We have a very recent diagnosis of Level 1 ASD for my 11 year old son and I have had complex reactions. There are ways this diagnosis fits and ways it does not. And the dismissal of "oh, he must be autistic" to explain any and all social difficulties or oddities anyone might have is confusing as well. Mr. Collins was an artistic creation that really can't adhere to contemporary diagnostic criteria - I like how you frame ways in which his behavior does and does not conform to this criteria. And of course, he can be autistic AND have bad character - just like many people who are autistic are autistic with good character ...
Yes! I had the same thoughts and struggled how to write them out. My son was diagnosed Level 1 ASD at 11, also. He’s 13 now and it is still a learning process figuring out what is part of his diagnosis, what is part of his character/personality, and what is typical 13 year old boy. As far as Mr. Collins- I can see him from both perspectives, autistic and not. I suppose we’ll never really know but it is interesting to make those connections to our own lives. And I completely sympathize with Charlotte! I probably would have made the same choice if I were her living in that time and place. I like her ability to see things realistically, difficulties and all, but look for the good and remain hopeful.
Thank you for what you said about autism and Mr. Collins; that theory never seemed right to me either but I don’t have the personal experience with being on the spectrum to have said either way, so your perspective is extremely helpful to me. As for the question of marriages, I love the panorama of marriages we get in this book. Jane Austen really shows so many shades and varieties in the world she creates. As others already pointed out, the Gardiners and Lizzie/Darcy and Jane/Bingley have the ideal relationships. Each of these relationships is successful first and foremost because (as Laura pointed out) each of the individuals are virtuous and pursuing virtue on their own. One of the best things Austen does is to show that love has the power to inspire an individual to pursue virtue (as Darcy’s love for Elizabeth changes him for the better). Yet, Darcy pursues virtue/works on his fault also because he knows it is the right thing to do regardless of whether Elizabeth comes to love him someday. He isn’t falsely pursuing virtue as a means to the end of “getting” her. And for a successful marriage, that is so crucial. The love of our spouse should humble us and support us in our endeavor to be virtuous, but we shouldn’t be virtuous simply to “get” something from our spouse. Virtue, and the good of our spouse, should be pursued 100% of the time, even when we go through those rough patches when we are upset with our spouse. All couples also show us that a successful marriage is a blessing for all those who interact with the couple and inspire the couple to reach out in love to others. The Gardiners take care of Lydia despite her lack of gratitude, they bring Jane to London and try to cheer her up after Bingley leaves, and Mrs. Gardiner gives Elizabeth some wise and loving advice about Wickham. Darcy/Elizabeth help the Wickhams financially, help Kitty to improve her mind/outlook, and help Georgiana to see what a healthy relationship looks like. Conversely, poor marriages really do have a frightening power, in Austen’s view, to bring down those around them. Lydia is the prime example of a child who suffers from the poor example of her parents relationship (devoid of mutual respect, pursuit of virtue, or self-sacrifice).
Haley, I really appreciated the way you address whether or not Mr. Collins is neurodivergent. Two of my four kids have autism, and I couldn’t really put my finger on why the theory that Mr. Collins might be neurodivergent keep not sitting exactly quite right with me. When you pointed out that his character flaws are just that - character flaws, not qualities of someone who might be in the autism spectrum, it put into words what I had struggled to pin down. One of my kiddos is more direct and speaks without a filter, but they are still kind, and they know the difference between kind words and unkind ones. Even if they cannot always behave the way typically developing peers can, they aren’t mean or malicious, and Mr. Collins definitely is. Great post!
Yes! And I think we see both kinds of behavior in Mr. Collins: somewhat oblivious to what the social situation calls for and then unkind and self-serving behavior. Chalking all of his behavior up to autism really doesn't sit right with me! Being on the spectrum might result in social behavior that's a little bit "off" but it doesn't mean lacking compassion or being cruel.
We have a very recent diagnosis of Level 1 ASD for my 11 year old son and I have had complex reactions. There are ways this diagnosis fits and ways it does not. And the dismissal of "oh, he must be autistic" to explain any and all social difficulties or oddities anyone might have is confusing as well. Mr. Collins was an artistic creation that really can't adhere to contemporary diagnostic criteria - I like how you frame ways in which his behavior does and does not conform to this criteria. And of course, he can be autistic AND have bad character - just like many people who are autistic are autistic with good character ...
Yes! I had the same thoughts and struggled how to write them out. My son was diagnosed Level 1 ASD at 11, also. He’s 13 now and it is still a learning process figuring out what is part of his diagnosis, what is part of his character/personality, and what is typical 13 year old boy. As far as Mr. Collins- I can see him from both perspectives, autistic and not. I suppose we’ll never really know but it is interesting to make those connections to our own lives. And I completely sympathize with Charlotte! I probably would have made the same choice if I were her living in that time and place. I like her ability to see things realistically, difficulties and all, but look for the good and remain hopeful.
Thank you for what you said about autism and Mr. Collins; that theory never seemed right to me either but I don’t have the personal experience with being on the spectrum to have said either way, so your perspective is extremely helpful to me. As for the question of marriages, I love the panorama of marriages we get in this book. Jane Austen really shows so many shades and varieties in the world she creates. As others already pointed out, the Gardiners and Lizzie/Darcy and Jane/Bingley have the ideal relationships. Each of these relationships is successful first and foremost because (as Laura pointed out) each of the individuals are virtuous and pursuing virtue on their own. One of the best things Austen does is to show that love has the power to inspire an individual to pursue virtue (as Darcy’s love for Elizabeth changes him for the better). Yet, Darcy pursues virtue/works on his fault also because he knows it is the right thing to do regardless of whether Elizabeth comes to love him someday. He isn’t falsely pursuing virtue as a means to the end of “getting” her. And for a successful marriage, that is so crucial. The love of our spouse should humble us and support us in our endeavor to be virtuous, but we shouldn’t be virtuous simply to “get” something from our spouse. Virtue, and the good of our spouse, should be pursued 100% of the time, even when we go through those rough patches when we are upset with our spouse. All couples also show us that a successful marriage is a blessing for all those who interact with the couple and inspire the couple to reach out in love to others. The Gardiners take care of Lydia despite her lack of gratitude, they bring Jane to London and try to cheer her up after Bingley leaves, and Mrs. Gardiner gives Elizabeth some wise and loving advice about Wickham. Darcy/Elizabeth help the Wickhams financially, help Kitty to improve her mind/outlook, and help Georgiana to see what a healthy relationship looks like. Conversely, poor marriages really do have a frightening power, in Austen’s view, to bring down those around them. Lydia is the prime example of a child who suffers from the poor example of her parents relationship (devoid of mutual respect, pursuit of virtue, or self-sacrifice).
Love your reflections here about how the consequences of good and bad marriages ripple out into the community!
Haley, I really appreciated the way you address whether or not Mr. Collins is neurodivergent. Two of my four kids have autism, and I couldn’t really put my finger on why the theory that Mr. Collins might be neurodivergent keep not sitting exactly quite right with me. When you pointed out that his character flaws are just that - character flaws, not qualities of someone who might be in the autism spectrum, it put into words what I had struggled to pin down. One of my kiddos is more direct and speaks without a filter, but they are still kind, and they know the difference between kind words and unkind ones. Even if they cannot always behave the way typically developing peers can, they aren’t mean or malicious, and Mr. Collins definitely is. Great post!
Yes! And I think we see both kinds of behavior in Mr. Collins: somewhat oblivious to what the social situation calls for and then unkind and self-serving behavior. Chalking all of his behavior up to autism really doesn't sit right with me! Being on the spectrum might result in social behavior that's a little bit "off" but it doesn't mean lacking compassion or being cruel.
I'm sure you've seen this piece by Joy Clarkson:
https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/literature/why-we-should-envy-mr-collins
Yes! Loved it!