Mr Darcy was autistic?

Sometimes I'd think the analysis of horoscopic sign of fictitious characters is quite absurd. Probably the academics do those analysis are its just for fun or for gaining reputation. Or if they are doing it in good faith, it could be good being the material for social education of some specific items, like those brain disorder stuff in this news from the Daily Telegraph.

But - are there that many diseases that we need to cure on earth?
Anyway. Pay attention to the Asperger's Syndrome. Probably I have that as well. :p

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/04/07/ndarcy07.xml

Why Mr Darcy was the strong but silent type

By Graeme Paton

Last Updated: 12:44am BST 07/04/2007

He is the handsome bachelor whose strong but silent demeanour has sent women's hearts fluttering for generations.

	Mr Darcy, played by Colin Firth, set hearts fluttering

But one academic thinks she has found the reason for Mr Darcy's tight-lipped manner - he was autistic.

A book claims that the hero of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice suffered from the brain disorder that affects communication and interaction skills.

The text also suggests that Mr Collins, the clergyman, was a sufferer and Lydia Bennet had attention deficit disorder.

Phyllis Ferguson Bottomer, a speech pathologist in Canada, analyses eight characters from Austen's classic novel, in a book that teachers are being encouraged to use to liven up GCSE English lessons.

She argues that five characters from the Bennet family, and three from the Fitzwilliam clan, have fundamental difficulties with communication and empathy. It provides an explanation for some characters' awkward behaviour at crowded balls, their frequent silences or the tendency to lapse into monologues rather than truly converse with others, she said.

Mr Darcy's "unaccountable rudeness" can be blamed on "high-functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome", which Austen wrote about without knowing what it was, it is claimed.

In her book, So Odd a Mixture, Miss Bottomer quotes Austen's description of Mr Collins - "awkward and solemn, apologising instead of attending, and often moving wrong without being aware of it".

The author says it epitomises "some of the co-ordination problems those on the autistic spectrum can have". Mr and Mrs Bennet, the squabbling couple, are also said to be sufferers. Lydia, the heroine's younger sister, is also described as having attention deficit disorder after she runs off with Mr Wickham.

Miss Bottomer told the Times Educational Supplement: "I hope it will help people understand the sometimes subtle challenges faced by those on the mild end of the autistic spectrum and serve as a reminder not to judge too quickly."

The book, which the publishers hope will be used to provoke debate in schools, was dismissed by the National Association for the Teaching of English as "wonderfully absurd".

Miss Bottomer's conclusions came as it emerged that the number of A-level set texts will increase from eight to 12 under plans to make English literature exams more demanding.

Students will also have to analyse the cultural and political context of books in greater depth.

New works will include F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Evelyn Waugh's A Handful of Dust and poetry by Wilfred Owen.