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First Tuesday Book Club: Confabulating on 'Cold Comfort Farm'

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Marieke Hardy
First Tuesday Book Club: Confabulating on 'Cold Comfort Farm'

SUBJECTS:  English

YEARS:  9–10


Join in the debate about whether the 1932 novel 'Cold Comfort Farm' by Stella Gibbons should be considered a classic.

The novel follows Flora Poste, a young woman who moves in with her country relatives in a village called Howling.

It parodies other novels that represented rural life as woeful, and is filled with delightfully named characters such as Ada Doom, Mark Dolour and Mrs Beetle.


Things to think about

  1. 1.What do you think defines a 'classic' novel? What qualities do you think a book must demonstrate to make it so well loved that it endures in popularity? List three books you would consider to be classics.
  2. 2.What qualities does Virginia Gay admire in 'Cold Comfort Farm'? What reasons does she give for why this novel has not been considered classic literature? How does the character of Flora differ from the protagonist of Jane Austen's 'Emma'? What evidence is there that the gender of the author may have contributed to 'Cold Comfort Farm' not being considered a classic?
  3. 3.What does this discussion suggest about the relationship readers seem to want with the protagonist of the novels they read? Why does 'Cold Comfort Farm' not satisfy this relationship, at least for some of these panellists? How does your own view of 'classic' literature change as a result of listening to this discussion? Do you think attitudes to women authors writing classic literature have changed?
  4. 4.Pick a contemporary novel you have read and believe is destined to become a classic. Write a review in which you argue the book's potential. An element of 'Cold Comfort Farm' appreciated by the panellists is its sharp satire. Read an example of satire for yourself. You might find Ben Elton's 'Dead Famous', which satirises reality TV, an accessible example.



Production Date: 7 May 2011


Copyright

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