Jane Austen and gender studies are made for each other, not only because the content of her novels inspire feminist critique (albeit sometimes conflicting, because, well, all her heroines get married, don't they?), but also because reactions to her tend to be polarised along gender lines. (Remember my reporting in a recent post on VS Naipaul's … Continue reading Emma: 200 years of perfection: Pt 3, Gender and the study of Austen
Author: Whispering Gums
Monday musings on Australian literature: Guest post by Annette Marfording of the Bellingen Writers Festival
Having been intrigued by comments made by Annette Marfording, Program Director of the Bellingen Readers and Writers Festival, about running a literary festival, I approached her about writing a guest post for my blog. I thought her experience might intrigue at least some of my readers here too. Marfording chairs one-on-one conversations and panels at the Festival, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Guest post by Annette Marfording of the Bellingen Writers Festival
Emma: 200 years of perfection: Pt 2, The art of literary research
For my second post on JASA's Emma: 200 years of perfection conference, I want to share (or, at least, summarise for my own edification) some of the ways the speakers had gone about researching Emma, at least as they became apparent to me via their papers. None of these are particularly mind-blowing - they are … Continue reading Emma: 200 years of perfection: Pt 2, The art of literary research
Monday musings on Australian literature: David Unaipon Award
I've mentioned the David Unaipon Award several times in passing but have never devoted a post specifically to it. Today seemed to be a good time to do it, as it would mean I've bookended this year's NAIDOC week with Monday Musings posts devoted to indigenous literature. Just to recap, David Unaipon is credited as the … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: David Unaipon Award
Sam Tranum and Lois Kapila, Love on the road 2015 (Review)
Rules, they say, are made to be broken, and so it was that I broke my rule* of not accepting overseas publications for review and said yes to a short story anthology from Ireland, Love on the road 2015: Twelve more tales of love and travel. I'm not exactly sure, in fact, why an Irish publisher … Continue reading Sam Tranum and Lois Kapila, Love on the road 2015 (Review)
Emma: 200 years of perfection: Pt 1, The capacious Emma
This year is the 200th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen's Emma, so it was natural that the Jane Austen Society of Australia's (JASA) biennial weekend conference, held last weekend, would be devoted to the novel. It was a fascinating and inspiring conference, and one I felt well-prepared for having just re-read Emma earlier … Continue reading Emma: 200 years of perfection: Pt 1, The capacious Emma
Monday musings on Australian literature: NAIDOC Week 2015
Australians will be aware that this week, July 5 to 12, is NAIDOC Week. NAIDOC originally stood for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, the committee that was once responsible for organising national activities during NAIDOC Week. However, this acronym has now become the name of the week, which suggests just how significant, and well-accepted, this … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: NAIDOC Week 2015
Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey (Review)
Although I've titled this a review, as I do when I write about a book, this post on my latest read, Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, is not really going to be a review. Like all her novels, it's been intensively written about from multiple angles, and in fact there are many themes and ideas I'd love to write about, but … Continue reading Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey (Review)
Emma Ashmere, The floating garden (Review)
I had a little chuckle when, fairly early in Emma Ashmere's novel, The floating garden, we discover that our main character, Ellis Gilbey, writes a gardening column under the name Scribbly Gum! Good name, I thought. If it hadn't been for my school song inspiration, this would have been the name for me! There's another … Continue reading Emma Ashmere, The floating garden (Review)
Monday musings on Australian literature: Black Inc’s Best 100 Poems
I've been feeling rather guilty about a book sent to me in late 2013 by Black Inc. I'm usually very conscientious about reading and reviewing books that I've accepted for review - not so much for those sent to me "on spec" - but I slipped up with Black Inc's The best 100 poems of Dorothy Porter. … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Black Inc’s Best 100 Poems
