An Interesting Condition: Pregnancy and Childbirth in the Victorian Novel
An Interesting Condition: Pregnancy and Childbirth in the Victorian Novel
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Leighton, Dr. Lisa Surridge, Kaitlyn Fralick and Kailey Fukushima (Department of English)
Pregnancy in Victorian novels is everywhere—and seemingly nowhere. Female characters give birth (that is, babies appear), but are these women ever represented as pregnant? In an era of restraint in bodily representation, how did novelists suggest that their female characters were expecting? This talk will offer background on the cultural history of sex, pregnancy, and childbirth in 19th century Britain, before launching into a hands-on exploration of how women’s bodies—and especially pregnant bodies—are constructed in a range of illustrated and serialized novels.
Date: November 15, 2018
Time: 1-2 p.m.
Location: Special Collections and University Archives, Mearns Centre for Learning - McPherson Library, Room 210