Upper Sixth Lit Group met again before half term to discuss Meg Wolitzer’s The Female Persuasion.
The Female Persuasion follows the intertwined lives of various women who are involved in the feminist movement, from the aptly named university student Greer to the energetic feminist revolutionary Faith Frank. While a highly enjoyable read for most members, some felt that it was a little lacking in plot and not the in-depth exploration of feminism that they had been hoping for. “It seems like it’s been written for people it will already appeal to, rather than trying to find a new audience – I can’t see my brother reading this!” As a millennial woman who is the clear audience for Wolitzer, Ms Routledge felt rather exposed at this point… Watch out Penguin – it looks like we have some budding editors in our midst!
On Thursday 25th February, the group was very fortunate to meet with Mr Milne to discuss Peter Ackroyd’s Mr Cadmus. A stimulating and lively discussion followed, with many of the group disliking the novel’s confusing ending and mad-cap plot, but noting its interesting use of pastiche and merging of various literary genres, such as the Gothic, murder mystery and fantasy. A huge thank you to Mr Milne for leading such a fascinating analysis of the text.
If you would like to join our next meeting, please email Ms Routledge (sophie.routledge@emanuel.org.uk)