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Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Reading Australia : 'Jessica Anderson's Tirra Lirra by the River'
2015
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , March no. 369 2015; (p. 30-32)'In 1978, Australia’s two most coveted national literary prizes of the time were both won by women: Helen Garner’s first novel Monkey Grip (1977) won the National Book Council Award for fiction, and the Miles Franklin Literary Award was won by Tirra Lirra by the River (1978), Jessica Anderson’s fourth novel. Both of these books have since become classics of Australian literature, rarely out of print and regularly rediscovered by new generations of readers.' (Author's introduction 30)
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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)
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'Where No Knight in Armour Has Ever Trod' : The Arthurianism of Jessica Anderson's Heroines
2006
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Medievalism and the Gothic in Australian Culture 2006; (p. 61-80) Louise D'Arcens examines the differences in the way two heroines from novels by Jessica Anderson read Arthurian legends. She suggests that 'the transition between the two heroines' medievalisms reflects the changing significance of the Middle Ages as an imaginative prism through which Australian experience has been refracted. The development they embody [...] is an index of Australia's transition from colonial dependency at the beginning of the twentieth century to cultural autonomy and sovereignty a the century's end' (62-63). -
"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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Meetability
1995
single work
review
— Appears in: Overland , Autumn no. 138 1995; (p. 68-70)
— Review of A Change in the Lighting 1994 single work novel ; Crosskill : A Wyatt Novel 1994 single work novel ; Jetlag : A Novel 1994 single work novel ; One of the Wattle Birds 1994 single work novel ; Recollections of Ludowyck B. 1994 single work novel ; The Wild Sweet Flowers : Alvie Skerritt Stories 1994 selected work short story ; Truce 1994 single work novel -
Revenge of the Cur
1994
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 23 July 1994; (p. 7)
— Review of Dark Places 1994 single work novel ; One of the Wattle Birds 1994 single work novel -
Forecasts
1994
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Bookseller & Publisher , May vol. 73 no. 1047 1994; (p. 32)
— Review of One of the Wattle Birds 1994 single work novel -
Fat in Content, Slim in Size
1994
single work
review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 5 July vol. 116 no. 5927 1994; (p. 89)
— Review of One of the Wattle Birds 1994 single work novel -
King Arthur Faced in Coogee
1994
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 9-10 July 1994; (p. rev 7)
— Review of One of the Wattle Birds 1994 single work novel -
'Where No Knight in Armour Has Ever Trod' : The Arthurianism of Jessica Anderson's Heroines
2006
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Medievalism and the Gothic in Australian Culture 2006; (p. 61-80) Louise D'Arcens examines the differences in the way two heroines from novels by Jessica Anderson read Arthurian legends. She suggests that 'the transition between the two heroines' medievalisms reflects the changing significance of the Middle Ages as an imaginative prism through which Australian experience has been refracted. The development they embody [...] is an index of Australia's transition from colonial dependency at the beginning of the twentieth century to cultural autonomy and sovereignty a the century's end' (62-63). -
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)
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Time's Dread Chariot
1994
single work
biography
— Appears in: The Age , 23 July 1994; (p. 8) - 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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"The Older You Grow, the Less You Care"
1994
single work
criticism
biography
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 9 July 1994; (p. 6A)
Last amended 13 Mar 2001 15:56:45
Subjects:
- Sydney, New South Wales,
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