Austen Defining Women

As I have been sitting here pouring over Jane Austen's letters for a second time, I am still fascinated by the letter to James Stanier Clarke from December of 1815.  I was first struck by the honor bestowed upon Austen to come and visit the royal library and that the prince so liked her work that he wanted a character crafted about his family.  I tried to imagine what must have been going through Austen's mind at that point and wondered if she was jumping up and down and shrieking for joy while holding the letter like I would be, or if she was more austere as would be the style of the day.  What I enjoyed the most however, was Austen's self-deprecating description, that was eerily reminiscent of Jane Benett's perfection- or her penning of the perfect woman.  I loved how she told Mr. Clarke that while "I am quite honoured by your thinking me capable of drawing such a Clergyman as you gave the sketch...I assure you I am not."   She goes on to say she could draw a comical version, but could never be so intelligent as to properly right a man of such position and grandeur as would be in the royal family.  As I was reading her professing to be ignorant of any subjects such as science and philosophy I had to wonder if she was smirking while writing this letter.  Perhaps she wasn't great in science, but I felt the philosophy behind some of her characters was crafted so beautifully that Plato would have been proud!  She goes onto say that as a mere woman she only knows her "mother tongue and has read very little in that" which made me laugh out loud each time I read it.  I love that she is using the literary fashions of the time to grace this person of power, but was amazed in the absurdity of it.  However, it made me understand Mr. Collins better as I believe him to be the illustration of the absurdity she was forced to undertake in this letter.  All the pomp and circumstance with absolutely no meaning behind it other than to hear themselves speak. 
Amazing how little has changed!