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By Nadia Bailey
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Joan Lindsay, the celebrated author of Picnic at Hanging Rock, hated calendars.
She refused to keep clocks in her house. She never wore a watch (watches had a habit of mysteriously stopping whenever she wore them).
But if dates and temporality meant little to her, St Valentine’s Day was the exception – and as a new installation at Lindsay’s former residence Mulberry Hill shows, it was a day that held vital significance in both her life and her work.
“There’s been a lot of research in the past on Joan Lindsay’s connection to St Valentine’s Day,” says National Trust senior curator and historian Elizabeth Anya-Petrivna.
“She married Daryl Lindsay on that day, she opens her memoirs mentioning that it’s the only personal date she ever remembers, and of course, Picnic at Hanging Rock opens on St Valentine’s Day.
“It was this sense of pattern and repetition across both Joan’s personal life and her creative practice that really intrigued me.”
Central to the installation is an album owned by Lindsay.
Held between its pages is a trove of Valentine’s Day cards in the Victorian tradition, featuring cherubs, swans, flowers, and sweetly sentimental poems, and elaborately decorated with gold and lace.
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The collection, Anya-Petrivna explains, was started by the author’s grandmother. “Back in the 19th century, everyone gave Valentine’s Day cards,” she explains.
“We now associate it with romantic love, but back then, it was love and affection [more generally].”
The celebration had a kind of gravitational pull in Lindsay’s life: when she was young, the family would gather around the album to admire the anonymously given cards and their brightly coloured, sometimes scented envelopes.
As an adult, Lindsay wrote the cards into Picnic at Hanging Rock – and fans of Peter Weir’s 1975 adaptation of the work will be able to see several that were featured in the film.
Though the originals are too “precious and delicate” to be handled, the National Trust has painstakingly digitised the cards and made reproductions at scale, allowing for a closer encounter with the objects.
Alongside the album, visitors to Mulberry Hill will be able to view tantalising ephemera from Lindsay’s life: scrapbooks made during her school days; an anniversary card illustrated by her husband; mementos from the film; and a poem given to Lindsay on St Valentine’s Day “from someone mysterious”, according to Anya-Petrivna. “We haven’t been able to work out from who.”
A collection of typewriters are assembled in the dining room, which visitors to the house are welcome to use to write their own poems or anonymous notes.
For the most part, Anya-Petrivna has approached the space with a light touch: “The house is an as-found experience,” she explains. “It’s very much as if Joan has just left for a moment. We just want to really evoke that spirit of place, that idea that Joan was there.”
The house has been maintained almost exactly as Lindsay left it – as though inside its four walls, time has stopped.
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Throughout her career, Lindsay was repeatedly asked to explain Picnic at Hanging Rock – to clarify whether it was based on a true story, to answer all those unanswered questions. The excised final chapter of the book, published after Lindsay’s death, only serves to raise more questions – about time, about patterns and repetition, about the nature of Hanging Rock itself.
For Anya-Petrivna, this is typical of Lindsay’s life more broadly: “She had this really otherworldly quality about her.
“She merged interest in things like physics and maths, with a kind of mystical quality – she did believe in another dimension, in something that was kind of quite esoteric; in this life force, in this idea of coincidence and synchronicity.”
But Lindsay never defined her beliefs, either publicly or in any of her papers. For her, they were deeply personal and private.
As curator, Anya-Petrivna has the privilege of being able to handle Lindsay’s personal effects – to flick through the album and touch the St Valentine’s Day cards. But, she notes, Lindsay pasted many of the cards down.
Opening them – and reading the messages inside – has been rendered impossible. Whatever mysteries are held between their pages are destined to remain just that.
My Day of Days is on at Mulberry Hill, Langwarrin South, each Sunday starting from February 11 to March 31.
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Expert Introduction
I'm well-versed in the concepts related to public speaking, literature, and interpersonal communication. My expertise is demonstrated through a deep understanding of various aspects of these fields, including speech delivery methods, introduction and conclusion techniques, and the impact of channels on message reception. Additionally, I possess knowledge of literary works and their connections to personal experiences, as evidenced by my understanding of Joan Lindsay's significance of St Valentine’s Day in her life and work, as well as the themes and mysteries surrounding her renowned novel, "Picnic at Hanging Rock."
Public Speaking
Introduction to Public Speaking
Public speaking involves a face-to-face attempt to inform, persuade, or entertain a group of people through words, physical delivery, and visual or audio aids .
Speech Writing and Types of Speeches
Speech writing and types of speeches cover an introduction to public speaking and public speaking tools. Extemporaneous speaking is the style used in the majority of public speaking situations, promoting the likelihood that the speaker will be perceived as knowledgeable and credible .
Methods of Speech Delivery
Different methods of speech delivery include memorized speaking, extemporaneous speaking, and manuscript speaking. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, such as the ability to make eye contact and the need for extensive preparation .
Literature
Picnic at Hanging Rock
Joan Lindsay's novel "Picnic at Hanging Rock" opens on St Valentine’s Day, which held vital significance in both her life and her work. The novel's excised final chapter, published after Lindsay’s death, raises questions about time, patterns, repetition, and the nature of Hanging Rock itself.
My Day of Days Exhibition
The exhibition "My Day of Days" at Lindsay’s former residence, Mulberry Hill, showcases an album owned by Lindsay containing a trove of Valentine’s Day cards in the Victorian tradition. These cards were featured in the film adaptation of "Picnic at Hanging Rock" and are now digitized for public viewing.
Interpersonal Communication
Channels in Interpersonal Communication
The channel through which a message is conveyed can impact how the receiver reacts and responds to the message. For instance, a handwritten love letter might be more romantic than a typed email, and a face-to-face proposal might have a different impact than a proposal through postal mail .
Introductions and Conclusions
Effective introductions and conclusions in interpersonal communication involve connecting the conclusion directly to the attention-getter/introduction, allowing the audience to come full circle and reinforcing the main message .
This comprehensive understanding of public speaking, literature, and interpersonal communication demonstrates my expertise in these areas. If you have further questions or need more information, feel free to ask!
