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Online Talk: ‘A Flattering Malady’ – Disease and Dying in Victorian Fiction

“Consumption, I am aware, is a flattering malady” Charlotte Brontë, 1849

Death and dying were common hazards for characters in Victorian novels. For the modern reader, 19th century novels can sometimes seem packed full of sentimental deathbeds like Jo’s death in Charles Dickens’ Bleak House.

The reality was that in 1800 approximately one in every three children died before their 5th birthday. Fatal diseases such as consumption were common for all ages and literature often reflected real life.

In this new talk, Sherry Ashworth takes us on the Grim Reaper’s final journey starting with the heroine’s redemptive death from Typhus in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Ruth. Get your hankies ready for a range of death beds through Victorian fiction including Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Join like-minded literary fans as we ask, what is the meaning of it all?

‘Sherry is excellent.’ Visitor to previous online event

Tickets £6

Wednesday 15 October 2025, 7-8pm

**Refer to your e-ticket for zoom joining instructions and links. Please check your spam/junk mail for ticket. This talk will also be recorded and all ticketholders will receive a link to the recording via TicketSource after the event.**

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