Bibliography
Jan. 8th, 2009 11:05 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_lady_lilyA new year, a new numbering system...
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - Winifred Watson
I decided I wanted to read this after listening to a Women's Hour program that did a slot on the book to coincide with the release of the recent film adaptation. I am very glad I did, as I guzzled this down in a day. It is total and utter bookcrack, and a very promising way to start the year, if you ask me.
The story is set over a day, as the title might suggest, and follows the tale of Miss Guinevere Pettigrew, an entirely unsuccessful governess of about forty, a clergyman's daughter who has led a very sheltered life, desperately seeking employment from Miss LaFosse. When Miss LaFosse opens the door to Miss Pettigrew, who is expecting an interview, she instead ends up being catapulted into Miss LaFosse's life - which is wealthy, elegant and decidedly debauched in a good-natured way. Miss LaFosse is a nightclub singer and actress who is balancing three different men - Phil, who is backing her in a show; Nick, who is dastardly; and Michael, who wants to marry her and who she stood up at the altar. He is decidedly unimpressed and gives her one last chance... but the siren call of Nick, who is the sort of cad that women love to hate to love, is almost too much for Miss LaFosse! Miss Pettigrew, who makes herself indispensible by getting rid of Phil before Nick arrives and then manages to get rid of Nick, forms exceptionally solid views on precisely whom Miss LaFosse should marry, and it all turns out alright in the end - Miss Pettigrew gets a job that she is actually suited for, Miss LaFosse ends up with the right chap, and there is even a very definite hint of romance on the horizon for Miss Pettigrew herself.
It's a romp, plain and simple. There would be plenty of ways to read it as a lesbian coming-out story, or at least a tale of repressed bi awakening, from the language used to describe Miss Pettigrew's reaction to Miss LaFosse, and indeed the interaction between most of the named women. There's a slightly unpleasant line of xenophobia and views on racial purity, directed mainly at the Jews and Italians, which is a product of the times and thankfully can be read over without too much discomfort, but I feel it fair to warn you. That said, this is a wonderful piece of fantastical fluff that is smoothly written and races past at speed; I thoroughly encourage you to pick it up and indulge in the day-dreaming.
Barbie's Queer Accessories - Erica Rand
I don't normally post about books I'm reading for academic purposes, but I think some of my reading for the Classical Barbie Project is going to cross over that barrier, mainly because it's suitably placed in the field of cultural studies to be of interest to others. This one is an excellent example of that, because it thinks about the various ways that Barbie has been used 'queerly', and wonders a bit about definining 'queer' and 'straight' in terms of Barbie consumption. It's a very interesting read theoretically - doesn't talk a lot about the kind of things I'm interested in, but does an interesting analysis of the way people construct their Barbie narratives of the past, and how Mattel creates a story of infinite possibilities that in practice is limited by the accessories Mattel produces. Also some nice thoughts about Subversive Barbies - that is, Barbies who are used in various artistic ways as a means of expressing concerns about racism, sexism etc.
There were some fairly theory-heavy patches, but Rand has an engaging writing style, and the ideas she's working with are fairly straight-forward. I think I like her idea that saying Mattel produces a Meaning that is then entirely unshakeable in the minds of children is rubbish. After all, children can tell if they have a message aimed at them, and they will shift that message. I also like the idea that today's perpetrator of Barbie norms can be tomorrow's rejector of them - one day's 'how I play with Barbie' does not reflect your overall attitude to the doll.
Unfortunately, she only touches briefly on my area of interest, the Adult Collector, but it was definitely worth the read, and certainly is probably not a bad place to start for anyone wanting an insight into some of the issues in Barbie Politics.
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - Winifred Watson
I decided I wanted to read this after listening to a Women's Hour program that did a slot on the book to coincide with the release of the recent film adaptation. I am very glad I did, as I guzzled this down in a day. It is total and utter bookcrack, and a very promising way to start the year, if you ask me.
The story is set over a day, as the title might suggest, and follows the tale of Miss Guinevere Pettigrew, an entirely unsuccessful governess of about forty, a clergyman's daughter who has led a very sheltered life, desperately seeking employment from Miss LaFosse. When Miss LaFosse opens the door to Miss Pettigrew, who is expecting an interview, she instead ends up being catapulted into Miss LaFosse's life - which is wealthy, elegant and decidedly debauched in a good-natured way. Miss LaFosse is a nightclub singer and actress who is balancing three different men - Phil, who is backing her in a show; Nick, who is dastardly; and Michael, who wants to marry her and who she stood up at the altar. He is decidedly unimpressed and gives her one last chance... but the siren call of Nick, who is the sort of cad that women love to hate to love, is almost too much for Miss LaFosse! Miss Pettigrew, who makes herself indispensible by getting rid of Phil before Nick arrives and then manages to get rid of Nick, forms exceptionally solid views on precisely whom Miss LaFosse should marry, and it all turns out alright in the end - Miss Pettigrew gets a job that she is actually suited for, Miss LaFosse ends up with the right chap, and there is even a very definite hint of romance on the horizon for Miss Pettigrew herself.
It's a romp, plain and simple. There would be plenty of ways to read it as a lesbian coming-out story, or at least a tale of repressed bi awakening, from the language used to describe Miss Pettigrew's reaction to Miss LaFosse, and indeed the interaction between most of the named women. There's a slightly unpleasant line of xenophobia and views on racial purity, directed mainly at the Jews and Italians, which is a product of the times and thankfully can be read over without too much discomfort, but I feel it fair to warn you. That said, this is a wonderful piece of fantastical fluff that is smoothly written and races past at speed; I thoroughly encourage you to pick it up and indulge in the day-dreaming.
Barbie's Queer Accessories - Erica Rand
I don't normally post about books I'm reading for academic purposes, but I think some of my reading for the Classical Barbie Project is going to cross over that barrier, mainly because it's suitably placed in the field of cultural studies to be of interest to others. This one is an excellent example of that, because it thinks about the various ways that Barbie has been used 'queerly', and wonders a bit about definining 'queer' and 'straight' in terms of Barbie consumption. It's a very interesting read theoretically - doesn't talk a lot about the kind of things I'm interested in, but does an interesting analysis of the way people construct their Barbie narratives of the past, and how Mattel creates a story of infinite possibilities that in practice is limited by the accessories Mattel produces. Also some nice thoughts about Subversive Barbies - that is, Barbies who are used in various artistic ways as a means of expressing concerns about racism, sexism etc.
There were some fairly theory-heavy patches, but Rand has an engaging writing style, and the ideas she's working with are fairly straight-forward. I think I like her idea that saying Mattel produces a Meaning that is then entirely unshakeable in the minds of children is rubbish. After all, children can tell if they have a message aimed at them, and they will shift that message. I also like the idea that today's perpetrator of Barbie norms can be tomorrow's rejector of them - one day's 'how I play with Barbie' does not reflect your overall attitude to the doll.
Unfortunately, she only touches briefly on my area of interest, the Adult Collector, but it was definitely worth the read, and certainly is probably not a bad place to start for anyone wanting an insight into some of the issues in Barbie Politics.
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