Living With Jane Austen - Exploring 18th-Century Nervous Disorders in Austen's Works

Join Professor Janet Todd, an internationally renowned scholar and author, for an engaging 45-minute talk at the Cambridge Festival that explores Jane Austen's response to the 18th-century fascination with the concept of 'nerves.' Discover how Austen, like other women of her time and class, used the idea of 'nerves' to examine the complex relationship between mental and physical states. The presentation investigates Austen's portrayal of 'nervous' disorders across her works—from the mockery of Mrs. Bennet's nerves in Pride and Prejudice to the more nuanced treatment of characters like Fanny Price, Jane Fairfax, and Anne Elliot, who suffer from headaches and 'low spirits.' Examine how Mansfield Park, Emma, Persuasion, and the unfinished Sanditon address this theme, while also gaining insight into Austen's own 'nervous' private letters.