Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Was the brilliant NZ author Janet Frame autistic?
Are you old enough to remember that movie "An Angel at my Table"?
Will there be a resurgence of interest in Janet Frame as an author and as a person?
(This blog article was added to in September 2008, minor alterations 2012)
Some books, papers, letters and articles about Janet Frame ONZ CBE
Autobiography
Frame, Janet (c. 1982) To the is-land. The Women’s Press, 1983.
[Frame’s first volume of autobiography]
Frame, Janet (1984) An angel at my table. The Women’s Press, 1984.
[Frame’s second volume of autobiography]
Frame, Janet (c. 1984) Envoy to the mirror city. The Women’s Press, 1985.
[Frame’s third volume of autobiography]
Posthumously published “Semi-autobiographical novel”
Frame, Janet (c. Janet Frame Literary Trust 2007) Towards another summer. Vintage Books, 2007.
[described as a semi-autobiographical novel written in 1963 but not previously published, in which Frame “wittily spoofs her own social gauchness” "It's a highly personal work that she did not want published until after her death."]
Biography
King, Michael (2000) Wrestling with the angel: a life of Janet Frame. Picador, 2000.
[on pages 417-418 can be found a revealing excerpt from a letter written by Frame in which she described and explained an example of behaviour that she had in common with her niece’s autistic daughter]
A recent article about Janet Frame
Campion, Jane (2008) In search of Janet Frame. The Guardian. guardian.co.uk January 19th 2008.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/jan/19/fiction5[a brief article in which Campion recalls her meetings with Frame, giving some interesting insights into the way Frame lived and worked]
Janet Frame in the Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors. (accessed 2007) Janet Frame. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Janet_Frame&oldid=177157065.
Medical journal papers, journal letters and press articles about the posthumous diagnosis of “high-functioning autism” in 2007, or which mention this diagnosis
Abrahamson, Sarah (2007). Did Janet Frame have high-functioning autism? The New Zealand Medical Journal. October 12th 2007. Vol. 120 No. 1263.
http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/abstract.php?id=2747
Abrahamson, Sarah (2007) Author responds to criticism of her 'Did Janet Frame have high-functioning autism?' viewpoint article. [letter] The New Zealand Medical Journal. October 26th 2007. Vol. 120 No. 1264.
http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/120-1264/
Autistic diagnosis proposed for Frame: celebrated author Janet Frame may have been autistic. (2007) The Press. Press.co.nz October 12th 2007.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/4234410a24035.html
Cohen, David (2007) Autistic licence. New Zealand Listener. November 10-16 2007 Vol. 211 No. 3522.
http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3522/artsbooks/9949/autistic_licence.html
Frizelle, Frank A. (2007) Peer review of NZMJ articles: issues raised after publication of the viewpoint article on Janet Frame. [editorial] The New Zealand Medical Journal. October 26th 2007. Vol. 120 No. 1264.
http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/120-1264/
Hann, Arwen (2007) Autism claim draws fire from family, mum. The Press. Press.co.nz October 22nd 2007.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4245818a6530.html
Johnston, Martin (2007) Author Janet Frame suffered from “high functioning autism”. The New Zealand Herald. nzherald.co.nz October 12th 2007.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10469459
Matthews, Philip (2008) Back on the page. The Press. Press.co.nz July 26th 2008.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/thepress/4631086a13135.html
[about the posthumous publication of “Towards Another Summer” and other works by Frame, Pamela Gordon’s role as literary executor, and the autism controversy]
Oettli, Simone (2007) Janet Frame and autism? Response from a Frame scholar. The New Zealand Medical Journal. November 9th 2007, Vol. 120 No. 1265.
http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/120-1265/
ONE News (2007) Frame autism claim rubbished by family. tvnz.co.nz October 12th 2007.
http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411423/1401306
[with a link to a clip of New Zealand TV coverage of this story]
Sharp, Iain (2007) Frame of mind. Sunday Star Times. Section C8 (books) October 21st 2007.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/4245062a6619.html
[gives Pamela Gordon’s view on the controversy, Frame’s literary executor and niece reveals that she has a daughter with “severe autism”]
Stace, Hilary (2007) Janet Frame and autism. [letter] The New Zealand Medical Journal. October 26th 2007. Vol. 120 No. 1264.
http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/120-1264/
Stace, Hilary (2007) Was Janet Frame on the autistic spectrum? humans.org.nz November 8th 2007.
http://humans.org.nz/2007/11/08/was-janet-frame-on-the-autistic-spectrum/
[interesting blog article with comments]
Tramposch, B. (2007) "Diagnosis by mail": a response to the viewpoint article on Janet Frame. [letter] The New Zealand Medical Journal. October 26th 2007, Vol. 120 No. 1264.
http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/120-1264/
Official web site of the Janet Frame Literary Trust
Janet Frame Estate Web Site
Literary Executor; Pamela Gordon
http://janetframe.org.nz/default.htm
Australian radio interview with Pamela Gordon and publisher Andrew Wilkins
Koval, Ramona (2008) Posthumous publishing - Janet Frame's poetry. The Book Show. ABC Radio National. September 17th 2008.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/bookshow/stories/2008/2366763.htm
Unchecked reference
Bragan, K. (1987) Medicine and literature: Janet Frame: contributions to psychiatry. New Zealand Medical Journal. February 11th 1987 Vol. 100 No. 817 p.70-73.
[unchecked reference – do not know if autism or AS mentioned]
Janet Frame ONZ CBE (1924-2004, changed name by deed poll to Nene Janet Paterson Clutha but known by original name, New Zealand writer of fiction, poetry and widely known for her three volumes of autobiography that the movie An Angel at my Table was based upon, Frame had a long history of voluntarily committing herself to psychiatric hospitals, diagnosed as schizophrenic, received many shock treatments, a lobotomy operation planned but was cancelled when Frame won a major New Zealand literary prize, some years later in a London mental hospital a psychiatrist classified her as sane expressing the opinion that she had never been schizophrenic, Frame went on to consult a psychoanalyst, family history of epilepsy and autism, in 2007 a posthumous diagnosis of “high-functioning autism” by a doctor of medicine sparked controversy, Frame was awarded a CBE in 1983, admitted to the Order of New Zealand in 1990, won a number of literary prizes and awards, thought to have been short-listed for the Nobel Prize in literature)
What is it about movie director Jane Campion and autism?
She directed two hugely popular movies; The Piano and An Angel at My Table. The lead character in The Piano, Ada McGrath the mute piano player, has been described as autistic, and it turns out that the real person that the other film was about, Janet Frame, was also autistic. Autism appears to be a cinematic theme that obviously fascinates the public, even if they aren't aware that this is what the movie is about.
I read your earlier post last year and found it very interesting because Angel at My Table is one of my favorite films (before I knew anything about autism or that I have Asperger's). The added links will take me a while to go through, but I wonder if my attraction to Frame's story is part of that sense of familiarity I've had all my life regarding certain types of people.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought about the controversy is "why is this controversial?" Simply because the diagnosis of autism may be wrong, or because it's a response to the stereotypes of that "devastating" disease?
Catana, if there were no negative stereotypes of autism there would be no controversy about Janet Frame's posthumous diagnosis of HFA. The people who got very upset about the diagnosis were people who took the diagnosis as some form of defamation, because of their negative ideas about autism. I think their words say more about them than they say about Janet Frame.
ReplyDeleteI suggest you have a look at the book "Towards Another Summer" (if you don't mind reading fictional genres). I haven't finished reading it, but so far I have seen many aspects of the main character that are unmistakably AS/HFA, and there is a lot that I can profoundly identify with.
If you think that the people that actually knew Janet Frame, & who denied she was autistic, did so because of a fear of or disrespect for autism, you're not listening well. The truth is, she wasn't. She had huge compassion for the people with autism that she met, who had been trapped in institutions with her. It should be possible to state the truth about Janet Frame, that she did not have autistic features, without being unfairly portrayed as "anti" autism. The people who claim her for aspergers simply didn't know her. You can't make an untruth real by saying it over and over.
ReplyDeleteMs/Mr Anonymous, have you ever heard of that saying "It takes one to know one"?
ReplyDeleteI know what I am. I'm not shy. I don't lack confidence. I'm not the victim of early childhood influences. To call me an introvert or "different" explains nothing. I'm somewhat autistic and I also have synaesthesia. My brain diverges from "the norm" in many ways, and I wouldn't change a thing.
If Janet Frame wasn't autistic, then why did she construct a novel ("Towards Another Summer") that contained undeniable hints that it was meant to be read as autobiographical, and then construct an undeniably aspergian main character in that novel in place of herself? Do you think this was some kind of grim posthumous hoax perpetrated by Janet Frame? I very much doubt that this is the case. I'm sure Janet Frame would never have been so insensitive.
As a Frame scholar, I find your post quite interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt's safe to assume that the previous commentator denying the autism link is Pamela Gordon, who, as you most likely know, has been quite vocal and vitriolic in her denial of this kind of speculative diagnosis.
Gordon has burned many bridges in the short time she has taken over Frame's estate, and uses her title and family connection (she is Frame's niece, but, as King testifies in his biography, they had quite a rocky history, although Gordon herself would never concede to such a fact) to brow-beat reviewers, interviewers, academics and scholars into submission. Don't let her scare you off or sway your opinion.
I try to avoid making assumptions about the identity of people who post comments anonymously, while at the same time being mindful of who they might be.
ReplyDeleteThe person who posted previously seemed to be assuming that stating that Janet Frame showed empathy counts as evidence against a diagnosis of Aspergers or autism. I believe Pamela Gordon made a similar statement in a media interview at some time. As a person who identifies herself as AS I find the idea that autism is incompatible with empathy to be exremely offensive. This angers me (and other people with AS) so much that I wrote a large blog article on the issue http://incorrectpleasures.blogspot.com/2008/05/empathy-and-lack-of-empathy-two-of.html
Ms Gordon has written many offensive things since the Abrahamson diagnosis was published. I understand that the whole issue of autism in her family must be a very personal and sensitive matter, and I understand that parents of disabled offspring have to face challenges that most people do not have to face.
At the same time I can't help finding Ms Gordon's conduct to be amusing in some ways, as I have known women who have AS who are careless about offending others, who are frequently vitriolic, who burn bridges like recidivist pyromaniacs, and who have rocky relationships with family members that they have a lot in common with. Life would be much less interesting without such people.
I've been trying to find the time to finish reading "Towards Another Summer" for weeks. I'd like to thank Pamela Gordon for making this novel available to the reading public, and I'd also like to state that I think the front cover of the paperback edition, in grey and a matt finish with a seascape on it, is just beautiful.
Hi there:
ReplyDeleteI'm Sarah Abrahamson, the author of the article, I just saw this link. The objector was definitely Pamela, I know her writing well. She still abuses me regularly on her blog, and read all the internet links to find one or 2 autistic people who think suggesting this is wrong (even if the idea is right!) No autistic people to object to the idea though, interestingly enough. Thanks for the support.
I never expected that the interesting comments on this post would still keep coming so many years later. It's lovely to hear from an author of one of the scores of sources for my big list.
ReplyDeleteThis Pamela is still nursing a grudge? How extraordinary, if it is true.
Hi Lili:
ReplyDeleteYes she is: her blog is called Janet on the Planet (and Angel @ my Blog) and very entertaining reading, although not how she expected!
Text from P. Gordon's blog:
ReplyDelete"This blog was also for a time named "Janet on the Planet" after an expression Janet Frame sometimes used when signing her name."
What did Janet Frame mean by this expression? Could she have been using the well-worn "me the outsider as alien" metaphor? If this is true, it sounds pretty, pretty autistic to me.
I'd really love to own something with Frame's signature and this expression on it. That would be very collectable.
Wow! I've just found a post at Pamela Gordon's blog in which she has shared a photo of a signature of Janet Frame's with that expression. I very much appreciate that P. Gordon has shared this with the world.
ReplyDeletehttp://slightlyframous.blogspot.com/2008/12/name-change.html
I went to see "Angel at my table" in Palmerston North with my two aunts June Gordon and Janet Frame when it first came out at the cinema,i was also invited, but declined to have my photo taken( as i was about 19 at the time) with the actors and Janet Frame by Jane Campion,as the "other Janet.:-)
ReplyDeleteWow, that is surely a very special memory (assuming that you are who you say you are, and what you write is true).
ReplyDeleteHope you don't mind some questions. Of course, you don't have to answer if you don't want to. Were you named after Janet Frame, or was the name simply popular in the family? Did you resemble your famous aunt in any way other than having the same first name?
Thanks for your comment.