George Gissing: THE ODD WOMEN

Anke, Caroline, Cynthia, Emma-Jane, Helen, Maren, and Phoebe gathered, despite the chill Parisian summer rain (!*?#!), to enjoy Caroline's delightful welcome and discuss George Gissing's THE ODD WOMEN.

The group was generally intrigued by what Helen described as "Gloria Steinem meets Jane Austen" and touched on a number of points:

• Gissing's unusual parcours and romantic history; did it make him exceptionally aware of women's issues? Misogynist? Even-handed in his treatment of male and female characters? (Yup, we ran the gamut.)

• Rhoda Nunn: our literary BFF or inviting a good slap? Idealistic or stiff-necked?

• Everard Barfoot: the man Gissing wouldn't have minded being?

• The 19th century English class issue – were "ladies" worse off than manual laborers as working women?
  (I'm including an O. Henry [fave PG author] story, "The Trimmed Lamp", written about a decade after TOW and set in New York, but dealing with the same question: http://www.literaturecollection.com/a/o_henry/207/ )

• We love darling geek Micklethwaite!

Additional comments invited, especially from those who read the book but couldn't attend.

Phoebe