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2014.0039 [RESEARCH AND REFERENCE CARD INDEXES]
Date Range of Records: 1967-2008
Creator(s):
- Greer, Professor Germaine [29 January 1939-]
This series holds Germaine Greer’s card indexes containing research and references for her books, articles and academic research including: PhD The Ideology of Love and Marriage in the Sixteenth Century; The Female Eunuch; The Obstacle Race; Sex and Destiny; The Change; Shakespeare's Wife; Daddy We Hardly Knew You; and others.

The cards were stored in bundles in small file cabinet drawers. In 2014 bundles were labelled by Germaine Greer according to project or research topic and the number of the drawer from which they came. These labels have been retained and additional descriptive information drawn from the card indexes has been added by an archivist and indicated in the list by [square brackets]. All detail not in brackets is from Professor Greer.

In 2015 each index card within the three bundles of The Female Eunuch card indexes (2014.0039.00001, 2014.0039.00002, and 2014.0039.00003) was described and digitised. They are available online at The University of Melbourne Archives website by typing the series number 2014.0039 into the Search Digitised Items search box.

The cards in the three The Female Eunuch bundles are arranged as they were received by the University of Melbourne Archives in 2014. The order is neither alphabetical nor chronological. It is not based on subject, quotes or genre. The Female Eunuch itself is broken into five sections – Body, Soul, Love, Hate and Revolution – and each section is divided into sub-sections or chapters (wicked womb, energy, baby, womanpower, loathing and disgust are some of the 29 titles). Many index cards reference sections of the book or chapter headings. Some match references in the Notes section or the boxed quotes inserted in bold in the text but others are harder to place. The headings on some cards – Witchery-Soul, Soul-Corporate Feeling, Abstinence, Unisex and Obsession – do not appear on the contents page in the publication.

In response to a query from UMA, Greer has suggested that the first draft of The Female Eunuch may have been written without index cards. It is possible that some of the cards were created, collaboratively, in response to queries from the fact-checkers for McGraw Hill, The Female Eunuch's first American publisher. This suggestion raises the possibility that the cards were a way for Greer to organise her research and also became a tool to support publication and republication, deal with copyright permissions and provide source material for further writing, publicity and debate.
11 units (1.81m)
Collection Category: Culture and the Arts, individuals
Access Conditions: Access: Restricted Some records digitised and available online via Search Digitised Items at http://archives.unimelb.edu.au/
Finding Aids: Yes Listed ONLINE
Online ListingGermaine Greer Research and Reference Card Indexes (2014.0039)
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