What could two Editors-in-Chief have to talk about? Everything, it seems. I sat down with Olivia Hurton, Editor-in-Chief of Bluestocking, ahead of their first ever fundraiser – ‘Celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen’ – which took place on 13th May at Christ Church College. Olivia is a London theatre critic and is currently studying for her DPhil in Theatres of Education: Women Playwrights and the Romantic Stage at Christ Church, following a master’s degree in Romantic Literature. She also released her poetry book, The Separation Ceremony, last year.
Bluestocking is an online student journal that investigates the historical, intellectual and artistic achievements of women. Its name derives from the 18th century Blue Stockings Society, which was comprised of educated women. Bluestocking acts as a base for research into the work of female thinkers, reinstating the role of women in the history of ideas. They first started publishing in 2008, aiming to create an archive of the history of women’s ideas. As a currently female-run newspaper with a surprisingly similar name, we here at The Oxford Blue can’t help but respect the aims of Bluestocking.
So, what was the fundraiser all about then? A Bluestocking banquet, held in the honour of Jane Austen, with a fascinating panel of guest speakers: Gill Hornby, whose book, Miss Austen, was recently released as a TV miniseries on BBC iPlayer; and John Mullan, head of the English Department at UCL and a “massive Jane Austen aficionado,” according to Olivia, who did her bachelor’s degree at UCL. Olivia told me that one of the things she is working to achieve during her time as editor-in-chief was to create a dialogue between past and present: that is what this banquet represented.
When asked how the event went, Olivia responded, “I’m delighted that the Bluestocking Jane Austen Celebrations received such a phenomenal response from students across the university. I’d been quietly working on this for the past few months, feeling that something had to be done at Oxford University for this wickedly intelligent writer, who never had a chance to study here due to that small matter – her sex. Having novelist Gill Hornby and Professor John Mullan show their support for us as salon speakers ensured it was a real treat of wisdom and wit. The conversation covered an array of topics, soliciting debate and laughter from our wonderful young women (plus a few Darcys). A delicious dinner rounded off our evening, thanks to the terrific team at Christ Church.”
“Bluestocking is excited to continue to expand its operations as a result of this fundraiser. Our goal is, and always will be, to champion the history of women’s ideas and provide a platform for nurturing the next generation of female writers and historians. We want to offer the experiences and content that they simply cannot get elsewhere.”
Olivia felt that hosting the event at Christ Church was particularly “provocative.” As a loyal Somervillian, I questioned why the event wasn’t being held at a women’s college. Olivia answered that she wanted to forge a space for women where there hadn’t been one before: transforming a college like Christ Church which boasts powerful male alumni into an epicentre for female intellectual discussion.
As an editor-in-chief myself, I found it interesting to hear about Olivia’s experiences. This is her second year at Bluestocking, having been deputy editor last year. She told me that she wanted to be involved in student journalism, and at Bluestocking found something which ignited her interest: the opportunity to promote other women’s ideas. This was important to her not only in her scholarly research and from an academic point of view, but also for giving young women a platform to get published. Olivia said that Bluestocking is about “championing new voices and also reviving voices from the past.”
For Olivia, the most important thing about Bluestocking is the nurturing of female thinkers in Oxford across different academic levels, colleges and departments, putting a variety of intellectual women in conversation with each other. In a society where women are so often pitted against each other, collaboration is crucial.
Bluestocking launched its free-to-all salons last year. Modelled after the salons of the eighteenth century, these events create a form of free and casual learning, providing education on a range of historical female thinkers.
Not wanting to waste a chance to learn about some fantastic historical women, I asked Olivia who her favourite woman in history was – a hard question to answer. She has currently been inspired by Elizabeth Montagu, a literary critic and the hostess of the original Bluestocking salons. Olivia is currently editing Montagu’s letters for the Elizabeth Montagu Correspondence Online project. In close second was Marianne Faithfull, who is too often reduced to Mick Jagger’s girlfriend. In reality, she was an amazing Shakespearean actress, a massive promoter of romantic poetry, and an incredible singer.
The power of women documenting women, Olivia told me, is that they come with great sympathy and insight. Women documenting women prevents them from being presented as merely sexual objects. This is an aim which is central to Bluestocking.
I asked Olivia for a parting comment. Her response was this: Give yourself a voice. There are few platforms where one can be truly heard. The Oxford Blue, as a paper that encourages students of all skill levels to write and edit for us, wholeheartedly agrees with this sentiment. As Olivia says, once you get into student journalism and put yourself out there, “the world is your oyster.”