The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

I didn't know.

I've been reading and thoroughly enjoying the story of Sarah Grimké  and Handful by Sue Monk Kidd.

The Invention of Wings is a wonderfully complex, nuanced, character driven story that takes you straight into the heart of the deep South in the early 1800's.

Given the Classics Club event for this month (Feminism in literature) I was also taking note of all the issues that crop up for Sarah throughout the book.

I haven't finished yet, but I had some quiet time this afternoon & thought I would get a few ideas together for a review.

Imagine my surprise when I googled the book image and up popped a photo of the real Sarah Grinké!

No wonder the characters feel so real!

Sarah was born Nov 26 1792 in South Carolina. She was the 8th of 14 children.

Angelina was born Feb 20 1805 - the youngest of the tribe. Together these 2 amazing women were known as The Grinké Sisters - early abolitionists & feminists.

Both women became heavily involved with the Quaker movement after the death of their father in 1819. Sarah tried to become a minister until she realised that the church was something she agreed with in theory only.

Sarah & Angelina were the first female public speakers in the US. They started off with parlour room meetings for women only. These meetings grew in size. Men starting creeping in to listen. Mixed meetings were organised and by 1837 both sisters were involved in the Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women in New York.

Their early talks focused on abolitionist themes, but gradually their talks included more & more on the rights of women. They both felt that women's rights were just as important as the fight to end slavery. But many abolitionists opposed these discussions about women's rights as being 'too extreme'!

As a result, they both endured increasing levels of personal abuse & criticism. Their meetings and debates were considered 'unseemly' and 'unwomanly'. They were accused of being spinsters parading themselves in front of men, looking for husbands.

In 1836 Sarah published An Epistle to the Clergy of the Southern States. The following year she wrote Letters on the Equality of the Sexes and the Condition of Women.

Angelina wrote An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South in 1836. In 1838 she also published a series of letters in response to Catharine Beecher's An Essay on Slavery and Abolitionism with Reference to the Duty of American Females.

I'm about halfway through The Invention of Wings.
The first half has been a fascinating coming of age story for both Sarah and her personal slave, Handful.

But Sarah has just accompanied her dying father to Philadelphia & we're about to embark on the above journey as told through Sue Monk Kidd's eyes.

I can't wait.

The Invention Of Wings fulfills my Published in 2014 category for the Eclectic Readers Challenge.

Feminist Literature

This month The Classics Club is challenging us with the topic 'feminist literature'. 

So far not a lot of literature has been discussed, but a lot of commentary has already popped up about the word 'feminism'. 

I find it curious that this one little word can create such passionate feelings from men and women. Why is this so?

I would go so far as to suggest that since this one little word still creates such strong feelings in men & women that there are still a lot of unresolved issues around this topic. 

Strong feelings come about because men and women feel threatened, fearful or anxious. 
Strong feelings indicate an underlying, long-term and very personal problem for both men and women.

Why is this one little word such a threat? Why are feminists ridiculed, attacked & feared by so many? Why is feminism becoming a dirty word in some circles? 

I have seen posts and reviews and commentaries that spend time on defining the word, providing an historical overview or sharing a personal experience with feminism. 
It's easy to see defensiveness in each response - including my own response to their writings! 

What is going on here?

Why are men and women so afraid of this word?

Given that today is International Women's Day, I thought I'd enter the fray!

So, feminist literature...where to start?

The very first thing I thought of in relation to women in literature and feminism was the lovely Anne Eliot.

In Persuasion,  Jane Austen gives Anne Elliot some wonderful lines.

“I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies 

instead of rational creatures. None of us want

 to be in calm waters all our lives.” 

And my personal favourite - when Anne is deep in literary discussions with Captain Harville ....

“I do not think I ever opened a book in my life which had not something to say 

upon woman's inconstancy. Songs and proverbs, all talk of woman's fickleness. 

But perhaps you will say, these were all written by men."

"Perhaps I shall. Yes, yes, if you please, 

no reference to examples in books. Men have had every advantage of us 

in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much 

higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. 

I will not allow books to prove anything.” 

My next stream of thoughts turned to Virginia Woolf and her little book - A Room of One's Own. The book developed from a talk she gave about women and fiction in 1928.

A lot of her thinking reflected mine as I tried to work out what The Classics Club means by 'feminist literature'. 

Does it mean...

"women and what they are like; or it might mean women 

and the fiction that they write; or it might mean women 

and the fiction that is written about them; 

or it might mean that somehow all three are inextricably mixed together."

Certainly, Woolf firmly believed that for women to write, and to write well, they needed "money & a room of her own". 
She goes on to clarify that writing requires time and space to think, reflect and write in peace, away from the demands of family life and strife. It is very hard to find time to write when one is pregnant every eighteen months! In fact, it is no coincidence that the women writers up to Woolf's time were usually unmarried and childless.

Woolf also acknowledges the passion surrounding this topic

"when a subject is highly controversial - 

and any question about sex is that - 

one cannot hope to tell the truth. One can only show 

how one came to hold whatever opinion one does hold."

One of the arguments often used back then is that women's bodies are designed differently and therefore, naturally not able to cope with the world of men. Even Woolf played with this idea when she said,

"Moreover, in a hundred years...women will have ceased to be the protected sex. 

Logically they will take part in all activities and exertions 

that were once denied them....All assumptions founded on the facts 

observed when women were the protected sex will have disappeared - 

as, for example, that women...live longer....

Remove that protection, expose them to the same exertions and activities...

and will not women die off so much younger, so much quicker."

I wish I could go back and reassure Virginia that women can and do cope with the modern world. That women still live longer than most men. That many women are perfectly capable of protecting themselves and able to live responsible, rational lives.

Although, this issue around protection reminds me of a conversation with my brother-in-law a number of years ago. One night he was walking home from a function - it was about 9pm. It was a regular street in a regular city. The night was dark but the path was occasionally lit up by street lights, house lights and passing cars. 

He became aware of a young women walking ahead of him. She, obviously, also became aware of him as she quickened her steps, clutched her bag tightly to her body and moved to the opposite footpath. 

My brother-in-law was initially upset that this unknown woman assessed him as being a danger to her. He wouldn't hurt a fly! But as he continued home, he realised that the young woman didn't know that about him. All she knew was that there were male footsteps approaching from behind on a darkened street.

She felt fear but moved to protect herself as quickly as possible. She, no doubt, got home safely - just with a heart beating faster than usual and a bigger sigh of relief than usual. I've had similar experiences; I know that feeling. I also know there are women who don't get that lovely feeling of being home safe and sound when they walk in their own front doors. For some women home is no protection.

It is difficult to write when one feels unsafe all the time.

I am one of the fortunate ones. I received an excellent education. I was encouraged by my parents to go to uni, travel the world, be financially independent and personally responsible. I was encouraged to be loving and compassionate but to stand up for myself. I was made to do housework, but I also learnt how to change a tyre & check the oil and water on my first car. 

I can paint a house from top to bottom, hang a picture, mow the lawn and complete a complex cross-stitch design! Mr Books can iron his own shirts, cook a delicious meal, vacuum our home more thoroughly than I would ever dream is possible and create the most complex visual/audio system for our loungeroom!

However I will leave the final words for this piece to dear Virginia...

"So long as you write what you wish to write, 

that is all that matters; and whether it matters for ages 

or only for a few hours, nobody can say.

I hope that you will possess yourselves of money enough to travel 

and to idle, to contemplate the future 

or the past of the world, to dream over books 

and loiter at street corners and let the line of of thought 

dip deep into the stream."

We've almost made it Virginia, almost!

Twelve Months of Classic Literature: Shakespeare

The Classics Club is hosting a new year long Meme called Twelve Months of Classic Literature.
The January question asks us to reflect on the life and times of Shakespeare.

My lazy summer schedule has not allowed for serious reflection on any topic whatsoever. But I felt the urge to participate, so I've decided to go for the cheats post on Shakespeare.

In 2007, Mr Books & I had a wonderful 2 weeks travelling around the UK.
We both love seeing Shakespeare performed live, so I arranged tickets for us to see The Merchant of Venice at the new Globe Theatre in London for Mr Books birthday.

We also spent a day in Stratford-on-Avon where we soaked up as much Elizabethan culture as we could handle!

The first 4 photos are of the Gower Memorial in Bancroft Gardens in Stratford (1888). Shakespeare sits on top of the pedestal and is surrounded by bronzes of Lady Macbeth, Hamlet, King Hal & Falstaff (Philosophy, Tragedy, Comedy & History).

The half-timbered house in Henley Street (below) is supposedly where Shakespeare was born in 1564. It has been lovingly restored whilst retaining original details like sloping, uneven floors, narrow steps, dim lighting and low beams. Each room is furnished in the style of the time with lots of information points for the dedicated. The gardens (in September) were a glorious riot of colour.

New Place on Chapel Street was Shakespeare's home from 1597 until his death. Sadly the house was demolished a hundred years later, but the foundations & grounds can still be viewed. Nash House (next door) is now the entrance to the site. It was owned by Thomas Nash who married Shakespeare's granddaughter, Elizabeth. It has a display of furniture and information about the history of Stratford. The second photo (below) also shows the beautiful Guild Chapel in the background overlooking New Place.

The original Globe Theatre, in London was built in 1599. The modern Shakespeare Globe was opened in 1997, about 230m from the original site. We payed a little extra to sit in one of the bays (they're undercover & we didn't want to trust to the English weather!), but you are allowed (& encouraged) to move around before, during and after the performance. 

It was incredible to be so close to the action and was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. For anyone travelling to London from overseas, I cannot recommend this experience highly enough. It was easy to book the tickets online, before our departure. And we were very fortunate that Mr Books all-time favourite Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice) was being performed the week we were in London.

I must confess that I don't enjoy reading Shakespeare anywhere near as much as I enjoy watching Shakespeare.

Since my highschool days when I watched numerous versions of Romeo & Juliet, The Merchant of Venice, Macbeth & King Lear for my studies, I have seen untold numbers of Shakespearean performances on stage, in the park and at the movies.

Some of the highlights have been Romeo & Juliet in the Botanic Gardens, Melbourne, Kevin Spacey as Richard III at the Sydney Opera House, Baz Luhrman's movie of Romeo & Juliet and The Merchant of Venice at the Globe Theatre.

Do you have a favourite performance?