Ex-Wife: Ursula Parrott's Forgotten Literary Classic, with Marsha Gordon and Hannah Dawson

Sep 16, 2024

Marsha Gordon, a Professor of Film Studies and expert on Ursula Parrott, joins Hannah Dawson, editor of The Penguin Book of Feminist Writing, to delve into Parrott's overlooked masterpiece, Ex-Wife. They discuss the vibrant yet tumultuous landscape of 1920s New York, exploring themes of divorce and female independence. The conversation highlights Parrott's critique of masculinity, the nuances of love amidst oppression, and the importance of female friendships, drawing parallels to contemporary issues faced by women today.

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ANECDOTE

Ex-Wife's Success

Ex-Wife, Ursula Parrott's debut novel, was a bestseller, outselling The Great Gatsby.
It follows Patricia, a divorcée navigating single life in 1920s New York.

INSIGHT

Challenges for Women

Ex-Wife portrays the challenges women faced in the 1920s, like financial dependence and societal expectations.
It explores serious issues like rape and abortion, offering a different perspective than male authors of the same period.

ANECDOTE

Parrott's Biography

Ursula Parrott's life heavily influenced Ex-Wife, drawing from her experiences as a divorcée in New York City.
Her first paycheck arrived during the 1929 stock market crash.

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Divorcées, dark humour and the underbelly of 1920s New York form the basis of author and screenwriter Ursula Parrott's forgotten classic novel, Ex-Wife. It became a bestseller on its original release nearly a century ago in 1929 and was also made into an Oscar-winning film. Now reissued by Faber, it follows Patricia, a divorcée embarking on single life in the city while partying and holding down her fashion advertising day job. Today, some readers are calling it the ultimate millennial novel – a century early. Our guest to discuss the book is Marsha Gordon, Professor of Film Studies at North Carolina State University, a former Fellow at the National Humanities Center and the recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar award. She is the author of numerous books including Becoming the Ex-Wife: The Unconventional Life and Forgotten Writings of Ursula Parrott. Joining her to discuss it is Hannah Dawson, editor of The Penguin Book of Feminist Writing and Senior Lecturer in the History of Ideas at King's College London.

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