‘Miss Austen’ Ending Explained: What Is Addison’s Disease? What Was Jane Austen’s Cause Of Death?

Masterpiece on PBS‘s latest foray in the romantic world of the Regency era brings us Jane Austen with a twist: Miss Austen delves into the mysteries surrounding the real life author herself. Miss Austen follows Jane’s beloved sister Cassandra (Keeley Hawes) as she attempts to secure the writer’s legacy…in an extremely controversial way.

**Spoilers for Miss Austen on Masterpiece on PBS, now streaming on PBS Passport**

Jane Austen scholars have long villainized Cassandra Austen because she infamously burned Jane’s letters, robbing future historians from getting to know the “real” Jane. Masterpiece‘s Miss Austen attempts to explain why Cassy did so as an act of enduring love for her sister. Through flashbacks, we not only see how the young Cassandra’s (Synnøve Karlson) own heartaches inspired Jane’s (Patsy Ferran) writing, but we get context for why Jane didn’t want her own troubles to overshadow her novels. In Miss Austen, Cassandra ultimately burns Jane’s correspondence so that readers are left with the joy of Jane’s characters rather than the sorrow of her short life. Oh, and so her odious sister-in-law Mary (Jessica Hynes) can’t profit from Jane’s life story.

Miss Austen also features a lovely little romance plot wherein Cassandra literally uses the plot of Jane Austen’s Persuasion to help reunite family friend Isabella Fowle (Rose Leslie) with her first love, Dr. Lidderdale (Alfred Enoch). However, what fans of the show are probably most curious about is how the show’s version of Jane Austen and her death match with what we know in real life?

How did Jane Austen die? What is Addison’s disease? And did Cassandra really miss a chance at happiness with the dashing Henry Hobday (Max Irons)? Here’s everything you need to know about the ending of Miss Austen on Masterpiece on PBS…

Photo: PBS

Miss Austen Ending Explained: What is Addison’s Disease? How Did the Real Jane Austen Die?

Miss Austen details how Cassy Austen might have had a second chance of romance with the (fictional) Henry Hobday, but ultimately chose to stay with her ailing sister. Jane Austen did in fact die young, in 1817, at the tender age of 41. We know that Austen began declining in 1816, but there is some debate as to the ultimate cause of her death.

In 1964, Zachary Cope attributed Austen’s death to Addison’s disease. Addison’s disease is a rare form of adrenal insufficiency. Symptoms are slow and gradual, and can include stomach issues, overall weakness, weight loss, vomiting, and the darkening of one’s skin. While many scholars accept this posthumous diagnosis, others attribute Austen’s death to Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

All we know for sure is that Jane Austen was ill for over a year before she passed away.

Photo: PBS

Is Miss Austen Based on a True Story? Was Henry Hobday a Real Person?

Masterpiece on PBS’s Miss Austen is based on Gill Hornby’s novel of the same name, which is, in turn, based on the real Jane Austen, Cassandra Austen, and their friends and relatives. For instance, Mary Austen was a real person who married into the Austen family. Young Cassandra was engaged to Tom Fowle (Calam Lynch), who did tragically die before their wedding. There was really a Dr. Lidderdale in the village where the Fowles lived and Isabella did marry him after her father’s death!!!

However, one part of Miss Austen is total fiction. There was no dashing gentleman named Henry Hobday who nearly swept Cassandra away from her fate as a spinster.

Interestingly enough, when DECIDER asked Miss Austen star Keeley Hawes if she thought Cassandra was haunted by what could have been with Tom Fowle or Henry Hobday, she insisted that Cassy was probably more torn up about a different loss.

“I think, as you say, the core love story is is between Jane and Cassy,” Hawes said. “Her sister was the love of her life and vice-versa.”

“I’d like to think that she didn’t have those sorts of regrets because she was there for Jane. Otherwise, it’s a bit too sad. Otherwise it’s just a bit too heartbreaking.”

Ultimately, Miss Austen is the story of how much Jane and Cassy loved each other.