Jane Austen, author of such classics as Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, died at the age of 41 in 1817. Her death has prompted much speculation as to the cause – with guesses ranging from Addison’s to cancer. But British author Lindsay Ashford believes she has come across the real answer – arsenic poisoning.
Ashford found a letter by Austen where she writes, “I am considerably better now and am recovering my looks a little, which have been bad enough, black and white and every wrong colour.”
Those are classic symptoms of arsenic poisoning. Also, Ashford spoke with the former president of the Jane Austen Society of North America, who told her that a lock of Austen’s hair bought at auction in 1948 had tested positive for arsenic.
Arsenic was commonly used in medicines during Austen’s time, and it was often given for rheumatism – something Austen suffered from.
But Ashford indicates that murder may have been in the cards with her new book, The Mysterious Death of Miss Austen. Ashford said, “Having delved into her family background, there was a lot going on that has never been revealed and there could have been a motive for murder.”
No matter the answer, even nearly 200 years after her death, Jane Austen keeps selling books, whether they are written by her, or written about her.