inContext: Back in Business

by Laura Cude

Today sees the return of inContext, the Her Circle blog which considers the politics in feminist literature. It seems a little self indulgent to spend the first post explaining what the blog is going to be like. I’m a “proof is in the pudding” kind of gal, after all, but I shall explain nonetheless, if only to entice you to come back for more next Thursday as inContext looks at perceptions of women growing older, and Sylvia Plath’s poem “Mirror.”

This summer I have found myself catching up with a lot of people as friends returned from uni, the good weather lured people out of their houses and into pub gardens, and through attending the odd party or two. This increased level of socialising that the summer months seem to inspire has meant that I have been asked what I have been up to over the past year too many times to count. I have explained my involvement with Her Circle and inContext with gusto, only to be met with the perplexed response of “What is a feminist?”, a look of surprise as they comment that they “didn’t know you were into that sort of thing,” or, from men after a few moments of stifling silence, “So you’re a feminist? That means you hate me, then?” What would follow the latter comment became as predictable as a key change in a boy band ballad, as an awkward chuckle would ensue followed by a loss of eye contact; then, the old acquaintance or fellow party guest would scan the room for someone else to talk to, probably due to an irrational fear that I want to start an argument with them for the sheer fact that they’re male.

I’m well aware of the abundance of feminist magazines, blogs, ezines and websites out there. The internet by nature is an over populated place and so I can’t help but ask myself what I can bring to the table that’s different, or even slightly worthwhile. What on Earth makes me qualified to delve into the oeuvre of de Beauvoir, McCullers and French, and discuss what I can associate their work with in my feeble life and our unsophisticated times? I guess I have just been lucky enough to be given the opportunity to talk about my perception of the (highly underrated) 21st century feminine experience, without scaring away guests at parties or inquisitive people in pubs, and I’m sure as hell taking it.

I like to think of inContext as the pop art blog of feminist literary criticism and discussion, maintaining a vibrant, confessional and hopefully even occasionally witty line of attack. We’re ditching didactic tactics in favour of a colloquial approach in order to examine feminism in art and literature in an accessible but by no means, “dumbed down” way. I am making it my prerogative to stay away from the pseudo intellectual style as adopted, for example, by the UK daytime show Loose Women. For those of you in the States, the show is kind of like the UK answer to The View, only topics of discussion are significantly less stimulating, opting for chats on sharing a bed with someone who snores, Russell Brand’s love life and tummy control pants. In place of Whoopi Goldberg on the panel, we have the odd has been pop star, ex soap actress and previous Pop Idol presenters. The closest Loose Women would get to having an equivalent to Barack Obama on the show, in reference to his recent appearance on The View, is David Cameron’s nanny, but only if he/she had claimed to have slept with a footballer previously.

Whether you have stumbled across inContext by accident, or you end up “tuning in” every Thursday, comments are always welcome. As a prolific diarist, I’ve always found writing cathartic and this has especially proved useful as I have the somewhat neurotic habit of replaying moments and conversations in my head on an eternal loop, reliving what I have conceived to be shameful, and fighting against the urge to kick myself. In the same way, I think inContext could prove to be therapeutic as I express and address the things that irk me when it comes to the feminine experience. After all, it comes as a great comfort to know that the pen is mightier than the penis.

Laura Cude is twenty one years old and from a dead beat town called Leatherhead which is located in Old Blighty. She left Kingston College last year with three A grade A levels, and three university acceptances. She turned them all down in favour of practical work experience, which is what bought her to Her Circle originally as a blog coordinator for The Writer’s Life, and now as the writer of inContext. She is a music enthusiast and keen writer, using song composition and screenplays as her weapons of choice. Combining her interests in feminism, existentialism and pop culture, she aims to make inContext a revealing and energetic exploration of the politics in feminist literature and the 21st century.