It’s hardly news that Jane Austen’s prose comes in handy for recuperating patients: Her novels were famously prescribed to shell-shocked British soldiers during the First World War, and Winston Churchill turned to Austen while recovering from pneumonia during the Second.
Now comes word that just this year, an Australian woman healing from a stroke regained her ability to think and type with the help of Pride and Prejudice.
Like so many of us—including Barbie--Alison White, 52, of Canberra, Australia, was used to calling on Austen screen adaptations in dark times. "It was always my go-to when I was unwell, looking at the tele and hearing Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy and all the romantic sort of stuff,'' she told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation recently.
After suffering a stroke five months ago, White first binge-watched what the broadcaster describes as “three televised adaptations of Pride and Prejudice,” but which I suspect was probably two televised adaptations (this and this) and one feature film. Then, with her own linguistic abilities still compromised, she began typing out Austen’s novel.
"I just went, 'Well, I've got this book, I can't think up my own words, I'll use somebody else's words,’ ” she decided.
Apparently, it worked, at least judging from White’s interview video, which betrays no sign of impairment. Another score for Jane Austen, M.D.
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