60MBC4: Discussion time!
We're discussing 'The Yellow Wallpaper' on Tuesday 29 April. Join us?
Hi everyone,
I hope you had a wonderful Easter break. It feels like a long time since I’ve settled into this particular browser window and it feels good to be back.
And on that note I wanted to begin with an apology, as I well and truly fell off the Substack wagon this April.
The reason? That little thing called life. A blissful wilderness holiday at the start of April combined with sickness and a few shorter work weeks meant I’ve been scrambling to stay afloat of my lengthy to-do list.
As a result, my Substack prompts & weekly culture round-ups have been missing in action - I’m so sorry about the radio silence (and if you’re a paid sub, please read the footnote!)1
It’s a shame, too, because this month’s read is ripe for prompts, given it still feels (depressingly) relevant to today’s views on womanhood, motherhood, and illness. In many ways, today’s conversations around gaslighting and coercive control can also be traced back to Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s portrayal of an infantilised middle-class woman in her seminal work which we read this month: ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’.
For a recap on why I chose this story, you can read the full intro post, but I’m confident it will make for an interesting, and possibly at times challenging discussion.
For all the info about our virtual meet, scroll down and then make sure you log onto the subscriber chat where I’ll be sharing the Google Meet link for our discussion call.
Haven’t found the time to read it yet? No worries— the reason I created the Sixty-Minute Book Club is that each story takes less than one hour of your time to read.
Gilman’s classic is no different, with average reading times of ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ coming in at about 30 - 40 minutes of your time. Surely you can get that done this weekend!?
So take this as your sign to get started now, so you’re ready to join our sixty-minute discussion next Tuesday 29 April at 6pm CEST.
And if you’re going to join us, don’t forget to let me know by replying to this email, dropping a comment, or letting me know via the Chat.
See you there!
Emma x
📆 60MBC4: ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ discussion
When? Tuesday 29 April
What time? 6 PM CEST (9am PST / 12pm EST / 5pm BST)
How? We'll connect via Google Meet. For privacy reasons, the link will be shared in our subscriber chat only. If you have any trouble finding it, please reply to this email directly.
Not subscribed yet? Join now for free, you don’t need to be a paid subscriber to participate.
What to expect: Sixty minutes exploring our thoughts on the story, sharing favourite moments, and chatting through selected prompts. Sessions are always friendly, wide-ranging and welcoming. These sessions are also never recorded, so we can get vulnerable on what we really think about the text and how it made us feel.
Here's an idea of what we’ll discuss:
How does the story portray the relationship between care and control? When does concern become coercion?
Did you find the narrator reliable? How did her voice shape your perception of the events, and your emotional response to them?
The story is often described as a feminist classic. In what ways does it challenge societal views of womanhood, motherhood, and mental illness?
Why do you think Gilman chose to set the story in a nursery, and how does the setting contribute to the narrator’s psychological unravelling?
The wallpaper becomes an obsession, a symbol, and maybe something more… What did you see in the wallpaper?
Feel free to bring your own questions or reflections - I can’t wait to discuss them with you.
And don't forget to join the chat for the Google Meet link!
See you then.
Emma x
To make up for my unintended hiatus, I’ll be pausing paid subs for the month of May. If you’re a monthly subscriber, you’ll simply get a pause in your billing next month (but still receive content). For those of you who signed up to an annual subscription, a month will be added to your subscription. Thank you for your continued support, which means so much ❤️