A few months ago I discussed Tsitsi Dangarembga's 1988 novel Nervous Conditions in the context of feminist writing and postcolonial literature. Today, I'll like to talk about this remarkable novel in a slightly different context: coupled with George Eliot's classic 1871 novel Middlemarch. Published over a century apart and set against very different backdrops, these two novels are nevertheless tied … Continue reading A Classic Couple: Middlemarch and Nervous Conditions
Tag: Victorian Literature
A Year of Oxford Reading Lists | Holly Goes Abroad
What do we have here? A Holly Goes Abroad post on a Wednesday?! Indeed. A few weeks ago someone commented asking if I could share all of my required reading lists from my year studying at Oxford, so that's what I'm going to do today. I'm posting this in the middle of the week because it's more … Continue reading A Year of Oxford Reading Lists | Holly Goes Abroad
Feminist Fridays: Pride and Prejudice (circa 1995 BBC)
Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice, along with many of her other novels, often receives criticism for depicting women as utterly dependent on men. While I wholeheartedly disagree with this criticism (look at Austen's satire! her wit! her humor! making fun of those who depend on men!), today I'd like to discuss this perspective regarding a … Continue reading Feminist Fridays: Pride and Prejudice (circa 1995 BBC)
A Classic Couple: Middlemarch and White Teeth
What's this?? Another Classic Couple feature after months of nothing? That's right! A Classic Couple is back with a whole new round of classic-contemporary pairings. Today I'll be comparing two lengthy but worthwhile novels: Middlemarch by George Eliot (1871-2) and White Teeth by Zadie Smith (1999). Although there are countless differences between these novels, there are numerous surprising similarities that are … Continue reading A Classic Couple: Middlemarch and White Teeth
Feminist Fridays: Augusta Webster
This week I'll be discussing one of the Victorian poets I read for the first time last term: August Webster. Born as Julia Augusta Davies, August Webster (1837-1894) was a writer of all sorts: poems, essays, plays, translations, and even a novel. Although she started out studying Greek at home, she eventually got the opportunity … Continue reading Feminist Fridays: Augusta Webster
I CAPTURE THE CASTLE by Dodie Smith | Review
Set in a castle past its prime in Suffolk, England during the year 1934, Dodie Smith's enduring novel I Capture the Castle tells the story of a poverty-stricken family struggling to make it by. The novel is narrated by seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain, a budding writer who chronicles her life in several witty, entertaining journals. Everything changes one … Continue reading I CAPTURE THE CASTLE by Dodie Smith | Review
WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Brontë | Review
I’ll admit that when I first read Wuthering Heights a few years ago I wasn’t very impressed. The characters were ridiculously melodramatic, the names were confusing, and there seemed to be no point to this dark, tumultuous novel. However, recently reading it again for one of my courses has made me question my initial impressions. … Continue reading WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Brontë | Review
