Jane Austen and the Body 'The Picture of Health' [Hardcover]

This book draws on modern theories of the body, and on eighteenth-century medical sources, to give a fresh and controversial reading of familiar texts.Jane Austen has been thought of as a novelist of manners whose work discreetly avoids discussing the physical. John Wiltshire shows, on the contrary, how important are bodies and faces, illness and health, in the novels, from complainers and invalids like Mrs Bennet and Mr Woodhouse, to the frail, debilitated Fanny Price, the vulnerable Jane Fairfax, and the 'picture of health', Emma.Jane Austen has been thought of as a novelist of manners whose work discreetly avoids discussing the physical. John Wiltshire shows, on the contrary, how important are bodies and faces, illness and health, in the novels, from complainers and invalids like Mrs Bennet and Mr Woodhouse, to the frail, debilitated Fanny Price, the vulnerable Jane Fairfax, and the 'picture of health', Emma.Jane Austen has been thought of as a novelist of manners whose work discreetly avoids discussing the physical. John Wiltshire shows, on the contrary, how important are bodies and faces, illness and health, in the novels, from complainers and invalids such as Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Woodhouse, to the frail, debilitated Fanny Price, the vulnerable Jane Fairfax and the picture of health, Emma. The book draws on modern theories of the body, and on eighteenth-century medical sources, to give a fresh and controversial reading of familiar texts.Acknowledgements; A note on texts; Introduction: Jane Austen and the body; 1. Sense, sensibility and the proofs of affection; 2. 'Eloquent blood': the coming out of Fanny Price; 3. Emma: the picture of health; 4. Persuasion: the pshychopathology of everyday life; 5. Sanditon: the enjoyments of invalidism; Notes; Bibliography; Index. An original and satisfying study, written in a style graced by wit and clarity. American Library Association ...a fine book, informed and sensitive, and it throws a spotlight on an aspect of Austl*