This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/cfs by /u/Public-Pound-7411 on 2024-04-09 19:47:50.

Recently, I’ve been remembering more and more examples from the literary canon of characters who are described as having terrible nerves that make them reclusive (rich characters) or being shiftless and lazy and unwilling to work (poor characters) who probably had ME or something similar.

The first one I went to look back on was the character of Mr. Fair-something (brain fog) who hires the protagonist. In chapters eight and nine have the initial descriptions of him and…wow, Wilkie Collins definitely knew a severe ME patient in the Victorian era!

Sadly, he held them in a lot of contempt but the descriptions of the man’s affliction are uncanny. He’s sensitive to bright light and sound, any exertion takes such a toll, he is moody, and he even marvels at others’ ability to accomplish simple tasks. It’s definitely worth reading or listening to and is likely in free online libraries.

Some others I can think of and plan to look at are Moliere’s The Imaginary Invalid and Persuasion, which I think may actually have two characters with invisible illness, Mrs. Charles (again, not great with the last names today) and Anne’s penniless friend in Bath who is there to take the waters.

I thought it might be interesting to compile a list, so if you can think of other examples, please comment them below. Particularly, if you know of any outside of the English language canon. It might be interesting to compile them all into a book or essay.