Neighbourhood Watch
Gender, Sex and Gossip in Ambridge
ISBN: 978-1-78769-948-9, eISBN: 978-1-78769-945-8
Publication date: 19 February 2019
Abstract
As the foremost gossip in Ambridge, Susan Carter can lay claim to being the most powerful character in The Archers. Ridiculed for her social aspirations, Susan is bolstered by her proximity to the world of privilege through her son’s marriage to Alice Aldridge and her husband’s status as chairman of the parish council. Within the village, Susan is both feared and ridiculed, giving her an ambivalent status in the narrative, yet she is pivotal in her role at the heart of the ‘information superhighway’ of gossip within the community. Her role is tantamount to that of a Greek chorus, commenting on and judging the actions of her acquaintances, her position aided by her job as manager of the village shop, at the heart of village dealings. This chapter situates Susan within the tradition of gossips in British popular culture, exploring discourses centring on middle-aged femininities and working-class cultures. I will examine how Susan’s character is informed by the comic tradition of the unruly working-class matriarch, who is both strong and powerful, yet whose excessive talk reinforces the social divide that she longs to overcome.
Citation
Mortimer, C. (2019), "Neighbourhood Watch", Courage, C. and Headlam, N. (Ed.) Gender, Sex and Gossip in Ambridge, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 37-47. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78769-945-820191007
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019 by Emerald Publishing Limited