Pride & Prejudice: Mr. Collins as the ultimate corporate toady

One of the most comic characters in Jane Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice” is Mr. Collins, the supremely incompetent, name dropping clergyman who first proposes to Elizabeth, is rejected, and promptly marries the very practical Charlotte Lucas. While Jane Austen portrayed the ridiculous Mr. Collins and his hero-worshiping deference to Lady Catherine de Bourgh as a caricature of the British upper classes, it is just as applicable to modern corporations. The modern corporate successors to Mr. Collins fawn over and kowtow to their superiors and make as big fools of themselves with their unquestioning worship of those in authority as Mr. Collins did. After all, they have the same things at stake – their livelihoods and lifestyles. And they do have to deal with imperious corporate honchos, many of whom have the same limited mental abilities and large egos as Lady Catherine.

The televised BBC version of Jane Austen’s “Pride & prejudice” (Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennett & Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy) is probably one of the best adaptations of the Jane Austen novel ever. Mr. Collins is played superbly by David Bamber.