Working-Class Women's Autobiography

I’ve just started reading another contemporary working-class woman’s autobiography. (Oddly enough, I don’t particularly enjoy reading; it’s quite painful at times – depending on the book. But how the hell else are you gonna find out about stuff, and books just open up other worlds and possibilities.)
 
There seems to be common themes emerging in these working-class autobiographies of disadvantaged, poverty-stricken home backgrounds and dysfunctional families…
 
‘Monday night was bath night, because Monday was wash day. All the dirty washing went into Gran’s copper in the scullery; clouds of steam escaped every time she lifted the lid. The sodden clothes went through the mangle, then on to the lines in the back yard. In wet weather they had to be dried in the house, and that Robert Francis could not abide. He would wolf down his cold meat and bubble and squeak and escape to the flea-pit on the corner. He wasn’t keen on he pictures but where else? When the wash was done, the hot grey water was baled out of the copper and lugged up two flights of stairs, bucket by bucket. The bathroom was splendid, with double doors, a wide window bordered with stain glass, a bath with claw feet – but no plumbing. My grandfather liked the bathroom; he reared his canaries there…
…Caroline Emily brought me up as her own, though she was no longer young and there was still talk of a foundling hospital from time to time. Nobody saw much of the flighty one who had brought her trouble home. Aunt Carrie was good to me.’

​***Intertextuality***

In other news…
 
I love ‘The Waltons’. I’ve just (re) discovered them on early morning telly, and I’m finding it hard to drag myself away, which is rather inconvenient (I used to watch them when I was a young ‘un.) This is bad scheduling, in my opinion: who the hell watches ‘The Waltons’ at 8 am? (apart from me, but then I’m weird, as we’ve deduced). They should put it on in the evening, when there’s crap all else on.
John-Boy is writing his memoirs, and each episode is framed around this. As the older him, John-Boy narrates a short piece at the beginning of the programme, and then again at the end. In this respect, it's not a million miles away from my research interests So, I've found a good reason to keep watching. Deal. : D
 
….Doris Day; The Waltons…I’m not cool am I? …Fuck cool.