ABSTRACT
I read Jane Austen's (1775–1817) novels as a teenager, and I loved Pride and Prejudice for its thrust and parry between men and women. But, rereading her novels as an adult, I noticed that there were many characters like myself in her books. There were characters that had ongoing health issues, who needed to lie on the couch a lot (Mansfield Park; Persuasion), who took to their beds and worried when their nerves were frayed (Pride and Prejudice, Emma), who could sometimes go out for long walks and at other times not (Mansfield Hall). I have had fibromyalgia for over 20 years and the experiences of these characters resonated with me. I'm being written about, at last, I thought.
