Jane Austen’s sick characters with Professor John Mullan

This online talk is part of the Jane Austen Festival.

There are plenty of characters in Jane Austen’s fiction who claim to be ill, but how many of them actually are? Do some people bring sickness upon themselves? This talk will look both those characters who seem to relish their ailments, and those who appear to have been made unwell by life. How can Austen so often treat sickness comically, when she lived in a world where medicine was ineffectual and death always just round the corner?

Please note that the ticket you are purchasing allows you to watch this talk live & online via the BRLSI website at the time stated only (all times are UK times). The talk will not be recorded or available to watch at a future time.

In-person tickets for the talk are on sale via the Jane Austen Festival website. 

Instructions on how to watch online will be detailed on your ticket confirmation email; please read them carefully as you will need to log in to the BRLSI website again at the time of the talk (we do not send out Zoom codes). If you have any queries about watching online, contact BRLSI on reception@brlsi.org.

All other queries can be directed to the Jane Austen Festival.

PostScript Books are returning as sponsors of the Jane Austen Festival for 2026, as well as being the official Festival bookseller for the first time! Postscript have curated lists of suggested books… perfect for all those who just can’t wait for September to start learning about the topics we’ll be covering throughout the Jane Austen Festival.

Follow this link to be taken to the PostScript Books website, where you can find the themed book collections they have put together for each talk.