The Madwoman in the Attic

This week's Times Higher Education features The Madwoman in the Attic by Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar under its series on the literary canon ('The Canon', p. 47). A text I'm glad to say we have in the collection here at Chawton House Library. Deborah D. Rogers, professor of English at the University of Maine, ends her article with a question often raised about the recovery of women writers: '... some argue that ghettoising female authors is no longer necessary to counteract their marginalisation. For them, the time has come for a more integrative history of literature. But, echoing my children's complaints on long drives, I can't help but ask: "Are we there yet?"'

Orange news

A second posting today, as I catch up with news about women writers and readers - at the beginning of this month the Orange Prize was won by Marilynne Robinson and her novel Home http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jun/03/marilynne-robinson-orange-prize. This April I was in Iowa City for the British Women Writers Conference 2009 and had an interesting conversation with a woman over my supper one evening about the work of Marilynne Robinson. Robinson teaches at the University of Iowa and the city has a vibrant community of creative writers.