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Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also sound recording.
Works about this Work
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The Queerness of Jessica Anderson's Fiction
2012
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 72 no. 1 2012; (p. 136-152) 'Gay men have a significant presence in Jessica Anderson's novels. From the first, An Ordinary Lunacy (1963), to her final work One of the Wattlebirds (1994), gay men appear as friends, assistants, confidants, "comrades", family members and in one instance as a fiance, of her central women characters. An Ordinary Lunacy presents arguably the first modern gay man in Australian literature, while Taking Shelter (1989), Anderson's most sexually ambiguous work, is the first Australian novel to concern itself with HIV/AIDS. In the award-winning and best-selling Tirra Lirra by the River (1978) gay men play pivotal roles. Unlike some of Anderson's contemporaries whose queerness has been explored by literary scholars - such as Patrick White or David Malouf - the rich array of queer representations in Anderson's oeuvre has been largely ignored. In light of this critical neglect this essay examines Anderson's representations of gay men and more generally non-normative sexualities. In particular, I argue that the queerness of Anderson's fiction offers the reader a nuanced and astute critique of the ways in which heterosexuality is privileged, fashioned and maintained as "natural" within late-twentieth-century Australian culture.' (Author's abstract)
-
The Tales of Strangers
2012
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings , July no. 10 2012; (p. 61-66) 'Frances O'Beirne, the young heroine of The Commandant (1975), offers a key to the genius of Jessica Anderson: 'I am made up of hundreds of persons, and I never know which will come out.' Open Anderson's eight published works of fiction and you'll be presented with different worlds, all-encompassing, entirely absorbing, real.' (Author's introduction) -
Sex and the City : New Novels by Women and Middlebrow Culture at Mid-Century
2012
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Literary Studies , October-November vol. 27 no. 3/4 2012; (p. 1-12) 'Central to developments in Australian literature during the period from the end of Second World War until the mid-1960s - what might be called the 'long 1950s' - was the emergence of the kind of modernist novel written by Patrick White as the benchmark of modern fiction. This was the outcome of a struggle among opinion-makers in the literary field, which during this period came to be dominated for the first time by academic critics. They, by and large, favoured the new forms of postwar modernism and rejected that literary nationalism which had drawn the loyalty of most influential writers during the 1930s and 940s.' (Author's introduction) -
"Only the houses on the point ..." : Deciphering Houses as Carriers of Social Meaning in the Novels of Jessica Anderson
1996
single work
criticism
— Appears in: A Spanish Sampler of Australian Studies 1996; (p. 53-60) - y Fabricating the Self : The Fictions of Jessica Anderson St Lucia : University of Queensland Press , 1996 Z509037 1996 single work criticism
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Three New Novels
1963
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , October vol. 2 no. 12 1963; (p. 199)
— Review of That Men Should Fear 1963 single work novel ; An Ordinary Lunacy 1963 single work novel -
Circus
1963
single work
review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 12 October vol. 85 no. 4365 1963; (p. 51)
— Review of An Ordinary Lunacy 1963 single work novel -
Untitled
1963
single work
review
— Appears in: Nation , 2 November 1963; (p. 22-23)
— Review of An Ordinary Lunacy 1963 single work novel -
Immoderate Lives : Four New Novels
1963
single work
review
— Appears in: Meanjin Quarterly , December vol. 22 no. 4 1963; (p. 422-426)
— Review of An Ordinary Lunacy 1963 single work novel -
An Ordinary Lunacy
1988
single work
review
— Appears in: The Canberra Times , 7 August 1988; (p. 8)
— Review of An Ordinary Lunacy 1963 single work novel -
Of Rhinos and Caryatids : The Dialogic Imperative in Jessica Anderson
1991
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Journal of Narrative Technique , Winter vol. 21 no. 1 1991; (p. 72-78) -
The Tales of Strangers
2012
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Kill Your Darlings , July no. 10 2012; (p. 61-66) 'Frances O'Beirne, the young heroine of The Commandant (1975), offers a key to the genius of Jessica Anderson: 'I am made up of hundreds of persons, and I never know which will come out.' Open Anderson's eight published works of fiction and you'll be presented with different worlds, all-encompassing, entirely absorbing, real.' (Author's introduction) -
The Queerness of Jessica Anderson's Fiction
2012
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Southerly , vol. 72 no. 1 2012; (p. 136-152) 'Gay men have a significant presence in Jessica Anderson's novels. From the first, An Ordinary Lunacy (1963), to her final work One of the Wattlebirds (1994), gay men appear as friends, assistants, confidants, "comrades", family members and in one instance as a fiance, of her central women characters. An Ordinary Lunacy presents arguably the first modern gay man in Australian literature, while Taking Shelter (1989), Anderson's most sexually ambiguous work, is the first Australian novel to concern itself with HIV/AIDS. In the award-winning and best-selling Tirra Lirra by the River (1978) gay men play pivotal roles. Unlike some of Anderson's contemporaries whose queerness has been explored by literary scholars - such as Patrick White or David Malouf - the rich array of queer representations in Anderson's oeuvre has been largely ignored. In light of this critical neglect this essay examines Anderson's representations of gay men and more generally non-normative sexualities. In particular, I argue that the queerness of Anderson's fiction offers the reader a nuanced and astute critique of the ways in which heterosexuality is privileged, fashioned and maintained as "natural" within late-twentieth-century Australian culture.' (Author's abstract)
-
Jessica Anderson : Interview
Daniel R. Willbanks
(interviewer),
1992
single work
interview
— Appears in: Speaking Volumes : Australian Writers and Their Work 1992; (p. 15-25) -
Jessica Anderson : Arrivals and Places
1986
single work
— Appears in: Southerly , March vol. 46 no. 1 1986; (p. 57-71)
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