Guest Post: JASNA Puget Sound Regional Meeting Report
Alert Janeite James took up our invitation to send a report of local Jane Austen events and let us know about his JASNA region’s recent meeting. –Ed.
Guest post by James F. Nagle
I wanted to let you know about a speaker that we had at the Puget Sound Chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America. Phyllis Ferguson Bottomer, the Regional Coordinator of the Vancouver BC Chapter, spoke to us on April 13, 2008. Phyllis is a licensed speech therapist and has written and spoke about So Odd a Mixture: Along the Autistic Spectrum in ‘Pride and Prejudice’. The title of her book comes from a phrase Jane Austen used to describe Mr. Bennet.
I learned again the lesson that Jane Austen tried to teach in Pride and Prejudice, that first impressions can be seriously misleading. When I first heard the subject matter of the book and the talk, I had my back up, thinking “how dare she imply that any of these characters were autistic”. Phyllis disarmed that in her initial moments. She explained that experts now speak more in terms of the autistic spectrum rather than autism as a yes or no, black or white situation. Many people can function quite well but still exhibit some difficulties and fears in social interaction. She projected clinical descriptions and the audience quickly identified characters to which the descriptions applied. While it is easy to identify extreme characteristics in such people as Anne deBourg, we were surprised how many of the clinical diagnoses applied to Mr. Collins, Lady Catherine, Lydia, Mary, and even to some extent, Mr. Darcy and his social reluctance. Her talk was especially enlightening regarding Mr. Bennet and the impacts his autistic spectrum tendencies had on the plot. Because he does not like crowds, he had never taken the family to London, even though, with five daughters, they would have experienced not merely a wonderful vacation, but a wonderful place for them to meet people and expand their horizons and the list of eligible beaus.
I introduced Ms. Bottomer at our talk, and as I explained, it is so rare at a JASNA Meeting that we have a controversial topic. The response of our attendees was universally favorable. The talk provided an insight not only into the characters and an appreciation of Jane Austen’s ability to depict a problem, even though in her time, there was no such name as autistic spectrum or Asperger Syndrome, but it also helped the audience appreciate other members of their family or people with whom they worked. If you get a chance to hear Phyllis speak, please do so and don’t hesitate to pick up her book.
April 21st, 2008 at 5:45 am
Oh my! Please do not give a copy of this book to Mr. Woodhouse or Mary Musgrove.
James, thanks for the overview. Like you, I was put off initially by the title of the book, and am still a bit disturbed that being shy or unsocial is autistic. Can’t we all just get the Jane Bennet desease and be tolerant instead? Now the debate will be, was Darcy proud or autistic?
April 21st, 2008 at 9:47 am
And the response - can’t he be proud AND autistic?
April 21st, 2008 at 12:55 pm
I have not heard this presentation or read this book. However, I must completely disagree with the notion that any of these characters fall on the “autism spectrum”. The fact that they were out there in society, having friends and forming attachments is the first point against this idea. There are many, many more reasons why this diagnosis does not fit the characters. We all have or unique quirks or odd ways. That does not mean that we meet the criteria for a psychiatric disorder. “Difficulties and fears in soical situations” might mean someone has a social phobia (or they are just plain shy). It most emphatically does not mean that they fall on the autism spectrum!
April 21st, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I agree it’s ludicrous. Moreover, we know that Darcy has no trouble being sociable when he wants to.
April 21st, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Exactly. His flexibility of behavior in different situations completely contradicts this diagnosis. Rigidity in behavior and extreme difficulty with change is a a prominent feature with disorders on the autism spectrum. That is not Darcy.
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:49 pm
A well-known high-functioning person with Asperger’s syndrome is Bill Gates. Not all of these people are generally inflexible; it can be specific things, like sorting one’s clothes by ROYGBIV. One feature I have encountered commonly is tournament-grade tactlessness; due to their difficulty with reading other people’s expressions (irony, sarcasm and nuance may also be lost causes) these folks truly have no idea what they’ve done unless they’re hit over the head with it.
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:17 pm
James, if you’re reading still, thanks for the post, and I wonder if you can tell me whether any member put it to Ms Bottomer that the representation of behaviour exhibited by people in P&P is very strongly coloured by the perceptions (and prejudices) of Elizabeth? It’s so strong with Darcy and Mrs Bennet in particular that it’s almost impossible to say what either person is ‘really’ like, outside of Elizabeth’s opinions of them.
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:48 am
Laura, we do have Darcy’s own description of his behavior in chapter 58, no? Pride and conceit. Thinking meanly of others, etc. No such introspection from Mrs. Bennet.
April 23rd, 2008 at 2:49 pm
Hi Laura
I do not remember that question being asked in the open session but it might well have been asked afte the talk had formally concluded and many people went to meet with the psepaker one-on-one.
I fully agree with your observation!!!!!
James (Jim)
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Miss G., yes and Darcy did exhibit the ability to respond to sarcasm (Miss Bingley and her “fine eyes” comments) and nuances in his conversations with Elizabeth . After Elizabeth received the letter from Jane on Lydia’s predicament, Mr. Darcy immediately noticed that something was wrong and that she was distressed. Someone whose behavior meets the criteria of Asperger’s Syndrome would not pick up on behavioral cues of distress, unless very obvious, and it may not occur to them to offer assistance.
Thanks for the interesting responses to this topic. Obviously the misuse of psychiatric diagnoses to describe the variations and complexities of human behavior is one I feel strongly about!
April 23rd, 2008 at 10:41 pm
Katherine, we do, but I don’t weigh this terribly heavily - it’s a very emotional moment for him - and he’s laying it on with a trowel. There’s no good reason to suppose he’s the best and only judge of the meaning of his own behaviour, especially in retrospect.
Mrs Bennet’s lack of self-consciousness makes no difference either way.
April 24th, 2008 at 7:24 am
Laura said: with Darcy and Mrs Bennet in particular that it’s almost impossible to say what either person is ‘really’ like, outside of Elizabeth’s opinions of them.
I disagree regarding Mrs Bennet’s behaviour — the readers have a great deal of her dialogue, as well as her actions, from which to judge her. I don’t think a reader’s idea of Mrs Bennet is very much coloured (if at all) by perceptions (or prejudices).
April 24th, 2008 at 10:11 am
It is all so very diverting!!!
I remember expressing exact sentiments about psychiatric diagnoses used by quite a number of critics in their criticism of JA’s characters in novels - and I was criticised for having such thoughts
To refresh memories - it was when I said *I listen to JA and JA alone*
In short, yes, I agree with the responses here, or at least the way everyone is going about it.
April 27th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Naturally, the first reaction of many when hearing of my proposal of a connection between some of Jane Austen’s characters and autism spectrum disorders is one of surprise and/or rejection.
In contrast, we all recognize that our society’s knowledge of many areas of medical and psychological issues has increased since the early 1800s. Then the term ‘consumption’ was used to describe various lung conditions which are now differentiated as asthma, tuberculosis, emphysema, congestive heart failure, cystic fibrosis and so on. Similarly the harsh term ‘idiot’ was used for all manner of intellectual disabilities which are now more accurately described as such syndromes as Fragile X, Down’s, Fetal Alcohol, Lowe’s or some of the over forty lyosomal storage diseases to name but a few.
Therefore it is to be expected that some behaviours considered two hundred years ago to fall under the terms of ‘nerves’ or ‘awkwardness’ may now be recognized as having varied causes as well.
Although I feel that other authors of her century including George Eliot, Nikolai Gogol and Jules Verne created at least one character who appears to be on the autistic spectrum, I have not yet found another who possessed the skills and extraordinary observational powers of Jane Austen. I am in awe of how accurately she portrayed people whose actions and words, in my opinion, portray the often subtle range of social and communication difficulties characteristic of those at the high or Asperger’s range of autistic spectrum disorders.
Phyllis B
April 27th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Hi Phyllis B.
Good to read your response here
I respect your findings and views, but have some points on which I disagree with any such analysis.
-Isn’t more information necessary to come to any psyciatric conclusions? Otherwise one wouldn’t have to go personally to lie on the couch! One single reaction can have any one of the different origins, and a lot of research has to be done before *the one* origin is established.
-Above all, reactions are an important part, and people react differently in different cultures and eras.
So what maybe the established code today for a particular case based on how a person behaves given certain conditions , then might not these very established codes of today be out of place when applied to a different time?
For example if a young girl growing up in a western culture finds it very difficult to communicate with a boy then her condition should be recognised as very different from a young girl who would find it difficult to communicate with a boy a long time ago. The psyciatric conclusions for the two would have to be different.
I for one don’t believe that in spite of the knowledge we have today we can really recognise mental condition from this distance, with this amount of information- and without really being familiar with the minds of a people of a different culture.
Of course I am not disagreeing with more clear cut cases of severe mental situations. But none of JA’s characters fall in any such severe category I think.
April 27th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Dear Reeba,
Thank you for welcoming me to this site. I have never joined a Blog before so it is a new experience.
First of all, it is important to clarify that autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) are diagnosed by observations of behaviour not by any blood tests or brain imaging techniques. Therefore, you are right, it is always subjective to some degree.
Your comments about the extenuating circumstances of cultures and eras are certainly true. Therefore, I think that you would particularly enjoy the book “Unstrange Minds: Remapping the World of Autism” (2007) by Roy Richard Grinker who is an anthropologist, the son and grandson of renowned psychiatrists and the father of a daughter on the autistic spectrum. His fascinating book is primarily about “how culture affects the way we view autism.”
Secondly, Kathleen, I would like to reassure you that the autistic spectrum disorders are certainly not synonymous with being shy. There is no single, stand alone characteristic which leads to the diagnosis; rather it is a pattern of behaviour particularly over time and different situations. On the whole it is best if these behaviours are observed in as naturalistic a variety of social settings as possible (quite the opposite of lying on a couch!)
I should stress that in the real world with real people a team is involved in the diagnostic process. With children in particular a speech language pathologist is often an integral part of that team providing information on language processing skills, the pragmatic use of language in social interactions and the child’s responses on various ‘theory of mind’ tasks. The actual diagnosis is made by either a physician or a psychologist specializing in ASD.
However, given that the characters that we are discussing are fictional, once I noticed the similarities between some of Austen’s characters and people I knew with ASD, as a JASNA member I felt that I could pursue this further without the usual team of professionals. I merely looked at the behaviours that Jane Austen described so perceptively and offered a different interpretation of why they might have occured.
Thirdly, the work of Hans Asperger about people at the mild end of the autistic spectrum was only translated into English in the early 1990s. It took some years after that for people to realize that such children often grow up to work in various careers, to marry and to have children of their own. Therefore, many people’s traits are much milder than the general population realizes. For more information about this books such as “Asperger’s Syndrome and High Achievement” are helpful to read as are articles about current public figures who are on the autistic spectrum. One of these who has written several fascinating articles about the subtle nature of his challenges is Tim Page, a former music critic for the Washington Post who won a Pulitzer Prize for his work in 1997 (just google his name).
If there is a space limit on a Blog, I am possibly at risk of exceeding it so I had better stop now. I am happy to respond to all comments and questions.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Hi Phyllis
>I have never joined a Blog before so it is a new experience.
..and you are doing well.
Thank you for your recommendation of the book.
I’m sure all psychiatrists know that culture effects psychiatric behaviour.
My point was that I believe it is not possible to *know* this effect unless you were born into this culture or somehow get into their head and heart.
I speak from experience
Even today questions like “How can they…..?? or “Why do they…..?” arise about a different culture.
It is really a very difficult thing to grasp.
When JA said she felt P&P too light, I would like to think that one of the things she meant was making light of Mrs Bennet’s insecurity and desperation, because I can’t believe she didn’t realise that. She had put 5 Bennet girls into a difficult position and that too **without brothers** unlike her own situation.
She knew Darcy and Bingley would bail them all out though, so it didn’t matter making fun of Mrs Bennet.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Phyliss, Thank you for explaining further your thoughtful comments about Aspbergers and some of Austen’s characters. I think your point that behaviors that are described as “nerves” or “akwardness” in literature could indicate symptoms of Aspergers is interesting. I have always enjoyed considering the psychology behind the characters in Austen, Shakespeare, Bronte, etc. But I believe that coming up with diagnoses for these characters takes away from characters and the plot. As you know diagnostic classifications are meant for limited purposes, generally to aid in guiding treatment (and unfortunately justify reimbursement). They are classifications that were developed by a group of professionals for these purposes. Psychiatric diagnoses are not benign, they are stigmatizing and can lead others to pathologize an individuals behavior. In literature I believe they take away from an author’s intention and efforts to develop a character. A character can not fully be thought to have an independent will, with their own motives which they control, if we see them through the lens of a biologically based disorder.
I absolutely agree with Reeba, and it is my professional belief which I teach others, that it is essential to conduct a full assessment before attempting a diagnosis. Absolutely cultural factors should be considered (I can only imagine the culture of wealthy young gentlemen in 19th century England.) Further, a psychiatric diagnosis can and should change as we learn more about an individual. An essential part (although not always available) of diagnosing Aspergers is childhood history. We know very little of that with Mr. Darcy except that he did get through school and his sister was attached to him. I think the point you made that behaviors should be observed in as many settings as possible is a very important aspect of assessment. Of course we are only seeing Austen’s characters through her eyes and in the roles she has created for her purposes.
Thank your for the references!
April 30th, 2008 at 11:49 pm
Hello Again Kathleen,
I agree with your point that with real people diagnostic classifications are
made to guide treatment. They also help the individuals concerned and those who share life with them understand their behaviour.
We humans have a great need for things to “make sense”. People at the mild end of the autistic spectrum have often been puzzles to others and to themselves. The very first time I gave my “So Odd A Mixture” presentation to my own JASNA group back in February 2005, a gentle lady in her mid-seventies came up to me at a meeting two months later to say that since my talk she had thought and read about autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) a great deal. Now finally, after years of painful bewilderment, she felt that she was better able to understood her ex-husband and the many difficulties of their long ago marriage. She expressed a tremendous sense of relief. I have had similar responses from people in the audience every time I have spoken on this topic.
With regard to psychiatric/psychological diagnosis being stigmatizing, so are colloquially applied labels such as being “a jerk” or being “rude”. Hopefully, as people learn more about the characteristics, accomplishments and contributions of those with Asperger’s Syndrome/mild autism, there will be less stigma attached to it.
To respond specifically to some of your comments, you are completely correct that an early childhood history is key to the diagnosis of ASD in real live people. Nowdays it is tremendously helpful that so many families have video tapes of their child in infancy and toddlerhood so that things like eye contact and the age at which they began to point to establish joint attention can be more reliably ascertained.
In “So Odd A Mixture” on pages 143-145 I do probe the bit of childhood information we have about the little Fitzwilliam Darcy courtesy of his housekeeper. With regards to your earlier comments in response #10 above, I discuss the interaction between Mr. Darcy and Miss Bingley regarding Elizabeth’s “fine eyes” on p.123 while on pages 149-150 I analyze what happens when Lizzie shares with Darcy the news of Lydia’s elopement.
Yes, when in his home community and not stressed by being surrounded by strangers, Darcy does respond with appropriate emotion and concern to Lizzie’s distress. However, “as his focus shifts to a solution, he stops responding emotionally to Elizabeth and does not realize how she will interpret his apparent withdrawal…..It does not occur to Darcy that his ‘gloomy’ air and the ‘restraint’ in his voice with lead Lizzy to the conclusion that any hope of a relationship betwen them has ended. On her side, despite blatant proof to the contrary, Lizzy has once again fallen into the error of believing that she can read character accurately, as she assumes that she has ‘instantly understood’ what Darcy must be thinking and feeling.”
Ah….I must tear myself away from Austen’s fascinating fictional people for now in order to complete my preparations for the equally fascinating but alive and lively five to fifteen year olds with whom I will be working tomorrow!
May 2nd, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Dear Phyliss,
Thank you for your response, it is a delight to read your thought provoking comments. By coincidence I happened upon a description of your book while I was searching for something completely unrelated to Austen. I think it is a sign that I should order it, which I certainly will.
I think your description of Darcy’s behavior “as his focus shifts towards a solution” was interesting. However I think it is leaving out the possibility that he was struggling with conflicting emotions, such as shock at learning of Wickham’s behavior, the need to set aside the purpose of his visit, and his responsibility (and possibly shame) for not revealing Wickham’s history. This is a young man who likely did not have many responsibilities until the recent death of his father. Offering a second proposal for marriage to someone who recently rejected you is tricky enough. I think that adding these thoughts and emotions, some of which are described by Austen, may be quite overwhelming. This may be one explanation for his behavior.
I agree with you that we all search for explanations and diagnoses can be useful for that purpose. However, I believe that they have the potential to misguide as much as offer explanations. There are many forces and motivations that influence human behavior and a diagnosis, used inappropriately, can lead to putting emphasis on particular behaviors, which may mask an individual’s true nature. I hope that learning more about any diagnosis will reduce stigma, but I am afraid that will not happen very easily.
Good luck with your work! It is fun to have a break to discuss these issues and Austen’s work. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my ideas.
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:00 pm
I don’t mean to go on and on, but I just discovered that this topic was discussed on Austenblog about a year ago. I just read the comments and am feeling much better.