In Praise of Monstrous Women: Kasia Van Schaik’s Women Among Monuments

Season 7, Episode 105

Kasia Van Schaik speaks about the monstrous women for whom she would like to see monuments built, even building one herself in the very book she has written, Women Among Monuments (Dundurn). Women have been characterised as monstrous when they deviate from scripted roles based on gender; when they decide to defy convention; whey they eschew serving as muses to artists. In view of Women’s History Month (1:12), this episode is so relevant, so timely. Van Schaik and Linda discuss Virgina Woolf, Gertrude Stein, Georgia O’Keefe—and Anne Carson, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature just a few days after the episode was recorded.

Special guest appearance by Fifi, Van Schaik’s cat.

Some other subjects/figures of discussion:

• Women writers and critics like Virginia Woolf (1.18; 4:02), Gertrude Stein (1:19; 4:04; 13:15), Georgia O’Keefe (1:21; 20:49); Laura Mulvey (6:47); Simone de Beauvoir (7:39); Kate Chopin (8:29); Josephine Nivison Hopper (10:34); Helen Martin (21:22); Sara Ahmed (23:34); Lauren Berlant (23:36); Lee Lai (25:42), Madeleine Thien and Rawi Hage (12:13)

• Ann Carson (1.27); and The Gender of Sound (13:38)

• Trad wives (23:01)

• Internalized male (artist's) gaze (5:13)

• Muses or monsters (8:55)

Producer: Linda Morra; Associate Producer: Maia Harris; Music: Raphael Krux; Sound Production: Jason C.