Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast Episode 46b - Interview with Janet Todd

Lesbian Historic Motif Podcast - Episode 157 (previously 46b) - Interview with Janet Todd

(Originally aired 2020/05/09 - listen here)

A transcript for this show is pending.

Show Notes

A series of interviews with authors of historically-based fiction featuring queer women.

In this episode we talk about:

• Why I jumped at the chance to interview Janet Todd
• Dynamics of mothers and daughters in mid-20th century England
• Post-WWII social and political changes in England all the way up to Brexit
• Themes of ignorance, claustrophobia, and class aspirations
• The subtle underlayer of queer sexuality in the book
• Mid-century experiences of same-sex identification
• Joan’s narrative voice and the life experience it represents
• Writing an unlikeable character, not for sympathy, but for understanding
• The “social refusenik” and national character
• Why does a historian write a relatively modern novel?
• How Janet’s own post-war childhood informed the setting
• Changes in childrearing philosophy and how they shaped generations
• Books mentioned
  • Don’t You Know There’s a War On? by Janet Todd
  • Lady Susan Plays the Game by Janet Todd (an expansion of Jane Austen’s Lady Susan)
  • A Man of Genius by Janet Todd (a Gothic novel set in 19th century Venice, no queer content)
  • Radiation Diaries: Cancer, Memory and Fragments of a Life in Words by Janet Todd (memoir of her cancer treatment)

Links to the Lesbian Historic Motif Project Online

• Website: http://alpennia.com/lhmp
• Blog: http://alpennia.com/blog
• RSS: http://alpennia.com/blog/feed/
• Twitter: @LesbianMotif
• Discord: Contact Heather for an invitation to the Alpennia/LHMP Discord server
• The Lesbian Historic Motif Project Patreon

Links to Heather Online

• Website: http://alpennia.com
• Email: Heather Rose Jones
• Twitter: @heatherosejones
• Facebook: Heather Rose Jones (author page)

Links to Janet Todd Online

• Website: Janet Todd
• Books: Janet Todd’s Amazon page
• Twitter: @Jan_Todd
• Facebook: Janet Todd