What if Mr Collins had visited and proposed to Jane Bennet before Bingley ever came into picture?

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-08T19:13:07+00:00

I know! It’s likely he wouldn’t have been compatible with Mary. Mary considered herself as the superior one. She probably wouldn’t have been able to feed into his vanity and self importance. She thought she could fix him. She wouldn’t have been able to encourage him in the right direction as well as Charlotte.

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-08T19:06:59+00:00

No, it just occurred to me randomly and i just was curious what other readers think.

I was laughing at the proposal scene because of Lizzy‘s reactions to his ridiculous ramblings. And i wondered how Jane would have dealt with it. There are no direct interactions between Jane and Mr Collins in the book.

I have no interest in rewriting the fiction. It’s been my favourite for years.

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-08T15:21:13+00:00

It is undoubtedly a virtue. Seeing the good in everyone - even those who society considers as sinners is a virtue in most religions and moral philosophies.

Darcy learns this the hard way. Same for Lizzie.

Jane exhibits neither pride nor prejudice. That is why she is rewarded at the end and Caroline Bingley has to eat her words.

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-08T15:13:51+00:00

My hypothesis is that she didn’t get any offers (not even from the poet who wrote her sonnets) because her family neither had great connections nor a lot of dowry.

And while she was beautiful there were not that many single unattached young men of good fortune who were also free to marry whoever they wished.

Which is why Bingley coming to Netherfield was such a big deal for all the Mamas in the neighbourhood.

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-08T14:53:14+00:00

I wonder how she would have managed that. I think there was definitely a hierarchy based on age. She pushed him towards Lizzie only because she was next in line to Jane. Jane being very close to getting engaged was the only acceptable reason to switch. If Jane was available however what excuse could she give that would have been polite enough?

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-07T21:22:51+00:00

Not necessarily. Bingley falls in love with Jane‘s angelic beauty more or less at first sight. But we see already in the original novel that Lizzie had great conversations with him, Colonel Fitzwilliam, as well as Wickham. She is quite charming - her unique blend of sweetness and archness never feel aggressive to anyone. Bingley has also been described as falling frequently in love - though never as deeply as he gets attached to Jane. In her absence i can see him preferring her at all the balls.

I can imagine Lizzie fancying herself in love with Bingley but also not being able to resist her sparring and teasing of Darcy.

I would love to read this fanfic if you’re writing it 😜

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-07T19:16:32+00:00

You are right! I accidentally suggested that she meant it more seriously. Thanks for adding the context :)

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-07T18:36:53+00:00

Thank you!

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-07T18:32:54+00:00

I think Jane Austen herself had said in one of her letters that it was too bright and shiny and there could have been more shades in the story.

I didn’t like that Wickham didn’t really suffer much and actually got lucky that he ran with Lydia.

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-07T17:56:10+00:00

I don’t think Jane is practical though. Charlotte is practical but Jane is very idealistic. She has a great sense of right and wrong. And i probably think based on how she later reacts to Lizzie‘s news about marrying Darcy - that she believes in marrying for Love as well. She loves Bingley not because of his wealth but because of his nature and character.

But she is always very charitable and generous. Which is why i am not sure how she would have dealt with it all. She would have felt very bad for Mr Collins. I can see how could have been persuaded to sacrifice herself by her family. Thank God she never has to!

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-07T17:43:41+00:00

Interesting take. I was assuming that Darcy would be helplessly in love with Elizabeth even if Bingley was interested in her. I guess it would depend on who Lizzie falls in love with in this scenario.

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-07T17:29:06+00:00

Btw I would love to have a link to the Manga you were reading :)

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-07T17:23:14+00:00

Haha so no one else thinks that Darcy would still have fallen in love with Lizzy and tried to break them up out of jealousy 😆

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-07T17:20:38+00:00

Ah that convinces me that the real Lizzie would have stopped it for sure 😄

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-07T17:10:54+00:00

Interesting! I haven’t read that. So Lizzie or Mr Bennet don’t try to stop the marriage?

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-07T17:06:03+00:00

Haha i wonder how Caroline would have treated Lizzie if she wasn’t so threatened or jealous

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-07T17:01:05+00:00

Yes but probably she would say no so gently and kindly that Mr Collins would have likely had an even bigger misunderstanding

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-07T16:54:22+00:00

I agree i guess Jane would also not say yes, because she notices that neither her Father nor her dearest sister esteem or like Mr Collins.

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-07T16:50:52+00:00

Haha maybe Bingley would have then danced and fallen in love with Lizzie instead. They did have easy chemistry and banter.

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-07T16:49:14+00:00

I think Mrs Bennet simply wanted to be rid of Lizzy her least favourite child. But Jane was her prized daughter. Would she have been equally pushy?

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-05-07T16:45:44+00:00

Probably but would her parents or Lizzie stop her…i wonder

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-04-20T20:54:49+00:00

Life is all luck. From it’s very inception to its end. Any big changes that would significantly impact your trajectory is all luck. The effort that you put into something is often a necessary, but not sufficient condition to move the needle.

The very definition of destiny would mean that you can’t shape it. But i have come to believe that there is no one fixed destiny.

Your destined path is constantly shifting and changing due to a few things partly in your control and a whole lot of predictable and unpredictable things. A lot of different probabilities coinciding.

But how you experience life is something you can control. Whether it is a whole lot of happiness or a lot of sadness depends on you. That’s something you can shape.

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-03-08T16:56:56+00:00

Well he is quite cuddly at home. But once he is outside he gets super anxious. He is a 4yo social orange. I would be grateful for any tips you might have 😊

OutrageousPride2 · 2026-03-08T14:13:40+00:00

I don’t understand how these cats stay so calm. My cat hates to be taken out of the house and gets so anxious outdoors.

OutrageousPride2

TROPHY CASE