In 'Pride and Prejudice', to what extent does the courtship of Mr Collins and Charlotte Lucas provide a contrast to that of Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet?

The main focus of all Jane Austen’s novels is courtship. By her time, the courtship novel was a well-established convention. In novels of this type by more mediocre writers, the subject matter was largely trivial, and they were derided by male commentators. Austen’s novels, despite being well-written and containing more depth and substance than those of her contemporaries (Maria Edgeworth, for example), have been criticised for being very narrow in their focus; historical and social changes are often ignored. As one critic said, she “did not care a pin for the poor, could not have written about foreign parts if she tried”. However, Austen managed to use her talents within the sub-genre successfully, by incorporating both high comedy and a more serious underlying message- another critic, Lord David Cecil went as far to say, “On her bit of ivory she has engraved a criticism of life as serious and considered as Hardy’s”.

Pride and Prejudice is a clear example of Jane Aust...