In a letter to the Times Literary Supplement (3 February 1984), Fr
Martin Jarrett-Kerr reported that during the First World War the Oxford
don H.F. Brett-Smith was employed by military hospitals to advise on
reading matter for the war wounded. 'His job was to grade novels and
poetry according to the "Fever-Chart". For the severely shell-shocked he
selected Jane Austen'.
Considering the effectiveness of Jane Austen in palliating Humberstall's
psychological damage in 'The Janeites', I'm wondering whether Kipling
might have known of Brett-Smith's advisory work. Any ideas?
George Simmers
--
George Simmers's research blog is at
http://greatwarfiction.wordpress.com
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