D. K. Broster papers on the website!

[regshoe]

The first batch of D. K. Broster papers from St Hilda's College are now up on my website; here is where to go if you want to read about Broster's thoughts on writing, gender, The Flight of the Heron, her own life, Australia and Alan Breck Stewart!

I'm very pleased with these. They are on the site by kind permission of the Principal and Fellows of St Hilda's College, Oxford; that's a standard copyright-attribution thing that I have to include, but I also absolutely mean it—St Hilda's, and especially the Archivist Oliver Mahoney, have really been very kind and generous indeed letting me see and photograph these papers and now to put them on the internet for you all to read.

I also collected some unpublished short stories by Broster, which I hope to add to the website at some point; probably not soon, however.

And I've added a newspaper interview which Broster gave in 1928, which I found a while ago—this is the only actual interview with her that I know of, and I think it's pretty interesting to see as well.

Comments

[muccamukk]

*Zooms over to the Appin one*

[regshoe]

:D

[sovay]

The first batch of D. K. Broster papers from St Hilda's College are now up on my website

That's so neat!

I am glad the college was open to it.

[regshoe]

They're so helpful! I am very pleased to have been able to do this :)

[tgarnsl]

Marvellous, thank you so much! I keep meaning to approach Hilda's and visit their archives in person, but had to exile myself from Britain for a few months (visa reasons) and won't have the chance for a while yet.

I was really interested by her comments on the real Alan Breck Stewart, particularly his age. I came across a book in my local library the other week — Culloden and the Last Clansman by James Hunter — in which the author indicated Alan's age was about 26 or so in 1752. I was intrigued by that, as it had always puzzled me how a man of 35 was described in the trial proceedings as a 'lad', and (frankly) as someone in their 20s had always felt the historical Alan's actions, such as switching sides after Prestonpans, spoke to the impetuousness of youth.

[regshoe]

I totally encourage you to go if and when you do get the chance! It's a really special thing to be able to see these papers in person.

*looks up that book on archive.org*

...Hmm, it sounds like Hunter has misinterpreted the record of Allan's enlistment in the French army (assuming Carney's interpretation of it is correct); according to Carney he was described as 26 in a document written in 1752, but this document was an expanded version of a note originally made in January 1749, when he enlisted, and it gives his age at that time. I suppose James was using 'lad' in the looser informal sense where it can describe a man of any age... and/or, James was in his fifties and Allan's foster father, so could be forgiven for thinking of thirty-ish Allan as still a boy!

(It's also interesting to note that Hunter spells Alan's name with one L—that originated with RLS, as far as I can tell so far. Perhaps I'll read this book too at some point.)

[luzula]

Eeeee, how exciting!! *opens in tabs for future reading*

ETA: "Now I must sincerely apologise for what must look like blowing my own trumpet, a musical exercise which really appeals to me very little; but you must put the blame on your President who forced the instrument into my trembling hand."
♥ ♥ ♥

[regshoe]

:D I hope you enjoy them!

Aww, I like that line too—she has such a turn of phrase. <3

[osprey_archer]

Oh, fantastic! Thank you so much for finding these and getting the permissions to put them up!

[regshoe]

It's being a fun project!

[garonne]

So cool to see these! Thank you so much for all the time you put into getting and preparing them.

[garonne]

Aha, now I see what the fliuch was for :D

[regshoe]

It's being a cool project :) And yes, hee, that is the context for the fliuch!