She is the real-life Lady Whistledown, an eyebrow-raising female writer who penned a salacious anonymous gossip sheet that skewered 18th-century London society., published in 1746, has a distinctive, mocking voice that punches up and “speaks truth to power”. Now, a new book will republish Haywood’s funny, subversive periodical, which she wrote from the perspective of an angry green parrot, and seek to raise awareness of her groundbreaking work.
Most contemporary periodicals were written by male writers. By creating a different voice within this print culture, Haywood conveyed the challenging idea that “not everyone is like you”, said Smith.At one point, the parrot complains about being judged and marginalised for being green and asks why its appearance should have any bearing on the quality of its ideas. “As if the complexion of the body had any influence over the faculties of the mind,” Haywood writes.
By turning herself into a “mere parrot”, Hayward used satire to speak truth to power in a male-dominated world, Smith said. For example, one issue includes an anecdote about a highly respected gentleman called Oran who tortures flies in front of the parrot, pulling off their legs and wings when no human is present.