Salon After D'Arc: the Monstrous Maternal in Media, Art and Culture

The story of a woman losing control over her body and turning into a monster has long been a theme of female body horror. Whether possessed by spirits or serving as an unwilling host to supernatural offspring – we are fascinated by these sensational maternal figures that loom large on the page and on screen. But why do we find these characters so horrifying? 

From society’s rejection of a mother who doesn’t perform as we expect to the female body as a site for abject horror, how have the monstrous mothers in our fictional stories framed our perceptions of women in art and culture today? And how do they influence the media’s portrayal of mothers in the real world?  

Join Australian icon Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, horror film writer/director Natalie Erika James and co-artistic director of THE RABBLE, Emma Valente, in conversation with broadcaster and writer, Jacinta Parsons, to confront and discuss the representation of monstrous maternal figures and the depiction of the “bad mother” in this unique Salon After D’Arc event. 

The evening will also include an opportunity to view rare books that explore this theme, including Toni Morrison’s Beloved and the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective’s Our Bodies, Ourselves, which were both acquired through the Library’s Women Writers Fund initiative. 

Please note: Jacinta Parsons has replaced Jamila Rizvi as the moderator of this event.