While I don't agree with every assumption underlying arguments Morris makes in his analysis of Mr Collins and Jane Austen, and while I occasionally found some rhetorical trickery in his word choice, on the whole this was an interesting and provocative exploration. It has delightful touches of wry humor and complicated defenses, and much fodder for further conversation. It throws new light and thus reveals new shadows in all the novels. I am now prepared to reread Emma, Northanger Abbey, and even the dreaded Mansfield Park with new interest. Characters in all the novels show fresh angles when compared and sometimes paralleled with Mr Collins. That worthy absurdity has never been so useful.

I still remain convinced that Zombie Charlotte should have eaten Mr Collins. ( )