Jane Austen and the Body: 'The Picture of Health'

by John Wiltshire

Jane Austen has been thought of as a novelist of manners whose work discreetly avoids discussing the physical. John Wiltshire shows, on the contrary, how important are bodies and faces, illness and health, in the novels, from complainers and invalids such as Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Woodhouse, to the frail, debilitated Fanny Price, the vulnerable Jane Fairfax and the "picture of health," Emma. The book draws on modern theories of the body, and on eighteenth-century medical sources, to give a fresh and controversial reading of familiar texts.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

268 pages, Paperback

First published September 24, 1992

About the author

Leading Jane Austen scholar.

Reviews

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Jane Austen and The Body" by John Wiltshire

3.5 Regency Teacups

I have met John Wiltshire three times at JASNA MA. He is quite a courteous gentleman. So, I had really hoped to love this book. The Introduction was quite difficult to read. It concerns certain theories about the body and the critical tradition concerning Jane Austen. There are five chapters in the book. 1) Sense, sensibility and the proofs of affection 2)'Eloquent blood': the coming out of Fanny Price 3) Emma: the picture of health 4)Persuasion: the pathology of everyday life and 5)Sanditon: the enjoyments of invalidism. Yes, no chapter on P&P, although it does get mentioned here and there. I enjoyed the Emma and Sanditon chapters the most. There are many interesting points in book. Alas, I had difficulty following some of the theories and statements. He seemed very determined to slam the theories of other critics, Tony Tanner for example.

"Mr Parker's partner in the enterprise of Sanditon, to whom Charlotte is soon introduced, is the friendly local dowager Lady Denham, rich, but penny-pinching, one of Austen's most vivid creations(she is far more memorable than, say, Lady Russell)..." pg 208

"The stridently healthy Lady Denham's low opinion those she calls 'the Tribe' is shared, amusingly enough, by Mr Parker's hypochondriac sister Diana...." pg 209

[Rosalie · Rating 1 out of 5]

John Wiltshire, in his book is trying to analyse and interpret Jane Austen and her books using 20thC philosophies and theories and it doesn’t work. We can’t (and shouldn’t) use our knowledge and understanding to remodel earlier writers, our experiences are just too different. Jane Austen’s world and travels was especially small and confined, which is a direct result of her position as a single woman. However, she was a well read, intelligent woman and this is reflected in the absolute genius of her books. John Wiltshire is using such contemporary theories as: feminism; Sigmund Freud; Michel Foucault; and Arthur Kleinman and somatization to explain the way that Jane Austen uses the body and body expressions to develop her characters. An example of this, is in the chapter dedicated to Mansfield Park. John Wiltshire talks about the blushing of Fanny Price, and how these occasions are indicators of Fanny’s awakening sexual desire that are linked to he4r love for Edmund. This is just classic 20thC thinking being retro-imposed on a 19thC novel. Again, I argue that it can’t be done.
There is no dedicated chapter on Pride and Prejudice but one on Sanditon, Jane Austen’s last unfinished novel, and while I accept that Sanditon is about health and hypochondria, to ignore what is Jane Austen’s most famous novel is ludicrous.
I did think that this book would be more about the physical aspects of the body and how Jabe Austen uses them in her novels and not this attempt to refit 19thC ideas with 20thC theories of the body.
All in all a very uninspiring book.

[Misty Krueger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling work of scholarship that helped me rethink books I have read many times!

[Robert Muller · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is an important work on the work of Jane Austen, it could probably be half the length with decent editing. The language is overwritten and far to in love with big words, Foucault, and modern literary criticism to be a good read. Still, Wiltshire has pegged a great many aspects of Austen's work as centered in the physical parts of existence--not setting, but health and the body. Particularly with respect to Mansfield Park and Emma, the two best chapters, I felt I knew a lot more about what Austen was trying to say and how she said it. No serious Jane Austen reader should forgo the slog through the book, in other words.

[Maggie]

The chapter on Mansfield Park changed my view of the novel completely. Fanny's weak body is treated as a subversive critique of her lack of power. Henry and Bertram, senior both exert their willpower over her and extoll her servitude. When viewed this way, Fanny's story becomes a killer critique of social ideals or and treatment of women. Amazing.

"The body...as a focus and site of social and economic power relations."

Hypochondria as a luxury of the wealthy and a power play. Emma's health as a rebellion against her father and the small world she has grown up in.

[Corrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing really cutting edge here. It's old school lit crit in the form of "I found a thing; let's look at the thing." But if you're interested in JA and health/body issues, this reads as a good sourcebook/catalog of scenes.