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“Simply as an Instrument”: The Female Characters of Christine Brooke-Rose

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British Experimental Women’s Fiction, 1945—1975

Abstract

Christine Brooke-Rose’s novels frequently challenge and reflect the role of women in academic and intellectual society. While she did not consider herself to be an active feminist, she often writes intelligent, complex, detailed female characters who are aware of the gulf between themselves and their academic male counterparts. In Between and Amalgamemnon, Brooke-Rose dissects and plays with the passive/active dynamic in terms of female character and illuminates the connection between the self, identity and purpose through her characters’ careers and employability. This chapter also reads Thru as the culmination of Brooke-Rose’s experience as an employed academic in France, and positions her as an instrument in this role.

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Jones, S. (2021). “Simply as an Instrument”: The Female Characters of Christine Brooke-Rose. In: Radford, A., Van Hove, H. (eds) British Experimental Women’s Fiction, 1945—1975 . Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-72766-6_10

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