AustLit

'The nineteenth century witnessed the arrival of new technologies such as the telegraph and typewriter, of which women were thought to be suitable operators because of their nimble fingers. Some were so efficient that their bodies seemed like machines, a notion which aligned with nineteenth-century conceptualisations of communications technology as a nervous system. Spiritualism also became popular at this time, and the cultural association of femininity and passivity offered many women an opportunity to become mediums. Some women combined the roles of typist and medium and, when their employers died, they continued to take dictation from the spiritual world. This essay examines how Nancy Harward, the lifelong companion of nineteenth century Australian novelist Rosa Praed, acted as both secretary and medium in their literary partnership. Harward's capacity to fall into a trance and speak as a slave girl in ancient Rome facilitated access to a literary authority which was otherwise denied to her. The essay also touches upon the queer intimacy provoked by new technologies such as the the telegraph, which allowed operators to figuratively touch its listeners, just as mediums affected their listeners in sittings. It concludes with a contemplation of the similarities between cyberspace and the spiritual realm of the nineteenth century, suggesting that these spaces enable women to articulate authoritative selves.' (68)