Jane Austen Society: In Sickness and In Health (L)

As we celebrate the announcement of the end of the “pandemic phase” (as per Dr. Fauci), let us turn our attention from the health issues of ourselves and our times to those of Jane Austen and her times. She lived with such concerns her whole life, for herself and her family. All of her writings, from the Juvenilia to Sanditon, contain characters with illnesses, real or imagined; cures of every description; and accidents and injuries with varying consequences. Some of her creations are overly concerned with health, others reckless; some are left to nurse the casualties, and others look to be nursed. These setbacks and hardships served many purposes for the author: as a means to progress a plot, as a window to a character’s true essence, as a moral judgment for ignoring the rules of society, as a way of manipulating others, or as a defensive mechanism for women to overcome inequalities.

Let’s diagnose some of these characters and get to the bottom of their complaints. All welcome!