When Alert Janeite Teresa sent us an e-mail titled “Northanger Abbey Easter Egg,” this was not quite what we expected! Indeed, all kinds of things about secret passages crossed our mind…now we’re just sitting here waiting for Mr. Tilney to remind us to behave.

Alert Janeites Lisa and Cathy sent us a link to an article in the Telegraph with more information about So Odd a Mixture, the book that claims several characters in Pride and Prejudice suffer from various psychological conditions. We’ve already had quite a discussion on this book in the previous post about it.

Phyllis Ferguson Bottomer, a speech pathologist in Canada, analyses eight characters from Austen’s classic novel, in a book that teachers are being encouraged to use to liven up GCSE English lessons.

She argues that five characters from the Bennet family, and three from the Fitzwilliam clan, have fundamental difficulties with communication and empathy. It provides an explanation for some characters’ awkward behaviour at crowded balls, their frequent silences or the tendency to lapse into monologues rather than truly converse with others, she said.

Mr Darcy’s “unaccountable rudeness” can be blamed on “high-functioning autism or Asperger’s syndrome”, which Austen wrote about without knowing what it was, it is claimed.

In her book, So Odd a Mixture, Miss Bottomer quotes Austen’s description of Mr Collins - “awkward and solemn, apologising instead of attending, and often moving wrong without being aware of it”.

The author says it epitomises “some of the co-ordination problems those on the autistic spectrum can have”. Mr and Mrs Bennet, the squabbling couple, are also said to be sufferers. Lydia, the heroine’s younger sister, is also described as having attention deficit disorder after she runs off with Mr Wickham.

However, the campaign to use the book for GCSEs seems to have hit a bit of a snag.

The book, which the publishers hope will be used to provoke debate in schools, was dismissed by the National Association for the Teaching of English as “wonderfully absurd”.

Oops!

Alert Janeite Lisa sent us an article from The Denver Post, in which John Freeman, president of the National Book Critics Circle, chose his desert island, er, fantasy around-the-world-trip books, including the works of Jane Austen–and like many of us, he can’t stop at just one!

One of my recurring dreams involves selling all my possessions, shutting down my cellphone and e-mail, and setting off around the country - and then the world - by train with a small suitcase full of great books. If I ever do this, I’d take things I had already read. And if I had to narrow this group to a list of 25, here is what they would be. I’m not sure they would all fit in one suitcase, but they’d certainly be worth packing two.

Mr. Freeman, can we introduce you to the concept of e-books? Many of these books are out of copyright and probably available for free download, and paperback versions of the more recent books can be tossed in a backpack and still leave room for clean socks; and depending on your reading device, you might even be able to add a few audiobooks to mix things up a bit. Just saying. Try them, you might like them!

We have this on the brain as we recently have fallen in love with the portability of e-books and the availability of tons of classic literature for free download. More on this soon!

Commenter “rover” left a message with a list of some cast members–not sure where the information came from or if it is true, so as always, treat it as rumor until confirmation is received.

David Morrissey-Col. Brandon
Janet McTeer-Mrs. Dashwood
Mark Williams-Sir John Middleton
Jean Marsh-Mrs.Ferrars
Mark Gatiss-John Dashwood

Singer Art Garfunkel maintains a list of the books he has read (and there’s lots of ‘em) on his Web site. He has read five of Jane Austen’s novels and lists Pride and Prejudice on his Favorites list (listed in order of when he read them). Anybody have an extra copy of Northanger Abbey to send him? You know Catherine Morland would totally dig “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” and Henry Tilney would hum along with “The Boxer.”