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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
This book has several strengths. It makes a good compromise between comprehensiveness and focus. Trying to cover all the authors of the period would necessitate brief, encyclopaedic treatments. Restricting the coverage to a small selection of major authors would produce an idiosyncratic result with important omissions. The detailed treatment of thirty-seven authors covers the most significant individual figures with a range wide enough to fill out the context in each period and give the reader a sense of the literary inter-relationships. The result is a book that is highly readable and yet handy for reference purposes. The studies of individual authors show, above all, an enormous amount of reading. The treatments integrate biographical and background material with detailed accounts of the texts. Mr Sigley's enthusiasm for the literature and his knowledge of Australia are both communicated to the reader. The introductory chapters are deftly integrated with the accounts of individual authors. They are unusual in providing a concise literary history that is accessible to readers who may be new to Australian studies. Writing Across the Continent is clearly informed by Mr Sigley's long experience as a teacher in Japan, and he is aware of the needs of readers who have an interest in Australia but little acquaintance with its culture or literature. The focus on prose fiction is appropriate for students of non-English speaking backgrounds, and there seems to be nothing in print that suits such a readership. He has appreciated the need for an introduction to Australian writing that is an alternative to reference books, detailed literary histories, and works of literary criticism; and in my opinion he has filled this need very successfully. [Dr John Scahill, Professor, Faculty of Letters, Keio University, Mita, Tokyo]
Notes
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These essays were prepared as lectures for Japanese students over a period of fiteen years.
Contents
* Contents derived from the 2008 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
- Thea Astley, single work criticism
- Foreword: A Reference on Australian Prose Writing, single work criticism
-
Background History,
single work
criticism
Note: Chapter title: Historical Background to Australian Literature
- Convict Origins, single work criticism
- Legendary Australians, single work criticism
- Colonists V. Indigenous Race, single work criticism
- Influence of the Bulletin, single work criticism
- Ballads. Prelude to Literature, single work criticism
- Indigenous Writers, single work criticism
- Marjorie Barnard, single work criticism
- Martin Boyd, single work criticism
- Peter Carey, single work criticism
- Dymphna Cusack, single work criticism
- Eleanor Dark, single work criticism
- Frank Dalby Davison, single work criticism
- C.J. Dennis, single work criticism
- Mary Durack, single work criticism
- Miles Franklin, single work criticism
- Frank Hardy, single work criticism
- Xavier Herbert, single work criticism
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Last amended 25 Jun 2009 11:52:03
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