Allan, JM 2011, 'A 'base and spurious thing': Reading and deceptive femininity in Ellen Wood's <I>Parkwater</I> (1857)' , Critical Survey, 23 (1) , pp. 8-24.

PDF - Published Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (434kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

Concentrating on Ellen Wood’s Parkwater, a little-known New Monthly Magazine serial, this article attempts to complicate the long-standing construction of Wood as a ‘quiet sensationalist’. It argues that Wood’s serial was self-consciously appealing to the New Monthly’s male readers and thus incorporated scenes and details of a surprisingly graphic nature. At the same time, the article situates the narrative within the context of a new commodity culture, as well as the 1857 murder trial of Madeleine Smith, suggesting that Wood’s exploration of deceptive femininity resonates with current events in a particularly insistent manner.

Actions (login required)