Q&A with Richa Jain
“I was beheaded in the early afternoon hours of the 16th of October, 1793.”
~ ‘Her Personal Rebellion’ by Richa Jain
Your short story ‘Her Personal Rebellion’ explores the experience of Marie Antoinette in the lead up to the French Revolution. What inspired you to write about this historical figure and how did you go about capturing her voice?
When I heard the word ‘revolt’ the first thing that came to mind was the French Revolution, as I’m sure would be the case for several people. I wondered then, how I could go about making my take on it unique. That’s when I stumbled upon the idea of writing a piece from the point of view of the person who was made the sole scapegoat for the onset of the French Revolution.
I always knew about the basics of Marie Antoinette’s life and felt that she was villainised so the people had a face to hate, when it was in fact the system in place that was responsible for their suffering. I’m not going to lie, I was inspired, in part, by the recent insurgence of films like Joker, the upcoming Cruella de Vil film, etc. that seek to not really put these villains in a positive light, but at the very least, humanise them. That being said, I’m not putting Marie Antoinette in the same light as these fictional bad guys, but rather that me deciding to write ‘Her Personal Rebellion’ was a result of me being inspired by these films putting light on the figures whose side we hadn’t really given a thought to until now. As for how I did it, that was just a matter of extensive research and a tad of creative liberty – which is my process for most of the creative nonfiction pieces I write.
In 2015, you wrote a piece for the Sydney Morning Herald about moving from Abu Dhabi to Melbourne as a teenager. It has certain resonances with your story: moving countries at a young age, a sense of dislocation and grappling with new cultural norms. Are these themes you often explore in your writing?
Gosh, I didn’t even make the connection – that piece was so long ago! (Yes, 2015 was six bloody years ago – feel ancient yet?) I think I try to challenge myself to write about a broad variety of subjects, but pieces about discovering one’s identity, especially when dealing with the hardships that come with moving place, just naturally come to me. Maybe it’s because I have a lot of experience firsthand with the issue; being born in one country, brought up in another, and spending adulthood in yet another.
What writing projects are you working on at the moment?
I’ve been writing a lot for university, I am in my final year after all so most of my creative energy goes into my writing assignments. I’m doing everything though; fictional stories about professional hit women, research essays about body dysmorphic disorder, short personal anecdotes about the monotony of retail jobs – just have to keep writing until I hit gold, right?
As a creative writing student, you must be reading a lot! Any recommendations we should add to our reading list?
To be perfectly honest, I probably don’t read as much as I nearly should. My love for writing did originate from my initial love for reading, however the former soon surpassed the latter and now I write way more than I read.
I do love a good short story though (probably because it allows me to enjoy a fulfilling tale despite my fleeting attention span) and frequently browse the New Yorker website for those, as they almost always have exceptional pieces published on their website. I recommend checking out Haruki Murakami - his ability to paint the most vivid of worlds in a few words is truly remarkable, although I do admit his penning of female characters leaves a lot to be desired.
If you’re more the novel reading kind of individual, George Orwell’s works almost always will leave an effect that’ll continue to imprint on your mind for the entirety of a lifetime. Likewise, Sylvia Plath’s poetry will make you weep before you have the chance to even fully comprehend it.
Richa Jain is a Melbourne-based writer studying creative writing at university. From a young age, Richa has experienced life amongst a plethora of cultures which has helped her writing to adapt to different perspectives and emotions. Her interest in pursuing the art professionally developed after a piece she wrote in 2015 about her experience moving continents was published on the website for the Sydney Morning Herald. She continues to strive for inspiration leading to an eventual magnum opus by watching films from foreign and familiar lands, reading various types of literature and observing people from all walks of life at her day job.