AustLit

Kim Waters argues that, The Magic Pudding 'is a classic of Australian literature because it is infused with a national spirit that celebrates the Australian way of life and outlook' and that Norman Lindsay 'freed his fellow children writers from their European ancestry by creating a work that was credible in its own right and clearly Australian (9). This includes the bush values and image of the Australian bushman which came to define the national self-image in World War I and a narrative which maintains and perpetuates the masculinist tradition which permeates constructions of Australian national and individual identity (4-7). For Waters, the novel and its characters represent a 'genuine typification of the Australian self-image' distinguished by 'bravery, independence, enterprise and initiative' and the characteristics seen as 'essential to Australian maleness - comradeship, nationalism and humour' (5).