Carmen Callil on Elizabeth Jenkins' The Tortoise and the Hare

The Tortoise and the Hare: A Virago Modern Classic

• 📚 Carmen Callil, founder of Virago Press, discusses Elizabeth Jenkins' novel "The Tortoise and the Hare," first published in 1954 and reissued by Virago in 1983.
• 🎯 The novel is described as a love story with a difference, exploring the complexities of relationships, social class, and the subtle disturbances in conventional country life.
• 🔑 Carmen was introduced to the book by fellow author Rosamund Lehmann, who also wrote novels about women's struggles and dependence on men within the English social class system.

Elizabeth Jenkins: Author and Biographer

• ✍️ Elizabeth Jenkins was a prolific writer, authoring 23 books of fiction and non-fiction, and was particularly known for her biographies of figures like Elizabeth I and Jane Austen.
• 🧐 Jenkins possessed a keen eye for detail, atmosphere, and the civilized surfaces of life, often exploring hidden acts and the murky undergrowth of human intention, drawing comparisons to writers like Rebecca West and C.S. Forester.
• 🔍 The novel is noted for its precise descriptions, control, and resistance to melodrama, even when dealing with intense emotional situations.

Themes of Class, Love, and Revenge

• 🧐 The novel subtly explores class distinctions and the characters' positions within the English social hierarchy, a theme that drew some criticism for its perceived narrow focus.
• 💔 The narrative is deeply rooted in the complexities of love, desire, and the pain of relationships gone wrong, with a particular focus on the female experience of love and its consequences.
• revenge The story behind the novel's creation is revealed as a form of revenge by Jenkins against a former lover, Sir Erdley Holland, who left her for his neighbor.

The Unfortunates: An Interactive Adaptation

• 🎧 Producer Nicky Birch discusses a new interactive adaptation of B.S. Johnson's "The Unfortunates" for BBC and Amazon Alexa, allowing for random playback of the novel's sections.
• 💡 This adaptation aims to reflect the non-linear nature of memory and thought, mirroring Johnson's experimental approach to the novel, which was originally published in loose sections.
• 🗣️ The adaptation features Martin Freeman and aims to bring new audiences to Johnson's work through innovative technology.

Virago Press and Women's Literature

• 🌟 Carmen Callil founded Virago Press in 1972, dedicated to reissuing and championing works by women writers, many of whom had been overlooked or out of print.
• 📚 The Virago Modern Classics series aimed to give new life to these important books, changing the landscape of English literature and improving the visibility of women's voices.
• 💡 The series faced initial resistance but ultimately succeeded in bringing significant works by authors like Elizabeth Taylor, Barbara Pym, and many others back into the public consciousness.