Really, Mr. Collins,' cried Elizabeth with some warmth, 'you puzzle me exceedingly. If what I have hitherto said can appear to you in the form of encouragement, I know not how to express my refusal in such a way as to convince you of its being one.

Austen's letter marked "Declined by Return of Post". It is unlike any of Austen's other works. Marriage was impractical as both Lefroy and Austen must have known.

She was educated primarily by her father and older brothers as well as through her own reading. The steadfast support of her family was critical to her development as a professional writer. Her realism and biting social commentary have gained her historical importance among scholars and critics.