The sisters, the feud & the tea set

Afterthoughts #4: Margaret Drabble & AS Byatt

Welcome to A Narrative of their Own, where I discuss the work of 20th century women writers and their relevance to contemporary culture.  You are reading my bonus ‘Afterthoughts’ newsletter, where we delve into the themes behind the writing.

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This week’s Afterthoughts looks at my essay on the sibling rivalry between two literary sisters: Margaret Drabble and AS Byatt.  If you haven’t already read this post, you might want to check it out first!

Drabble and Byatt’s so-called ‘feud’ was referenced as an argument about a tea set.  

I found this idea hilarious!  But it also reminded me that the most seemingly nebulous arguments between family members can become entrenched in family folk-lore.  (There is an ongoing, lighthearted ‘argument’ between myself and my younger brother, for example, over who has rightful ownership of a favourite Christmas decoration and baby blanket.  They are definitely mine, just in case he’s reading).

Photo by David Brooke Martin on Unsplash

Initially, Drabble was often referenced as the more ‘celebrity’ sibling. 

Is this where the rivalry could spring from?  So called ‘FOMO’ (fear of missing out) can be a difficult emotion to overcome, not least in recent times with the advent of social media and the enhanced selfie.  It is often difficult to separate out the truth from fiction, and even with the best intentions and with the lives of relative strangers online, it can sometimes be natural to compare ourselves and our work and wonder Why are they more popular than I am?  It isn’t a nice emotion to admit to.  But when that comparison is within your own close family unit, it must be all the more difficult to contend with.  

Plus there’s the fact of what you consider as the greatest ‘success’.  Byatt for example has been stated to have had more economic success in recent years with the film rights of Possession, off the back of her Booker win, whereas Drabble’s Oxford Companion to English Literature is well-known amongst her academic peers, raising the question of whether a writer sees their success in terms of financial reward or peer respect.  Not to mention the ideas we have around awards and accolades given out for writing.

But what of the style of the two sisters’ work?  Both have been described as realist writers, but Byatt appears to have a certain penchant for historical fiction with elements of the fantastic; she has cited Nordic myths as one of her key influences.  Drabble’s prose, meanwhile, is much more rooted in the present; sparse, less descriptive, and more realist.  

This is interesting because Drabble often wrote between the 1960s and 1990s of the real lives of (often middle-class) women.  She commented on feminist movements and the ways in which women are often the main caregiver whilst being academics, writers, and other professional workers, reflective of the times she was writing in.  What is interesting about her short stories, in particular, are their relevance to much of the research I have done on the lives of women - often mothers - and writing in the present day.

I found a comment by one subscriber very interesting on the subject of the two women’s writing styles, who pointed out that in recent years, they have noticed a similarity within their literature, with Drabble’s work becoming more dense.  

So it is easy to see how two such ambitious, talented sisters might veer into the area of sibling rivalry.  But perhaps, as with many family dynamics, we have to look at the parenting of the two siblings.

I think it is too easy to just ‘blame the parents’ (especially as I am one), but it is often cited that the order of birth within families is seen as relevant to the ways in which ambition and expectation is put upon us.  It is also true that an early ‘talent’ can be exploited to push a young person into a mould they may not wish to fit: the sporty sibling, or the clever sibling, for example.

What is interesting within Drabble and Byatt’s family, however, is that both sisters seemed to feel this pressure to compete, and what’s more, in this case, it could be argued that their mother’s pressure to succeed at Cambridge actually had the benefit of helping them to become the successful academics, authors - and women - they are today.  Again, as a subscriber pointed out, one of their other siblings is a well-respected art historian, so the talent within this family runs deep.   

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Researching the feud between these two sisters made me wonder though: were/are there any other siblings who shared similar rivalries over their literary success?  The first siblings to come to mind are the Brontë’s of course, though they are often seen as intent on working together at their writing.  This would be an interesting theme to come back to with regard to their work.  A subscriber reminded me of twin sister siblings, Pauline Phillips & Ann Landers, which may also be interesting to look at.  

I hope you have enjoyed my afterthoughts on some of the themes in this week’s newsletter.  If you have any thoughts to add to the conversation, please do so in the comments.  I’d love to hear them 😀

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