Jane Austen tells us that Mr. Collins was originally a man of ‘great humility of manner,’ but suppose that wasn’t true. What if Mr. Collins was a very different person than he appeared to be? His false portrayal of himself is all part of “Mr. Collins’ Deception.” New edition, with special thanks to our new editor, Joanne Girard. This short story is also included in the compilation “Pride and … compilation “Pride and Prejudice Villains: Revisited – Redeemed – Reimagined, A Collection of Six Short Stories”
This short story is about 16,000 words.
Renata McMann and Summer Hanford began writing Pride and Prejudice Variations together in 2014 and have since become immersed in the amazing world Jane Austen created. Whether you’re a fan of Darcy and Elizabeth specifically or of clean Regency Romance in general, you will enjoy both McMann’s ability to imagine variations of this classic love story and Hanford’s skill in turning these variations of Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet and their enduring love into entertaining stories.
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I love when this writing team put a real spin on the story, and this one is the best! It is such a cute, sweet story of Mr. Collins and the persona he adapts in order to get and keep his position! It was truly an adorable tale, and one where we could like Mr. Collins, at least, in the end! Thoroughly enjoyed!
This was another great book by Renata McMann and Summer Hanford that explored the possibility that a less liked character from Pride and Prejudice may not have been as they appeared. This depiction of Mr. Collins was really well written and felt believable to me. I enjoyed seeing things from this Mr. Collins’ perspective and am happy for him and Charlotte and that they are so well suited. I look forward to reading more by these authors in the future.
What would Lois Lane think when she discovered that she was married to Superman?
Clean, short story, at about 50 pages, this was a quick read, about an hour without distractions.
I’m sorry, I found this simply too cute. A variation is just that, it varies from canon and we have to understand that as we go into the story. I posed the question… ‘What would Lois Lane think when she discovered that she was married to Superman?’ I’ll explain why.
In this story, Mr. Collins needed a job. He had applied for the living as rector at Hunsford under the patronage of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Two of his friends had already applied for the position and had failed to secure it. He was meeting with them in order to get an insight into what he could expect. They gave him a copy of her contract and showed him her exit clause… a year probation.
Each man had been dismissed exactly six-weeks prior to the end of their probational period. They also told him the type of man Lady Catherine expected from her rector. He was also informed that nothing would be kept secret as she had spies constantly informing her of their actions… every action.
Mr. Collins needed a job and so he hid the man he was and, to his disgust, became the man Lady Catherine wanted as her rector. He only had to endure the one year probational period and he felt he could survive that. This so reminded me of Superman hiding in plain sight as the bumbling Clark Kent. Beneath the soft spoken, sycophant was a man of steel.
We had the POV of Mr. Collins and we spent a lot of time in his head. We saw why he acted the way he did and how he manipulated every situation away from who he really was and gave the appearance of the toady character that has been so prevalent throughout JAFF. I have noticed more and more variations where Collins has been depicted different than canon. I really liked this character and I continued to read it in order to reach that point where Collins would reveal himself to Charlotte. Oh, that was delicious.
We, in modern times, might think this is a bit ridiculous; however, how many of us have had to work under conditions that forced us to act or react according to what was expected of us? That is what training sessions are all about, teaching us to conform to what is required and to learn a company’s mode of operation… whether we agree with their principles or not.
On a personal note: I moved to a different state and when applying for a job… had to endure an interviewer who ranted and railed at the manner in which business was conducted in the state I had just moved from. I was horrified that this person was taking their view point out on me. I finally told them, “Look, you tell me how you want things done and that is what I’ll do.” I didn’t understand their extreme vitriol. In our line of business, procedures came and went and were in a constant state of flux. I considered myself a blank slate and was willing to learn their way of doing things. Needless to say, I didn’t get the job. I don’t think they would have hired me on a dare. I had come from “that state” and the interviewer was incensed at their method of operation. Whew!