Literature: Rediscovering Women Authors: Two comic novels by Stella Gibbons

In this course we will read and discuss two books by Stella Gibbons, an author whose reputation rests on one well-known satire of popular novels about rural life: Cold Comfort Farm (1932). In fact she wrote more than 30 novels, though most have been out of print until recently.

We will be focusing on two of Gibbons’ comic novels with contrasting settings: rural Sussex in Cold Comfort Farm and suburban Hampstead in Westwood (1946). Adapted for both radio and television, Cold Comfort Farm is a satirical response to fashionable doom-laden rural writers like Mary Webb. In contrast, Westwood takes post-war suburban London and its inhabitants as its setting for satire; Lynne Truss notes in the introduction that "If Cold Comfort Farm is Stella Gibbons's Pride and Prejudice, then Westwood is her Persuasion."

Through friendly and accessible discussions of both texts, we will learn more about their stories, characters and themes, and consider the nature of their author’s distinctive comic voice. While you will get the most from the course by reading the books in their entirety, short extracts for discussion will be downloadable from Canvas, where links to further reading will also be provided for those who wish to extend their learning.