Autism was not a recognised disorder in Jane Austen's lifetime, nor for well over a century after her death. But there were certainly people who had autism, and Phyllis Ferguson Bottomer proposes that Austen wrote about them, without knowing what it was that she was describing. "So Odd a Mixture" looks at eight seemingly diverse characters in Austen's classic novel, "Pride and Prejudice", who display autistic traits. These characters - five in the Bennet family and three in the extended family of the Fitzwilliams - have fundamental difficulties with communication, empathy and theory of mind. Pride, it seems, may not have been the chief reason for Mr Darcy's awkward behaviour at balls, his frequent silences or the monologue he delivered the first time he proposed to Elizabeth. This fascinating book will provide food-for-thought for students and fans of Austen's classic novel, and for anyone interested in autism spectrum disorders.
So Odd a Mixture
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Phyllis Ferguson Bottomer is a speech language pathologist with 30 years' experience. She teaches in a school in Vancouver, Canada, and is a member and guest speaker of the Jane Austen Society of North America. She has had a lifetime's personal experience of family members in different generations who are on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
this is great!,
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This review is from: So Odd a Mixture: Along the Autistic Spectrum in 'Pride and Prejudice' (Paperback)
I love the many scholarly approaches which can be taken for all of the world's great literature! This is definitely one of my favorites. This is NOT a sequel, or fanfiction at all. It is one author's interpretation of the various personalities found in "Pride and Prejudice". Her field of expertise is in autism, and she effectively proved that all of the characters exhibited autism in some form and some degree. Autism is a condition that was completely unknown during Jane Austen's time, and so this is a fresh and maybe 'radical' view for all of us Austenites.
This is a very well-written book and while I may not agree with every chapter, I greatly appreciate her point of view and respect her ability to prove her theory. A very good and interesting read for a different perspective on a beloved classic of English literature.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting-not sure I agree,
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This review is from: So Odd a Mixture: Along the Autistic Spectrum in 'Pride and Prejudice' (Paperback)
I have always enjoyed Jane Austen-one reason was her eccentric, quirky, off-beat characters. She was very talented at making her characters "individuals" and "real," quirks and all.
I also enjoyed Charles Dickens for the same reason-his quirky off-beat characters. However, to say fictional characters have Aspergers or autism, I find a bit far fetched. They were not "real" people, even if many fans almost feel they were real people. Unless Miss Austen fashioned each of these characters after a person she knew in real life, I do not see how this could be possible. I did however enjoy reading this, it helped me to understand Aspergers better. A few years ago, at age 50, I was diagnosed with having aspects of Asperger's. I had no idea what that meant. But after reading this book, at least I have an inkling why I unintentionally irritate people. So, this book does have value, I just take the statement that the characters of Miss Austen's books having autism with a grain of salt. Ignore that, and it does give you valuable information
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Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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autistic traits, autistic spectrum, mild autism, central coherence, mild end Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Lady Catherine, Jane Austen, Sir William, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Aunt Gardiner, Miss de Bourgh, Miss Bingley, Miss Bennet, Tony Attwood, Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth Bennet, Anne de Bourgh, Miss Anne, Maxine Aston, George Wickham, Lady Lucas, Miss Lucas, Colonel Forster, Sarah Emsley, Holliday Willey, Once Mr Collins, Temple Grandin Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
autistic traits, autistic spectrum, mild autism, central coherence, mild end Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Lady Catherine, Jane Austen, Sir William, Colonel Fitzwilliam, Aunt Gardiner, Miss de Bourgh, Miss Bingley, Miss Bennet, Tony Attwood, Charlotte Lucas, Elizabeth Bennet, Anne de Bourgh, Miss Anne, Maxine Aston, George Wickham, Lady Lucas, Miss Lucas, Colonel Forster, Sarah Emsley, Holliday Willey, Once Mr Collins, Temple Grandin Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
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