Status Updates From Jane Austen

Ok, this book took a turn for the (borderline?) offensive notion that it can “diagnose” characters as autistic. I don’t mind an anachronistic interpretation of Austen, but the reasoning is… lacking.

“This conclusion, that Charlotte purposefully sits in an unattractive room to avoid Mr. Collins, goes too far. Elizabeth has no reason to believe, for example, that any difference in pleasantness even registers with Mr. Collins, who is hardly an aesthete. Elizabeth,[…] is trying too hard to appreciate Charlotte’s strategicness.”
What? Charlotte IS strategic, that’s the point of her character. 🤦‍♀️

There is some interesting insight here, but I fell like it takes a very flat and uncomplicated view of Austen’s texts, sometimes taking very seriously things that I would read as ironic, etc. It kind of takes the joy out of Austen for me.
Most glaringly for me, the answer to why did Elizabeth change her mind about Darcy. Is it gratitude? In my opinion the change started earlier. It’s a bit frustrating.

I wanna cry, I'm having so much fun overanalyzing Austen's work with mathhh!!

Jane Austen plus economics? I’m in. It’s fascinating to read about the raw strategy behind Austen’s characters decisions.