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The Penguin New Literary History of Australia
This New Literary History is at once an accessible introduction to the literature of Australia and an exploration of new insights.
While the broad framework is chronological and reviews both the production of literature and literary perceptions of Australia at different periods, the chapters range widely so that writers and their work are seen in new company against fresh backgrounds.
In opening up questions about the social forces which help determine what constitutes literature, about what is meant by 'Australian', the book emphasises the diversity of the ways in which literature can be read, reflecting a new approach to the writing of literary history.
While the broad framework is chronological and reviews both the production of literature and literary perceptions of Australia at different periods, the chapters range widely so that writers and their work are seen in new company against fresh backgrounds.
In opening up questions about the social forces which help determine what constitutes literature, about what is meant by 'Australian', the book emphasises the diversity of the ways in which literature can be read, reflecting a new approach to the writing of literary history.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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January 3, 2020
Enjoyable read, albeit a summarised and outdated one.
1988 was Australia's bicentenary, and it's therefore unsurprising that Penguin saw fit to commission this volume, which responds to - and progresses from - the competing literary histories published in the 1960s. This was a boom period for Australian arts and literature; during and after WWII, limitations on transport and resources had given strength to the local industries rather than relying on publishers overseas, and the trend continued to hold firm. By the 1980s, of course, globalisation had fully taken hold of Australia and the academic humanities were shifting to a post-modern view, taking into account cultural and national differences more than ever before.
Each chapter in this volume is written by a different author, with subjects ranging from 19th century drama to the influence of Australian printing houses after WWII to the range of minority voices in the mid-to-late 20th century. At various points there are "perspective" chapters, that examine how Australia was seen (from both within and without) by the literary public and authors. The volume mentions just about every important writer and work between 1788 and 1988, taking a broad view of "literary history" to encompass poetry, journalism, publishing houses, and so on. There are discoveries galore - my favourite thus far is Melbourne and Mars: My Mysterious Life on Two Planets, an 1880s sci-fi/utopian novel that tells of a man who lives a double life, partly in Melbourne and partly in the Martian colonies where universal education underpins society to a much greater extent!
There is much valuable synthesis to be found in this volume as well.
Inevitably, the usual caveats apply. First, of course: 1988. More than three decades have passed, with many more literary events. Some writers have passed into the annals of history, others have proven more important than expected. National and cultural sentiments have changed (although, being written by academics, this volume takes a reasonably progressive view of history to begin with).
Moreso, however, this is not designed to be an "introduction" to Australian literature. With intermittent exceptions, authors don't give biographies of authors or explain works in detail. There is an expectation that this is being written for a somewhat enlightened reader already engaged with the subject, so a sentence might compare one novel with two contemporaries without providing any supporting evidence or narrative details. It's more a series of essays on broad literary subjects, citing books and authors as relevant.
Still a neat landmark in the journey of examining Australian literary trends, and useful at least for discovering works and writers.
1988 was Australia's bicentenary, and it's therefore unsurprising that Penguin saw fit to commission this volume, which responds to - and progresses from - the competing literary histories published in the 1960s. This was a boom period for Australian arts and literature; during and after WWII, limitations on transport and resources had given strength to the local industries rather than relying on publishers overseas, and the trend continued to hold firm. By the 1980s, of course, globalisation had fully taken hold of Australia and the academic humanities were shifting to a post-modern view, taking into account cultural and national differences more than ever before.
Each chapter in this volume is written by a different author, with subjects ranging from 19th century drama to the influence of Australian printing houses after WWII to the range of minority voices in the mid-to-late 20th century. At various points there are "perspective" chapters, that examine how Australia was seen (from both within and without) by the literary public and authors. The volume mentions just about every important writer and work between 1788 and 1988, taking a broad view of "literary history" to encompass poetry, journalism, publishing houses, and so on. There are discoveries galore - my favourite thus far is Melbourne and Mars: My Mysterious Life on Two Planets, an 1880s sci-fi/utopian novel that tells of a man who lives a double life, partly in Melbourne and partly in the Martian colonies where universal education underpins society to a much greater extent!
There is much valuable synthesis to be found in this volume as well.
Inevitably, the usual caveats apply. First, of course: 1988. More than three decades have passed, with many more literary events. Some writers have passed into the annals of history, others have proven more important than expected. National and cultural sentiments have changed (although, being written by academics, this volume takes a reasonably progressive view of history to begin with).
Moreso, however, this is not designed to be an "introduction" to Australian literature. With intermittent exceptions, authors don't give biographies of authors or explain works in detail. There is an expectation that this is being written for a somewhat enlightened reader already engaged with the subject, so a sentence might compare one novel with two contemporaries without providing any supporting evidence or narrative details. It's more a series of essays on broad literary subjects, citing books and authors as relevant.
Still a neat landmark in the journey of examining Australian literary trends, and useful at least for discovering works and writers.
Displaying 1 of 1 review