Deakin University
Browse

File(s) under permanent embargo

Libby Lawrence Is Good At Pretending

composition
posted on 2022-10-23, 22:42 authored by Jodi McAlisterJodi McAlister
Libby Lawrence Is Good At Pretending

History

Pagination

1 - 368

ISBN-13

9781743059043

Research statement

Research background The phrase “romantic love” contains both emotional (“love”) and narrative (“romance”) components. Almost all of my research focuses on the latter, seeking to understand the way we tell stories about love, particularly in popular culture. In my young adult contemporary romance novel Libby Lawrence is Good at Pretending (LLIGAP), I approach this not just as critic but as creator. Specifically, the romance plot in LLIGAP is a creative expression of the ideas in my 2021 chapter ‘Love and Listening’. LLIGAP also deals with virginity loss, arising directly from my 2020 monograph The Consummate Virgin. Research contribution LLIGAP complements these two scholarly publications (among others). It is a creative expression of the idea that the erotics of talk are fundamental to the romance narrative (‘Love and Listening’), and a subversion of the typical romanticised virginity loss plot (The Consummate Virgin). It ia slo a method of communicating these ideas to a broad audience outside academia, thus taking up Gilbert Rodman’s provocation that “cultural studies needs to start working from the terrain of the popular, rather than simply writing/theorizing/teaching about the popular from within the university” (2016, 397). Research significance LLIGAP is published by Wakefield Press. They are a small press, but publish the book globally, ensuring its reach. It has been critically acclaimed; eg. Australian’s main trade publication Books + Publishing called it “a self-aware rom-com that critically interrogates patriarchal institutions and the socialisation of young women”, and noted its close ties to my academic work. I have also highlighted these links in interviews (eg. an interview for Better Words podcast), which allows me to increase the impact not just of the book but my broader research agenda.

Usage metrics

    Research Publications

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC