Tag: women’s experiences at University

The Peacock Room by Anna Sayburn Lane – a contemporary thriller with a literary basis

October 16, 2020

The Peacock Room by Anna Sayburn Lane

Literature can be a dangerous thing, at least in the life of English literature lecturer Helen Oddfellow in this, her second literary appearance. In this exciting and tense novel with much to say about the exploitation of young women, William Blake’s poetry and illustrations provide the inspiration for much of the action. Not that this is a dry book of literary history; this is a contemporary thriller which goes further than “woman in peril” and maintains a fierce pace. The settings, in a university, in the streets where Blake lived, in well known museums and libraries, tries to evoke not only the contemporary danger to various people, but also give a glimpse of the artist and his contemporaries. This is a fast moving book full of incident and interest, informative about Blake and others, and condemning how certain men have a negative concept of women. I found the writing vivid and engaging, and Helen a very human protagonist who has doubts and feels emotions as well as trying to solve mysteries. The way this story builds up, but with plenty of incidents en route, is so well constructed as to be difficult to put down. I was so pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this memorable book.

The Prologue sets an important theme of the book; a man preparing by practicing with a gun, his thoughts depicted as determined and aggressive. Helen is shown in the first chapter as waking alone, contacted by a friend Nick, and suggesting that they meet in Crispin’s flat, an older man who welcomes visitors. As he reveals disturbing drawings, Nick mentions Rintrah, one of Blake’s subjects who is a disturbing influence. He points out that one of the most knowledgeable people of the subject is Professor Pentrarch Greenwood, a person Helen has to encounter as she has to take over his tutor group for a while. Not that she is keen on this assignment, as her knowledge of Blake is limited. She calls on a Blake expert, Barbara, to recommend books and things she must quickly absorb in order to teach effectively. Helen soon discovers that it is not so much the volume of knowledge that she possesses about Blake which is important, as much as her relationship with the five students in the group, who seem to be curiously vulnerable or brashly self confident. The various characters in the novel interact and discover more about what is truly going on in a series of events which tests everyone. 

This is a novel which, like its predecessor “Unlawful Things”, combines literary investigation with tense action and drama. I enjoy the setting of the various events in this novel, even though some of the situations are disturbing. The characters are memorable in their reality and their emotions as well as their sudden bursts of understanding. Helen is an excellent main protagonist as she struggles with her own guilt, sadness and regret, but she is also inspired, brave and clever and dealing with the extraordinary situation she finds herself in throughout this novel. It is difficult to review a thriller without giving too much away , but I recommend this book as an extremely well written novel with many layers of interest.

I really enjoyed this book, and learnt a lot about William Blake and his contemporaries, just as I learnt a lot about Christopher Marlowe from this author’s first book. It is certainly a great way to learnt literary history!

Eileen – The Making of George Orwell by Sylvia Topp – the woman behind the scenes

March 11, 2020

 

This is certainly the book which will form the definitive biography of Eileen O’Shaughnessy, first wife of the author who adopted the name George Orwell. It is definitive because it has taken every scrap of information that can be probably found about a woman who died at the tragically early age of thirty – nine, who had packed a lot into those years. An Oxford graduate in the early days of women being tolerated at University, and able as a writer and typist, she turned her considerable literary talents into helping, editing and promoting the work of two Erics, her brother who was a noted surgeon, and Eric Blair, better known as George Orwell. 

 

This book puts forward descriptions of this attractive and intelligent woman who chose to subsume her own talents under the pressure of the career of the author of such books as “Animal Farm” to which she may well contributed ideas just before her death.  She undoubtedly was the person who worked hard to ensure the well being and writing of a husband who demanded trying living arrangements while struggling with his own health. She was the first to type up the manuscript of “The Road to Wigan Pier”, and she was part of Orwell’s Spanish adventure which was behind the book “Homage to Catalonia”. Much more than merely a muse or inspiration, she took on the job of working on the text of the books, typing, suggesting and improving manuscripts. Topp is to be congratulated on her sterling work in tracking down every scrap of information about this brilliant woman, and combining it into an immensely readable book. I was so pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this extremely successful book.

 

This book looks at the immediate ancestors of Eileen, the places she lived, and the influences on a girl who was typically Head Girl and House captain at school. On going to Oxford in 1924, Topp has tried to capture what it was actually like for the tiny number of women attending the University in this period. She has gathered all the available comments on her academic work, showing that she was certainly gifted and hard working. Her life after graduation lacked a certain direction, but she was generally admired and succeeded in every post she held, even running a typists’ agency. Her fateful meeting with the slightly strange Eric Blair was certainly memorable for him, as he apparently decided that she exactly fulfilled his requirements for a wife, despite his other attachments to various women. He is shown to be self centred and demanding, though undoubtedly quickly devoted to his vivacious and much admired young woman. Their wedding challenged expectations, as well as the demands of the somewhat primitive cottage that they embarked on sharing with many visitors. The rigid timetable that Blair/ Orwell adopted meant a lot of hard physical work, which she only abandoned when she chose to follow him to a dangerous war torn Spain. While it is highly likely that she did not live a lonely life in Barcelona according to Topp’s painstaking investigations, she was extremely active in transporting the badly wounded Blair from a dangerous Spain where he became a hunted man. Her life when they returned to Britain was obviously sadly affected by the outbreak of war and the loss of her much loved brother Eric. When in became obvious that the couple were unable to have children naturally, the adoption of a baby, Richard, added to the pressure on a woman already in weakened health. Her much mourned and sudden death obviously had a stong effect on a man who was established as an author, significantly resulting from her efforts. 

 

This is a book which is the product of so much painstaking research, yet the insightful writing makes it a pleasure to read. I recommend this book not only to those interested in Orwell, but also those interested in women who were subject to the challenges and changes of the mid twentieth century.     

 

This is a fascinating book and has been quite a weighty tome on my excellent book trollies, which have given me the opportunity to store my books to read and review in a sensible way. Thanks to Harry who tracked them down and presented them for birthday and Christmas presents ( They are from Hobbycraft by the way – mint green by choice!)