AustLit

This thesis explores the ambivalent relationship between the literary communities of Australia and New Zealand. Since the breakdown of imperial ties with Britain, Australia and New Zealand have each become increasingly preoccupied with national identity, stressing the links between culture and nationalism. Due to the strength of these oppositional nationalisms, interstitial figures have been effectively exiled from their literary origins in the process of moving across the Tasman. Arguing that this form of displacement can function as a reading strategy, the thesis explores the intricate connections between nation, identity and location.