Ruth Wilson on the healing power of literature in 'The Jane Austen Remedy'

Good Reading Podcast

At the age of seventy Ruth Wilson found herself grappling with both a physical diagnosis that affected her hearing and balance and unfathomable feelings of sadness. Ruth took the radical decision to leave her conventional life and reclaim her voice in search of personal healing. In this poignant and insightful memoir of love and self-acceptance Ruth discovered the curative power of reading. From a young age, Ruth had looked to Jane Austen's heroines as the models for whom she wanted to become. Upon re-reading these six classic novels with greater intent Ruth found the remedy she was looking for. From the sunshine of 'Pride and Prejudice' to the autumnal notes she found in 'Persuasion', Ruth reveals the wisdom and the lessons they contain for us all. In this episode Gregory Dobbs chats to Ruth Wilson about falling out of love with the world, undertaking a PhD at the age of eighty, the art of reading and of re-reading, and how she found the remedy for her ills in her favourite author.