We’re Back With All-New Episodes & A Facebook Group
Dear Listeners,
To kick off our return from hiatus this week, we’re starting with one long, fervid seduction — the plot, in other words, of Three Weeks, a racy “sex novel” that took the staid Edwardian world by storm when it was published in 1907. Glamorous, sexually-liberated novelist Elinor Glyn (pictured above) didn’t just create the template for the modern romance novel, she also made a lasting mark as one of the pioneers of early Hollywood. (Fun fact: Glyn inspired the character played by Jean Smart in the film Babylon.) Columbia professor Hilary A. Hallett joins us to discuss this literary tour de force and her own recent biography of Glyn: Inventing the It Girl. Read Hallett’s recent article in Slate to find out what Babylon got right and wrong about the early days of the motion picture industry.
In next week’s mini episode, we’ll be discussing the tragic (and somewhat spooky) origins of Yaddo, the prestigious artists’ retreat in Saratoga Springs, New York, which has served as a serene source of inspiration for huge names in American literature, including writers like Eudora Welty, Flannery O’Connor, Patricia Highsmith, Katherine Anne Porter, Carson McCullers, Sylvia Plath and Alice Walker.
Fans of George Eliot and Anthony Trollope won’t want to miss our upcoming episode on Victorian novelist Margaret Oliphant and her hefty 1883 novel Hester, featuring a female protagonist who holds dominion as the head of the town bank! Medical doctor and New York Times contributor Perri Klass joins us as we discuss how Oliphant’s prolificness (She wrote nearly 100 novels!) affected her literary reputation. Queen Victoria counted herself among Oliphant’s many fans, and we suspect you’ll love her, too!
Finally, we’re thrilled to be delivering brand new weekly episodes to your listening ears, and we’d love for you to join the discussion! To that end, we’ve created a Lost Ladies of Lit forum on Facebook where fans of the show can ask questions, share insights and interact with us and each other. Come be part of the fun by joining the group, and help us spread the word!
As always, thank you so much for listening!
Our very best,
Kim & Amy