Why did women keep “swooning” in 19th-century novels? In the early 1800s, fainting was seen as a socially acceptable way for women to express strong feelings like desire, anger, or shock. Openly showing such emotions was frowned upon, so swooning became a kind of body language. The famous “fainting couch” even became a fashionable piece of furniture. And yes—tight corsets really did make fainting more likely! Authors like Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, and Dickens used swooning both for dramatic

The Disturbing History and Enduring Style of the Fainting Couch

Finally, An Explanation of a Fainting Couch