Susan Gubar was in town a few weeks ago for a 2wk seminar and a talk entitled “Snapshots of Feminism, Present Tense.” I mentioned a while ago that I would write a more extended blog post on Prof. Gubar’s work and achievements. I’ve decided that any attempt at this (particularly in the blog venue) would be a gross reduction of her overall awesomeness. I can’t think of any other scholar whose work means more to me (both her work with and independent from Sandra Gilbert). I do not wish to diminish her work in what would inevitably be a reductive description of it. Instead, I’ll just offer a few brief and somewhat random notes on her and her visit to Lawrence.
When I started trying to get things in motion to secure her visit to KU in September 2007 one of my profs sent me a cfp for a new collection of essays on Madwoman in the Attic in honor of its thirtieth birthday. At the time I didn’t feel as thought I had anything of significance to contribute. Now, however, I think I do. I’ve already missed the opportunity to submit something for that particular collection of essays, but what I’m trying to say is — someday maybe I’ll write an article, instead of a lame blog post, that does justice to G & G’s work both together and separate from one another. (Seems as though people get fixated on Madwoman or No Man’s Land and hardly notice the mountains of their other valuable and illuminating work. Not that Madwoman doesn’t deserve it; she’s certainly my fave too, but one mustn’t forget that there are many other books and articles besides their first groundbreaking one.)
Speaking of Madwoman in the Attic — get a load of this site called Ophelia Art where one can buy madwoman t-shirts, teddy bears, aprons, bags, buttons, you-name-it. They even have thongs?? and boxershorts?? I have to admit — I own a madwoman t-shirt in the most appropriate color, red. And, I was even brave enough to wear it in front of Prof Gubar (though I was blushing the whole time). But, honestly who wants or needs madwoman underwear?? It just seems a little much for me.
NOW, boxer briefs with ANXIETY OF INFLUENCE printed on them would seem entirely appropriate!!! ;-P
Even though I was embarrassed to showcase my affection for Prof Gubar’s work, the t-shirt actually came in quite handy while planning this event/extravaganza. Any time I ran into someone who wasn’t able to grasp the importance of Prof Gubar’s work and existence in the universe I could just point to the shirt and say — see! see!! I think it was probably my enthusiasm and not the shirt that convinced them of Gubar’s acclaim. Putting my nerdom out there for jest never hurts though; humility, in this case, was a strong-suit. Whenever I meet someone who doesn’t even know about Madwoman I find myself in shock and I can never keep my bottom jaw from falling to the floor. Usually, there’s a facial expression and a gasp that goes along with the dropping of the jaw too. Maybe feminists need to start wearing t-shirts to advertise their favorite books, authors, or ideas. Maybe that would help spread the word and rally people. In my case, at least, it worked. Everything was done the way I wanted it to be and the room was packed for her talk. There were tornado warnings out that evening too. (The severity of Kansas weather, particularly in tornado season, is not to be underestimated.) So, not only would we have had more people come had the weather not been so threatening, but the folks who did come risked getting caught in a deluge to hear Gubar speak. The turnout for the event made me very happy not only because I felt responsible to make sure it went well, but also since it proved, yet again, what a lovely and lively intellectual community resides here in Lawrence, KS.
Back to the real subject of this post — Susan Gubar:
This woman is seriously brilliant and prolific. The images below don’t even represent everything she’s worked on. And, there’s a bushel of critical articles published in other places as well. Anyone able to be this productive without compromising quality has to be considered a force of nature. Her intellectual energy and generosity represents a force for which I, for one, am very grateful.
While I won’t attempt to offer an overview of Gubar’s body of work or a summary of her talk even, I can say that even though the long list of her publications is impressive (to say the least) — she’s even more amazing in person. I really can’t find words sufficient enough to capture the spirit of her work or personal being. Brilliant, insightful, generous, and kind only begin to describe her splendor which often renders me speechless. Someday, though, I will find words to express what it is that I want to say about her spirit and her work — the foundation it serves for my intellectual endeavors and what it means to me personally as well. She’s truly an amazingly brilliant and beautiful woman to behold.
If you don’t know her work (jaw drop) — read it now. I’d recommend starting with Madwoman then moving to Rooms of Our Own. From there one could go in a number of different directions. I personally enjoy all the essays in Critical Condition, but if you’re less interested in feminism I suggest looking at Racechanges or Poetry After Auschwitz. A few articles not to be overlooked would be: Gubar’s essay on “The Blank Page” (published in numerous places), G & G’s essay on grandmatologies in Female Autograph, and G & G’s “Mirror and Vamp” found in Making Feminist History. Of course, these sources only serve as starting points for a very rich, and surprisingly pleasurable, body of work to read.
