Mr. Bennet humorously analyzing Collins’s mixture of servility and self-importance, while Mary critiques the letter’s style, and Elizabeth finds his excessive deference to Lady Catherine curious.
• Mrs. Bennet’s initial hostility toward Mr. Collins softens after hearing the letter, and she prepares to meet him with composure, surprising her husband and daughters.
• Mr. Collins arrives punctually and is received politely by the Bennet family. He is described as a tall, formal, and somewhat pompous young man.
• During introductions, Mr. Collins compliments Mrs. Bennet on her daughters’ beauty and predicts they will marry well, comments that Mrs. Bennet receives with enthusiasm.
• Mrs. Bennet laments the entailment of the estate, and Mr. Collins expresses sympathy but refrains from appearing too forward in his remarks.
• Mr. Collins admires the Bennet home and praises the dining setup, although his admiration irritates Mrs. Bennet when she suspects he views the property as his future inheritance.
• At dinner, Mr. Collins mistakenly attributes the quality of the meal to the Bennet daughters’ cooking skills, which Mrs. Bennet corrects sharply, emphasizing their family’s ability to hire a good cook.
• Mr. Collins profusely apologizes for his mistake and continues to do so for an extended period, much to Mrs. Bennet’s initial annoyance and eventual acceptance.