So Odd a Mixture

Autism was not a recognized disorder in Jane Austen's lifetime, nor for well over a century after her death. However there certainly appear to have been people who had autism, and Phyllis Ferguson Bottomer proposes that Austen puzzled over and wrote about some of their behaviours just as we do today. So Odd a Mixture closely examines eight seemingly diverse characters in Austen's classic novel, Pride and Prejudice. 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. Perhaps it is high-functioning autism or Asperger's Syndrome that provides an explanation for some characters' awkward behaviour at crowded balls, their frequent silences or their tendency to lapse into monologues rather than truly converse with others. 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.