Wicked Women: The Mean Girls of Literature

Tina Fey's Mean Girls, starring the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Seyfried, is apparently 10 years old today. At my 10th birthday party a group of my friends and I watched the movie in awe, giddy at its rudeness and delighted that 'that girl from Parent Trap who played twins' was in another film. Today, the internet has consequently exploded with #fetch hashtags and reminiscent Regina George quotes/memes. In response, For Books Sake have published a guest post discussing their favourite mean girls of literature, including the likes of Blair of Gossip Girl to Mrs Danvers in Rebecca.

This article has got me thinking about my own favourite evil women in literature, the 'life ruiners' alike Regina George who may have been overseen. So, I present to you my own list of literary Mean Girls:

Victoria in Zofloya, or The Moor by Charlotte Dacre

The mere thought of the female protagonist in Charlotte Dacre's 1806 novel makes me shudder. Victoria becomes a life ruiner several times over under the control of the devilish Zofloya; she's jealous, a bit sex crazy (maybe even a rapist), torturer, and savage killer of innocent Lillia (cos she doesn't even go here! Meaning: she's stolen Victoria's Henriquez...I had to fit that quote in somewhere!?) Altogether a bit of a...you know...rhymes with hyco witch?

Miss Havisham in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Poor Pip is the target of Miss Havisham's plans for revenge on mankind, pursuing his broken heart through her adopted daughter, Estella. Havisham, however, is owed perhaps more sympathy - left at the altar, she is ultimately denied the Victorian right to fulfilled womanhood (children), and becomes a recluse living in the suspended moment of what was meant to be her wedding day. No pink Wednesdays for Havisham...just the discoloured white of her decaying wedding dress every single day of the week. Not so fetch.

Medea in Medea by Euripides

A couple of thousand years later, Medea still appears as evil as ever. Jealous of Jason and his new love, she kills their children and taunts him with their bloody bodies. As you do.

Tamora in Titus Andronicus by William Shakespeare

Tamora, Queen of the Goths, is out for vicious means of revenge in this bloody Bard play - and, considering the death of her eldest son in the play's early scenes, she does seem to have motive. Evil nonetheless.

Choc Lit: A selection of chocolate-themed reads for Easter

Easter, for me, is about chocolate (Lie - everyday is about chocolate isn't it?). Anyway, Easter Day is a remarkable day when I am presented with a range of chocolatey treats by family members which I must stare at, drool for, and dutifully decide what time it is appropriate to guiltily crack open the first egg (11am approx. by my standards). Chocolate is also linked to books - there are the book awards sponsored by Galaxy, and even a publisher I found online aiming to find books only suitable to be read with a side helping of chocolate treats (I know, genius marketing ploy, isn't it?)

Anywho, I thought I would write a (long-overdue) blog post especially for Easter about pieces of literature which fixate on chocolate almost as much as I do everyday.

Chocolat by Joanne Harris 

Let's start with the obvious - this 1999 novel is about Vianne Rocher, a woman who opens a chocolate shop in a grumpy French village. It seems a poignant choice for Easter reading too - as much of the plot's tension comes from the village Church's disapproval of the indulgence represented by the chocolate sold by Rocher during Lent.

Admittedly, I haven't actually read this novel although I thought it was a bit too obvious to leave out of the selection in this post. I have, however, watched the film version in the hope of seeing Johnny Depp - only to be very disappointed because he only turns up as a sort of folk-hero chocolate bandit towards the end.




Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl 

And how could I have forgotten this wonderful book? Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is one of my favourite children's books, along side the rest of Dahl's work. If you don't know the plot (how could you NOT?), it follows a young poor boy called Charlie who received a Golden Ticket to go to the elusive and exclusive Wonka Factory. Did anyone else feel extremely jealous when Augustus Gloop fell in that chocolate river? Nope? Just me then?

It's a tale that has been made into a feature film twice - the eccentric factory-owner Willy Wonka first played by Gene Wilder in 1971 and then Johnny Depp in 2005 (I am starting to develop a conspiracy theory that Depp likes to make films about cocoa treats...or is that just me?).











'Chocs' by Carol Ann Duffy

Let's not forget poetry either - I have found this great little poem by Duffy which describes the experience of tucking into a box of Terry's Moonlight - the excitement of the 'electrifying rustle' of wrappers, the 'dark and glamorous scent' of chocolate, the 'chomp[ing]' and gorg[ing] until disappointingly finding only the horrid Coffee Cream left. We all have those one in a chocolate box that we hate, after all.



'Harlem Sweeties' by Langston Hughes

This poem by Langston Hughes may initially seem like an account of a sweet shop in  Harlem, but you soon realise Hughes is writing about his admiration for women in the neighbourhood. Sweet treats, like chocolate, become representative of women of Hughes' admiration - it's a colourful and fast-paced poem (albeit, a little misogynistic). You can read it here.

Gendered Book Marketing - Is a Boycott Really Fair to the Author?

Recently, The Independent newspaper announced that they will no longer review gender-specific children's books, arguing that marketing books in this way gives  a child an impression of how their gender should be defined.

'Sugar and spice and all things nice, that’s what little girls are made of.' wrote Katy Guest, 'And boys? They’re made of trucks and trains and aeroplanes, building blocks, chemistry experiments, sword fights and guns [..] At least, that’s the impression that children are increasingly given by the very books that are supposed to broaden their horizons.'

Guest goes on to cite the Let Books Be Books campaign, which aims to discourage gender-specific book marketing in the children's book industry.

The Independent's decision has been met with a lot of response - both praise and skepticism has been thrown in its direction. When I first read of it, I was impressed and happy that a big voice in the media was targeting gendered books. I am fed up of gender specific book covers determining and restricting an author's work to a limited demographic. Equally, I began to wonder if The Independent's boycott was really fair to the authors of these texts.

Lilit Marcus has claimed that The Independent's straight refusal is 'counterproductive' - most author's do not get a say in how their creative work will be marketed and to whom it will be targeted. 

Marcus explains: 'Those decisions are made by highers-up at publishing companies, with the actual writer just hoping that their book will manage to somehow stand out from the pack of new releases. Choosing to boycott a book based on to whom it’s being marketed is kind of like boycotting a band based on who goes to their concerts – there is not much that the actual creator of the work can do'.

Of course, we must ask how we can judge a book (the actual texture of a piece of writing) as good if we do not even spare it a chance past its cover and poor choices made by a publishing company's publicity staff? By boycotting gendered children's books, The Independent is oversimplifying an industry-wide issue and ignoring (possibly forcefully shunning) the writer and their potential reputations.

New app will help you read a novel in under 90 minutes (a.k.a. the holy grail for English undergrads)

So, I think it's fair to say we can all admit to skimming through a book, racing through pages with only a glancing at words at the beginnings and ends of paragraphs (or chapters - I've tried this. Surprisingly not a great way to get to grips with Ulysses....). As an English undergraduate, with sometimes three or four books to read per week in preparation for lectures and seminars (I know, poor me), I am a bit guilty of speed reading (and then maybe looking up a book plot on the internet - shhhh don't tell!). Rest assured, I have definitely learnt some cruel lessons from reading fast and fleetingly - I have been that sole person in a seminar scratching my head when everyone else is discussing the BIGGEST plot twist that I, somehow, COMPLETELY missed.

Today, I have been reading about a new bit of technology that would help you read a novel in less than 90 minutes - perfect for the busy English or indeed any student! Spritz is a new app designed to help you read fast - because, let's face it, as much as I would love to spend hours reading for leisure, life gets really busy.

Developed through research into how we read and reading techniques, Spritzing means you will not have to move your eyes across a page, therefore seriously cutting down your reading time. It's been described as an 'extremely efficient, precise, convenient and comfortable' method.

Don't believe me? You can test Spritz on this website: http://www.spritzinc.com/the-science/

Although Spritz may not appeal to everyone (because what's better than taking your time with a really good book?) there's definitely a target audience out there for this app: the lazy, unorganised student with lots of reading but not enough time!

The Winter Olympics and Literature...An Unlikely Combination?

Today I have enjoyed reading an article by John Dugdale on the Guardian website about the seemingly surprising connections between winter sports and fiction. Dugdale's inventive feature comes in the wake of the opening of the Sochi Olympics and authors' protests over the creative 'choke hold' created by Putin's anti-gay and blasphemy lays. Though literary giants like Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood have spoken out against this controversial legislation, Dugdale's article takes a break from intense political debates about freedom of expression and attempts to enlighten us to the unexpected legacy of winter sports in fiction.

Firstly, there is of course the ice skating that takes place on frozen river in Louise May Alcott's Little Women. This is an episode which Dugdale interprets as speed skating since Laurie and Jo are racing and leave Amy behind when she falls through the ice. Don't forget that ice skating also features in The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, as Holden Caulfield agrees to take Sally to Radio City for a spot of skating.

Dugdale also identifies James Bond's potential Olympic prowess in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, as the spy executes slalom, biathlon and skeleton skilfully. The following cover demonstrates Bond's ability to ski and shoot a gun at the same time, which probably undermines the dangerous nature of the Olympic skiing events currently on show in Sochi.

Poetry, of course, has a fair share of winter sports as well. T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land features some bobsleigh action, as an Austrian countess recalls fun in the snow before the war: "... he took me out on a sled, / And I was frightened. He said, Marie,/ Marie, hold on tight. And down we/ went". Robert Burns' also explores the peculiar sport of curling in 'Tam Samson's Elegy'.

So, winter sports do have a legacy in literary history...who'd have thought it?

(A link to Dugdale's article can be found in the first paragraph).

Where are the Women? The Invisible Girls of Art.

In a slight divergence from the literary angle of my most recent blog posts, today I bring you Jemima Kirke (a.k.a Jessa in Lena Dunham's Girls) discussing gender inequality in the visual art world. In this Youtube video, which is part of the Tate's Unlock Art short film series, Kirke explores the continuing under representation and subordination of female artists throughout history. Written by Jessica Lack, the video focuses on the erasing of female artists from art history. I felt this post would flow on nicely from yesterday's discussion of the #readwomen2014 campaign, as it further proves the continuing disenfranchisement of female artists across different creative fields.

Take a look at the video below:

The video touches on the difficulty art historians face to represent female artists without having to rewrite the history of art and the problems with publishing books solely about female artists, which would further marginalise female artists from the wider historically contexts. A particular highlight of the short film is the segment about the ironic uproar that surrounded Margaret Harrison's feminist exhibition in the 1960s because of her manipulation of the male body in her art.

Give the video a watch - it's educational and will open your eyes to the pervasive subordination of female artists beyond literature.

#readwomen2014: Let's challenge our sexist reading habits

Joanna Walsh's recent article for the Guardian poses an interesting literary-themed New Years resolution. Reflecting on VIDA's annual calculation of the rates of male and female publication, in which their attractive pie charts show that female authors are considerably discriminated against in the publishing world, Walsh decided to start a new reading campaign. Walsh asks readers to think about the gender of the next author they are about to select from their bookshelves, and advises them to pick a female author as a way to combat pervasive sexist reading habits. The #readwomen2014 hashtag promotes Walsh's aims to challenge the inequality found in the book market, and she's even created some female author inspired bookmarks to further the cause.

Interestingly, Walsh also considers the way female writers are published as a detriment to gender equality in publishing. The flowery, girly covers used for female author's books take away their serious, weighty sentiments and create an impression that the title contains writing of 'delicacy' (bluergh). You may be baffled to learn that Lionel Shriver's 'nasty' novel Game Control was originally destined for an equally 'feminine' cover. It's a publishing approach that seems old fashioned, not to mention patronising, but Walsh points out that it is a trend still very much present in the publishing industry.

I definitely think this is an innovative and thought-provoking way to challenge sexism in reading, and the use of social media is certainly going to attract more public support. In my own experience, I have been witness to a reader's surprise that their 500-page WWI themed novel was, in fact, written by a female author (shock, horror).

It's true that male writers dominate the bestseller lists, book charts and English degree syllabuses. I am frequently asked to consider the topic of the literary 'canon' as a point of discussion in my university seminars, and so I am fully aware how male-dominated (and, more often than not, dead) the literature curriculum is. Perhaps universities are becoming more aware of this issue, as it was a surprise to me that the first author I was asked to read at university was Hilary Mantel.

The #readwomen2014 campaign is gaining attention. Glamour, Harpers Bazaar and LA Times are just a few publications to take notice and promote literary gender equality. So, why don't you join in! Who is your favourite female author? And, who is the next female author you will read?

Here is Joanna Walsh's article - read it for yourself!