SPOILERS!!!
One of the funniest moments in the novel is when Mr Collins declares his intentions to marry her to Elizabeth. He keeps saying the reasons why it would be good for him to marry her, and not once does he mention Elizabeth. Then when Elizabeth politely declines to being his wife, he keeps saying over and over again that it is usual for a woman not to accept at first, and he is not offended. Elizabeth tells him over and over him that she has no intention to marry him now or ever. In the conversation you can see Elizabeth's desperation and Collins's vanity. Eventually the man realises that Elizabeth is serious, and he starts to think that she is not the woman he needs. Mrs Bennet is dismayed to learn that Lizzy has turned him down, and she tries to persuade her and goes to Mr Bennet, who once again uses his wit to side with his daughter.
After this, Mr Collins is stiff and cold towards Elizabeth, so she asks her friend Charlotte Lucas when she comes to dinner to help her to keep Mr Collins entertained. What Elizabeth doesn't know is that Charlotte has designs to make Mr Collins to ask her to marry him. And she succeeds. Two days after Mr Collins's proposal to Elizabeth, Mr Collins proposes to Charlotte and this time he gets the answer he wants. Charlotte doesn't love him, but by marrying him she gets stability and a good position. Later it is Charlotte herself who tells Elizabeth about agreeing to marry Mr Collins. Elizabeth is shocked and aghast that her friend has agreed to marry such a man, and Charlotte tells her that she is not a romantic like her. This new development damages their friendship, and when Mrs Bennet learns about the engagement, she is appalled to think that in the future Charlotte Lucas will be the owner of Longbourn and she will have to leave the house. Mr Collins leaves Longbourn but some weeks later he returns to marry Charlotte.
Jane has a bitter disappointment when Mr Bingley and his sisters leave for London. She thinks that Charles Bingley will be gone for just a few days, but then Caroline Bingley writes to say that they will be spending the whole winter in London. She also says that they see a lot of Miss Darcy, and she is all praise about the girl, and she also states that they all hope that Charles and Georgiana Darcy will get engaged. That hurts Jane, and Elizabeth tells her that even though his sisters may try to push him to Miss Darcy, she knows that Bingley loves Elizabeth, and she is sure that he will come to see her. But time passes and there is no sign of Charles Bingley, so Jane has to accept that he is gone from her.
For Christmas Mrs Bennet's brother and sister-in-law, the Gardiners, come to Longbourn. Jane and Elizabeth are very fond of their aunt, and they tell her about Mr Bingley, and Mrs Gardiner thinks that this is the case with men sometimes. Out of sight, out of mind. Mr Gardiner thinks that Jane needs a distraction for her broken heart, and she suggests Jane go to stay in London with her and her husband, but they won't likely see the Bingleys as they live in another part of the town and they don't have the same acquaintances. Jane is delighted to accept the invitation.
I am enjoying the book much more now than the first time I read it.
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