I never made this connection before, and it makes so much sense! I have ADHD too, and I wonder if some of my dislike of Emma is really a reaction against some of the traits that I don’t like in myself!
I never thought of that before! I have both ADHD and dyslexia. I never liked Emma but never realized that she had some of my less-than-attractive traits! What an eye-opener! Thank you! I will re-watch Emma with a different view.
Representation of mental illness/health in all contexts really matters, I didn’t fully realise I’d had several panic attacks until I saw Emma (a character I intensely relate to) have one in the latest adaptation. That was a big moment.
With so many behaviors that fit ADHD, it seems possible that Jane Austen may have known one or more people with ADHD and found them interesting as the basis for one of her book characters. She obviously knew nothing about the condition itself. Perhaps the reactions she had seen to the ADHD person or persons led to her comment that she had created a heroine only she would like.
I think that's likely. I've also heard some theories about her family being fairly neurodivergent, and that's why she writes a lot of characters that feel ADHD or Autistic to modern people. I don't like to armchair-diagnose people, but I think it's plausible because neurodivergence does run in families...
This explains SO much of why I have had mixed feelings about Emma but couldn't quite articulate why. And the way you point out aspects of ADHD and how they relate to Emma are spot on. Thanks so much for doing this!
Emma seems to make people with ADHD uncomfortable because they recognize their own embarrassing behaviors and moments in her behavior. Yes, she is misunderstood, just like almost all people, especially smart women, with ADHD.
People think of under-performing as getting bad grades. However under-performing means people perform at a lower level than their own potential. Yes, I graduated in the top 10% of my class but I should have graduated in the top 10. Also, stop describing my own childhood to me when you describe yourself!!!!! I can't get over how validating your videos are. Please do more! I posted a link to your channel on my Facebook page and asked people to subscribe, heading over to patreon now!
I love your videos! And I like this subject about the characters. I hope you'll do more videos like this, especially about Mr. Woodhouse and Ms. Bates. I find that after experiencing the Covid-19 pandemic, I can relate to Mr. Woodhouse and his constant anxiety a lot more than I hoped that I ever would.
I really want to do Miss Bates as her own ADHD profile. I think I would look at Mr. Woodhouse probably from an OCD perspective, and I'd want to talk to a close friend of mine who's OCD about that because it's an oft-misunderstood disorder. Like I said, sooooo many neurodivergent readings of Austen characters! It's pretty cool.
@@teawithcassiane8431 I think the different ways Miss Bates has been portrayed are quite interesting (though this isn’t at least directly related to neurodivergence). In some, she’s treated as just the ‘silly’ character she seems to be on a surface reading of the book, but more recently I think she’s been treated with a bit more sympathy as a woman in a very difficult situation who is doggedly putting the best face on things she can and ‘counting her blessings’. What, exactly, does that say?
I think it's our culture being aware of just how precarious it was to be a penniless spinster. It also clearly understands that she is a good person who loves both her mother and her niece. I would love to see a portrayal where the garralous chatter is social anxiety because Miss Bates is clearly aware that she talks too much!
@@teawithcassiane8431 I can definitely see that as a possibility! There’s a misconception that socially anxious people all stay quiet, but it can certainly manifest as a bit of a motor mouth too. We also only really see her among her socioeconomic superiors, a situation that might well increase any social anxiety; her maid or the local shopkeepers or Jane might get a very different view of her.
Love the skit at the end and the green dress is gorgeous!! I always connected w Emma. I loved her character for 10 years before I learned she was supposed to be unlikeable...that Austen herself said so. To me she was charming, well intentioned, just misunderstood and a bit reckless.
Thank you! I made the dress myself - or rather redesigned it three times before I actually liked it. I empathized with Emma, and I found her likable and well-intentioned too, though I disagree with some of her methods, especially manipulating Harriet about Mr. Martin.
This has done a wonderful job at explaining some of my adhd behaviors! I was often told I was strangely quiet and still for having adhd, and I had to explain that mine was more inward and my brain just had so much to think about my body didn’t even bother trying to keep up. Near as I can tell any risk-taking behavior was quashed by very early behavior therapy and a massive helping of anxiety disorder that reminded me of all the horrible ways what I was thinking of doing could go wrong. It took years of planning for any possibility and mustering up the courage to start my one risky hobby: hiking. Never know what you’ll run into on the trails, but by gum I’m ready for it.
Cassiane, you are a delight! I love your channel and am particularly enjoying the character analysis episodes. I honestly enjoy separate videos for each character, however, I would absolutely commit to watching a longer video including several. I also love how you've added dramatic readings. Truly enjoyable entertainment that my brain was searching for. Please keep making videos. ❤️
Whether or not a real-life Emma would be ADHD, I think you’ve done the character the justice she deserves. Emma is ethical and caring deep down, but as an exciting young person with so much agency, gets carried away until she is in too deep.
This was a fascinating new insight into Emma! I would also be so interested to hear your thoughts on Mr Woodhouse relative to your experience with autism.
I watched the whole video in 2x speed because I have ADHD. Perfect explained, by the way. Edit: I just noticed that I wrote the comment before watching it till the end. So the „whole“ part is false. Then I had to rewind because I… Because… I forgot. Edit 2: I just noticed, halfway through, that I wrote the comment without watching it till the end. That’s why I wrote Edit 2. Then I remembered… Wait, I remember! I… (just a second, someone has just texted…half an hour later…)… I remembered that, because I didn’t watch the whole video, It would be dishonest to say “perfect”. But now, after watching it till the end, I can say it: Perfect explained. I mean, perfectly. I guess this mistake needs it’s own edit. Hold my bier. Wait, actually I had studying in mind. Damn! There are so many pages to go through and I’m on RUclips, man!
Since you ask, I've been wondering lately about Lady Catherine and her daughter. Is it that Anne is too shy to speak or that she can't? I know a man who can only grunt but he understands what other people say, he has autism. Then Lady Catherine said of herself that she "should have been a great proficient if [she] had learned [piano]". You'd think being the daughter of an earl she would have learned and perhaps neurodivergence runs in the family as we see traits in Mr. Darcy too. This might explain her extreme dependence on Darcy marrying Anne, to protect her. I might almost think she felt betrayed by Lizzie because she liked and trusted her. Let's face it, going all the way to Longborne and confronting Lizzie the way she did is a bit extreme. By the way, I enjoy your videos and I think you make some very good points. I have been re-reading these books and I see them in a new light. Thank you!
I think Phyllis Ferguson Bottomer covers that in her book "So Odd a Mixture: Along the Autism Spectrum in Pride and Prejudice." Neurodivergence strongly runs in families, and the book argued that both the Bennets and Darcy's family could be on the spectrum.
Do you think it is easier to read neurodivergent traits into a lot of characters in romance literature since most authors want to have a sort of will they won't they dynamic which then necessitates that the characters aren't communicating the most effectively or clearly? If an author wants to give a concrete reason the couple at the end arent together but don't want to make one character unlikeable or they will make it so that the character is unable to understand certain advances and whatnot or has some "quirk" which means communicating with them is more difficult.
Honestly, it's seems plausible if you're going for the social misunderstandings or nice-once-you-get-to-know-them plot. I had never thought of it. I mostly think of detective fiction as the neurodivergent genre par excellence.
@@teawithcassiane8431 true, I think it pairs well cause a lot of detective fiction is about someone seeing something others don't so it fits very easily into a neurodivergent reading, especially since a lot of detective fiction likes to revel in the "ohhhh but Sherlock noticed the one minuscule detail that only he could know" or "well because he had studied specifically the speed at which jello would solidify he knew how much time the knife had to sink in before stopping" they're so smart of know such nitch things but then to keep them from being so amazing they normally default to social awkwardness as the characters main "vice". Most stories like to deal with extremes so it pumps up the drama so a person can't just enjoy cooking they have to be obsessed with it it's their character trait that can mimick special intrests.
@@teawithcassiane8431 Yes, or at least the possibility of it. If she was not, she had some interesting insights. Of course it could just be coincidence.
I have often wondered that myself. There has been some speculation that the Austens were neurodivergent. Honestly, though I'm not sure if I want to tackle that subject myself. It's been years since I've read her letters or a biography, and I have a feeling that the ableist internet backlash at such a suggestion would not be pretty. I mean, they winge enough just with me talking about the movies not having HA dancing.
@@teawithcassiane8431 I take your point. Also I am not into claiming everyone from the past and I have no medical qualification. Apart from an out of date first aid certificate. As for historical accuracy I prefer it, particularly when it does not need a huge budget. I am will to make an exception for zombie films.
@@teawithcassiane8431 I take your point. Also I am not into claiming everyone from the past and I have no medical qualification. Apart from an out of date first aid certificate. As for historical accuracy I prefer it, particularly when it does not need a huge budget. I am will to make an exception for zombie films.
For me, It made more sense adhd Darcy. Now I beg your pardon If i Will say something very wrong, but sometimes i think autistic people have one parent who, not being autistic, looks a bit. IS that right? Then i Will say that Emma's father is rather not that typical, although i cannot say what he would be. And Emma herself, by the 2020 movie, cause i didnt read the book, looks tremendoulsy sexually repressed, by her bleeding from the nose just for hearing about the romantic interest of her neighbour was for her.
I never made this connection before, and it makes so much sense! I have ADHD too, and I wonder if some of my dislike of Emma is really a reaction against some of the traits that I don’t like in myself!
Yes! I realized last year that my dislike of Emma is at least partly internalized ableism against myself!
I never thought of that before! I have both ADHD and dyslexia. I never liked Emma but never realized that she had some of my less-than-attractive traits! What an eye-opener! Thank you! I will re-watch Emma with a different view.
OMG how much I relate to this! Exactly what you and the others have said!
Representation of mental illness/health in all contexts really matters, I didn’t fully realise I’d had several panic attacks until I saw Emma (a character I intensely relate to) have one in the latest adaptation. That was a big moment.
With so many behaviors that fit ADHD, it seems possible that Jane Austen may have known one or more people with ADHD and found them interesting as the basis for one of her book characters. She obviously knew nothing about the condition itself. Perhaps the reactions she had seen to the ADHD person or persons led to her comment that she had created a heroine only she would like.
I think that's likely. I've also heard some theories about her family being fairly neurodivergent, and that's why she writes a lot of characters that feel ADHD or Autistic to modern people. I don't like to armchair-diagnose people, but I think it's plausible because neurodivergence does run in families...
More austen content and neurodivergence content videos yes please :)
This explains SO much of why I have had mixed feelings about Emma but couldn't quite articulate why. And the way you point out aspects of ADHD and how they relate to Emma are spot on. Thanks so much for doing this!
Oh I would love more jane austen characters analysis. I'm reading all her works so that would be great!
I am totally the “smart but not able to sustain effort”
Wow...it’s great to look these characters in our favourite novels from a completely different perspective ...love your videos.xx
I’m not ADHD but I love Emma ;)
Emma is one of the most misunderstood characters in my opinion.
Yes!!
Emma seems to make people with ADHD uncomfortable because they recognize their own embarrassing behaviors and moments in her behavior. Yes, she is misunderstood, just like almost all people, especially smart women, with ADHD.
People think of under-performing as getting bad grades. However under-performing means people perform at a lower level than their own potential. Yes, I graduated in the top 10% of my class but I should have graduated in the top 10. Also, stop describing my own childhood to me when you describe yourself!!!!! I can't get over how validating your videos are. Please do more! I posted a link to your channel on my Facebook page and asked people to subscribe, heading over to patreon now!
I love your videos! And I like this subject about the characters. I hope you'll do more videos like this, especially about Mr. Woodhouse and Ms. Bates. I find that after experiencing the Covid-19 pandemic, I can relate to Mr. Woodhouse and his constant anxiety a lot more than I hoped that I ever would.
I really want to do Miss Bates as her own ADHD profile. I think I would look at Mr. Woodhouse probably from an OCD perspective, and I'd want to talk to a close friend of mine who's OCD about that because it's an oft-misunderstood disorder. Like I said, sooooo many neurodivergent readings of Austen characters! It's pretty cool.
@@teawithcassiane8431 I think the different ways Miss Bates has been portrayed are quite interesting (though this isn’t at least directly related to neurodivergence). In some, she’s treated as just the ‘silly’ character she seems to be on a surface reading of the book, but more recently I think she’s been treated with a bit more sympathy as a woman in a very difficult situation who is doggedly putting the best face on things she can and ‘counting her blessings’. What, exactly, does that say?
I think it's our culture being aware of just how precarious it was to be a penniless spinster. It also clearly understands that she is a good person who loves both her mother and her niece. I would love to see a portrayal where the garralous chatter is social anxiety because Miss Bates is clearly aware that she talks too much!
@@teawithcassiane8431 I can definitely see that as a possibility! There’s a misconception that socially anxious people all stay quiet, but it can certainly manifest as a bit of a motor mouth too. We also only really see her among her socioeconomic superiors, a situation that might well increase any social anxiety; her maid or the local shopkeepers or Jane might get a very different view of her.
Love the skit at the end and the green dress is gorgeous!!
I always connected w Emma. I loved her character for 10 years before I learned she was supposed to be unlikeable...that Austen herself said so. To me she was charming, well intentioned, just misunderstood and a bit reckless.
Thank you! I made the dress myself - or rather redesigned it three times before I actually liked it.
I empathized with Emma, and I found her likable and well-intentioned too, though I disagree with some of her methods, especially manipulating Harriet about Mr. Martin.
I would love this to be the beginning of a series!! This honestly resonates SO much and was actually really validating, thank you!
This is actually Episode 3. Check it out!
That touching on everything but rarely excellency hits me!
This has done a wonderful job at explaining some of my adhd behaviors! I was often told I was strangely quiet and still for having adhd, and I had to explain that mine was more inward and my brain just had so much to think about my body didn’t even bother trying to keep up.
Near as I can tell any risk-taking behavior was quashed by very early behavior therapy and a massive helping of anxiety disorder that reminded me of all the horrible ways what I was thinking of doing could go wrong. It took years of planning for any possibility and mustering up the courage to start my one risky hobby: hiking. Never know what you’ll run into on the trails, but by gum I’m ready for it.
The dramatizations? just *chef's kiss* a thespian!
I love that you go into full costume to give us a quote. It's just so creative and extra!
Thank you! I did it for my first video, and now it's a tradition. It's nice to put all my historical costumes to good use!
@@teawithcassiane8431 I've always thought that if I were an English teacher I would do this constantly. Especially with hats. I have a lot of hats.
I can neither confirm or deny that I have way too many hats in hatboxes in my apartment!
heyo! I'm autistic+adhd and Austen is a big special interest of mine!! Same hat meme ^^ I love this channel!
Thank you for your character insights, you're very clever.
Cassiane, I thought I’d geeked out all I could about Austen and yet you educate me anew. Thank you. Love your channel. X
Cassiane, you are a delight! I love your channel and am particularly enjoying the character analysis episodes. I honestly enjoy separate videos for each character, however, I would absolutely commit to watching a longer video including several. I also love how you've added dramatic readings. Truly enjoyable entertainment that my brain was searching for. Please keep making videos. ❤️
This is so insightful; thank you for sharing! I'd love to see more of these sorts of Austen character analysis videos in the future. :)
Wow, this was fascinating! I'd totally be interested in hearing you talk about more Jane Austen characters and neurodivergence.
Whether or not a real-life Emma would be ADHD, I think you’ve done the character the justice she deserves. Emma is ethical and caring deep down, but as an exciting young person with so much agency, gets carried away until she is in too deep.
your blouse is SO ADORABLE
Thanks! Not sure if you can see, but the pattern is two cats kissing, which I just love.
@@teawithcassiane8431 meow!
@@teawithcassiane8431 yes!! I love it. What a great find.
This was very interesting. A lovely deep dive. I never put those things together before. GOOD VIDEO!
This was a fascinating new insight into Emma! I would also be so interested to hear your thoughts on Mr Woodhouse relative to your experience with autism.
Thoroughly enjoyed your video. Your take is very refreshing and I'm happy to subscribe.
Yes, please, do them all! I love this
I'm getting a picture of an ADHD brain being like some people's driving style - the only available speeds are flat-out and stop.
That's actually how one of my teachers once described it#
I cant remember feeling seen like this when it comes to my ADHD in awhile...I did not realize novelty-seeking was an ADHD trait
I watched the whole video in 2x speed because I have ADHD. Perfect explained, by the way. Edit: I just noticed that I wrote the comment before watching it till the end. So the „whole“ part is false. Then I had to rewind because I… Because… I forgot. Edit 2: I just noticed, halfway through, that I wrote the comment without watching it till the end. That’s why I wrote Edit 2. Then I remembered… Wait, I remember! I… (just a second, someone has just texted…half an hour later…)… I remembered that, because I didn’t watch the whole video, It would be dishonest to say “perfect”. But now, after watching it till the end, I can say it: Perfect explained. I mean, perfectly. I guess this mistake needs it’s own edit. Hold my bier. Wait, actually I had studying in mind. Damn! There are so many pages to go through and I’m on RUclips, man!
such an interesting video, thank you!! ✨
Love your videos!!!!😍😋😊
Since you ask, I've been wondering lately about Lady Catherine and her daughter. Is it that Anne is too shy to speak or that she can't? I know a man who can only grunt but he understands what other people say, he has autism. Then Lady Catherine said of herself that she "should have been a great proficient if [she] had learned [piano]". You'd think being the daughter of an earl she would have learned and perhaps neurodivergence runs in the family as we see traits in Mr. Darcy too. This might explain her extreme dependence on Darcy marrying Anne, to protect her. I might almost think she felt betrayed by Lizzie because she liked and trusted her. Let's face it, going all the way to Longborne and confronting Lizzie the way she did is a bit extreme. By the way, I enjoy your videos and I think you make some very good points. I have been re-reading these books and I see them in a new light. Thank you!
I think Phyllis Ferguson Bottomer covers that in her book "So Odd a Mixture: Along the Autism Spectrum in Pride and Prejudice." Neurodivergence strongly runs in families, and the book argued that both the Bennets and Darcy's family could be on the spectrum.
@@teawithcassiane8431 I hadn't heard of that book. Thank you for telling me about it!
Love your videos so much! Thank you!
Do you think it is easier to read neurodivergent traits into a lot of characters in romance literature since most authors want to have a sort of will they won't they dynamic which then necessitates that the characters aren't communicating the most effectively or clearly? If an author wants to give a concrete reason the couple at the end arent together but don't want to make one character unlikeable or they will make it so that the character is unable to understand certain advances and whatnot or has some "quirk" which means communicating with them is more difficult.
Honestly, it's seems plausible if you're going for the social misunderstandings or nice-once-you-get-to-know-them plot. I had never thought of it. I mostly think of detective fiction as the neurodivergent genre par excellence.
@@teawithcassiane8431 true, I think it pairs well cause a lot of detective fiction is about someone seeing something others don't so it fits very easily into a neurodivergent reading, especially since a lot of detective fiction likes to revel in the "ohhhh but Sherlock noticed the one minuscule detail that only he could know" or "well because he had studied specifically the speed at which jello would solidify he knew how much time the knife had to sink in before stopping" they're so smart of know such nitch things but then to keep them from being so amazing they normally default to social awkwardness as the characters main "vice". Most stories like to deal with extremes so it pumps up the drama so a person can't just enjoy cooking they have to be obsessed with it it's their character trait that can mimick special intrests.
@@teawithcassiane8431 ps I love your videos I'm very happy to find your channel.
These videos are very helpful to me. Thanks and please keep making them. I would love to know what you think of Lady Susan.
Amazing video!
How about talking about Jane Austen?
As in Jane herself being neurodivergent?
@@teawithcassiane8431 Yes, or at least the possibility of it. If she was not, she had some interesting insights. Of course it could just be coincidence.
I have often wondered that myself. There has been some speculation that the Austens were neurodivergent. Honestly, though I'm not sure if I want to tackle that subject myself. It's been years since I've read her letters or a biography, and I have a feeling that the ableist internet backlash at such a suggestion would not be pretty. I mean, they winge enough just with me talking about the movies not having HA dancing.
@@teawithcassiane8431 I take your point. Also I am not into claiming everyone from the past and I have no medical qualification. Apart from an out of date first aid certificate.
As for historical accuracy I prefer it, particularly when it does not need a huge budget. I am will to make an exception for zombie films.
@@teawithcassiane8431 I take your point. Also I am not into claiming everyone from the past and I have no medical qualification. Apart from an out of date first aid certificate.
As for historical accuracy I prefer it, particularly when it does not need a huge budget. I am will to make an exception for zombie films.
I reckon that Fanny Price has social anxiety, at the very least. Look at the poor girl.
For me, It made more sense adhd Darcy. Now I beg your pardon If i Will say something very wrong, but sometimes i think autistic people have one parent who, not being autistic, looks a bit. IS that right? Then i Will say that Emma's father is rather not that typical, although i cannot say what he would be. And Emma herself, by the 2020 movie, cause i didnt read the book, looks tremendoulsy sexually repressed, by her bleeding from the nose just for hearing about the romantic interest of her neighbour was for her.