Papers by Melanie Seddon
The 1960s : A Decade of Modern British Fiction
This chapter focuses upon a selection of novelists, both major and minor, and discusses how they ... more This chapter focuses upon a selection of novelists, both major and minor, and discusses how they work towards dispelling commonly held beliefs and myths about the 1960s. The decade was undisputedly one of transition and this piece consider the common themes that recur across the novels of the period, the different forms of social change that are woven into the texts. Firstly, it looks at institutional change: the end of National Service, the Raising of the School Leaving Age act, Post-war education reform, the arrival of the “plateglass universities,” and the end of National Service. Secondly, it considers attitudinal change—changing moral codes and the impact of “second wave” feminism on contemporary behaviours. Whilst the 1960s is commonly held to be the twentieth century moment of youthful liberation—a glorious 'youthquake'—this chapter shows that change was often deferred, the result of processes and shifts that had actually begun in the 1950s and, at times, divisive.
This thesis assesses the novels of B. S. Johnson and, building on earlier socio-cultural readings... more This thesis assesses the novels of B. S. Johnson and, building on earlier socio-cultural readings, for the first time identifies affect, mood and space as key drivers of Johnson’s work. It suggests fresh interactions with the texts via the artistic practice and philosophical thought of the late twentieth to early twenty-first centuries and reveals what more we can gain from reading Johnson now. Rather than fix this author in a canonized literary past it presents Johnson as a writer with inter-disciplinary appeal and influence. My reading champions the continued significance of Johnson’s work and endeavours to resist teleology; it dips in and out of the seven novels, at times circling back to key passages and episodes that can be assessed in multiple ways. The thesis thus follows Johnson’s practice and is palimpsestic, it is formed from multiple layers. Working with affective energies the chapters unfold to build upon each other but also stand to be read individually or even, in true...
The 1960s : A Decade of Modern British Fiction, 2018
met at King's College London in 1956 when they both enrolled to read for a degree in English Lite... more met at King's College London in 1956 when they both enrolled to read for a degree in English Literature. They became friends and colleagues through their contributions to Lucifer, the college literary magazine and the wider University of London poetry scene. They later joined forces in the Writers' Action Group (WAG) and campaigned for public lending rights for authors. Maureen kindly agreed to be interviewed about her relationship with Johnson, but in addition to this her interview sheds light on the socio-political context of British postwar writing. Maureen was born in 1933 in Worthing, Sussex and came to prominence in 1962 with the autobiographical novel That's How It Was. Although mainly known for her poetry, her prose work has received critical and popular acclaim. Gor Saga (1981) was dramatised and broadcast by the BBC in 1988 as First Born, a three-part mini-series vehicle for Charles Dance. She is also the author of 16 plays for stage, television and radio. Maureen is well known as a humanist and gay rights activist and for her work championing the financial and legal interests of writers. She
. This paper seeks to investigate the anomaly of the contemporary sestina and theorize possible r... more . This paper seeks to investigate the anomaly of the contemporary sestina and theorize possible reasons for its revival in the postmodern age. Looking at examples by John Ashbery (1966), David Lehman (1990) and Lisa Jarnot (1996) I seek to draw out places of resonance between these works and illustrate the sestina’s contradictory potential for expression and meaning a thousand years after its inception, in a conceivably alien artistic environment.
An examination of the questions of narrative and representation in Woolf's 'Between the Acts'. I ... more An examination of the questions of narrative and representation in Woolf's 'Between the Acts'. I aim to show how Woolf forges links between the private and public spheres; the personal and the political. In doing so the author does not as Katherine Mansfield commented, ‘leave out the war’ but constructs a picture of the society that has hastened its re-occurrence.
Editorial Work by Melanie Seddon
Thesis Chapters by Melanie Seddon
This thesis assesses the novels of B. S. Johnson and, building on earlier socio-cultural readings... more This thesis assesses the novels of B. S. Johnson and, building on earlier socio-cultural readings, for the first time identifies affect, mood and space as key drivers of Johnson’s work. It suggests fresh interactions with the texts via the artistic practice and philosophical thought of the late twentieth to early twenty-first centuries and reveals what more we can gain from reading Johnson now. Rather than fix this author in a canonized literary past it presents Johnson as a writer with inter-disciplinary appeal and influence.
My reading champions the continued significance of Johnson’s work and endeavours to resist teleology; it dips in and out of the seven novels, at times circling back to key passages and episodes that can be assessed in multiple ways. The thesis thus follows Johnson’s practice and is palimpsestic, it is formed from multiple layers. Working with affective energies the chapters unfold to build upon each other but also stand to be read individually or even, in true Johnsonian style, at random. The reading moves in a range of directions exploring different nodes of an organic whole that constitutes the body of Johnson’s literary output. Any thesis must build momentum and therefore this thesis culminates in an extended conclusion which for the first time places Johnson at the vanguard of a spatial turn in the humanities.
My final analysis suggests that Johnson’s practice advances the novel towards a model of “creative research” or project work – a reflexive adventure peculiar to the making process. This model is concerned with possibilities and processes rather than final resolution and happily accommodates Johnson’s vision of a chaotic, unknowable world.
Edited Collection by Melanie Seddon
The 1960s: A Decade of Modern Literature, 2018
This chapter focuses upon a selection of novelists, both major and minor, and discusses how they ... more This chapter focuses upon a selection of novelists, both major and minor, and discusses how they work towards dispelling commonly held beliefs and myths about the 1960s. The decade was undisputedly one of transition and this piece consider the common themes that recur across the novels of the period, the different forms of social change that are woven into the texts. Firstly, it looks at institutional change: the end of National Service, the Raising of the School Leaving Age act, Post-war education reform, the arrival of the “plateglass universities,” and the end of National Service. Secondly, it considers attitudinal change—changing moral codes and the impact of “second wave” feminism on contemporary behaviours. Whilst the 1960s is commonly held to be the twentieth century moment of youthful liberation—a glorious 'youthquake'—this chapter shows that change was often deferred, the result of processes and shifts that had actually begun in the 1950s and, at times, divisive.
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Papers by Melanie Seddon
Editorial Work by Melanie Seddon
The theme of this issue is "The Issue with Truth"
Available from Lulu here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/ed-darlington-hooper-seddon-tew-zouaoui/bsj-the-bs-johnson-journal-2/paperback/product-22374374.html
Available here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/BSJ-Hooper-Seddon-Zouaoui-Darlington/dp/1326003704/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443446039&sr=1-1&keywords=bsj
Thesis Chapters by Melanie Seddon
My reading champions the continued significance of Johnson’s work and endeavours to resist teleology; it dips in and out of the seven novels, at times circling back to key passages and episodes that can be assessed in multiple ways. The thesis thus follows Johnson’s practice and is palimpsestic, it is formed from multiple layers. Working with affective energies the chapters unfold to build upon each other but also stand to be read individually or even, in true Johnsonian style, at random. The reading moves in a range of directions exploring different nodes of an organic whole that constitutes the body of Johnson’s literary output. Any thesis must build momentum and therefore this thesis culminates in an extended conclusion which for the first time places Johnson at the vanguard of a spatial turn in the humanities.
My final analysis suggests that Johnson’s practice advances the novel towards a model of “creative research” or project work – a reflexive adventure peculiar to the making process. This model is concerned with possibilities and processes rather than final resolution and happily accommodates Johnson’s vision of a chaotic, unknowable world.
Edited Collection by Melanie Seddon
The theme of this issue is "The Issue with Truth"
Available from Lulu here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/ed-darlington-hooper-seddon-tew-zouaoui/bsj-the-bs-johnson-journal-2/paperback/product-22374374.html
Available here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/BSJ-Hooper-Seddon-Zouaoui-Darlington/dp/1326003704/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1443446039&sr=1-1&keywords=bsj
My reading champions the continued significance of Johnson’s work and endeavours to resist teleology; it dips in and out of the seven novels, at times circling back to key passages and episodes that can be assessed in multiple ways. The thesis thus follows Johnson’s practice and is palimpsestic, it is formed from multiple layers. Working with affective energies the chapters unfold to build upon each other but also stand to be read individually or even, in true Johnsonian style, at random. The reading moves in a range of directions exploring different nodes of an organic whole that constitutes the body of Johnson’s literary output. Any thesis must build momentum and therefore this thesis culminates in an extended conclusion which for the first time places Johnson at the vanguard of a spatial turn in the humanities.
My final analysis suggests that Johnson’s practice advances the novel towards a model of “creative research” or project work – a reflexive adventure peculiar to the making process. This model is concerned with possibilities and processes rather than final resolution and happily accommodates Johnson’s vision of a chaotic, unknowable world.