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Notes
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Dedication: For Kay, Tom and Tobi.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Other Formats
- Also sound recording, large print.
Works about this Work
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The Matter of Fact : Science and Identity in Contemporary Australian Literature
2019
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Humanities Review , November no. 65 2019;'To pursue ‘knowledge per se’, to unlock ‘the secrets of the organism’ and to act as an explorer ‘not of untrodden lands, perhaps, but of the mysteries of nature’—these are the reasons why the naturalist William Caldwell travels to Australia in Nicholas Drayson’s 2007 novel Love and the Platypus (9, 59, 144). Caldwell’s research is ‘purely platypusical’ (98): he aims to determine whether the platypus really does lay eggs. The ‘spirit of discovery—that was why he was here, was it not?’ (3) The spirit of discovery and the obsessive nature of his scientific enquiry appear to characterise Drayson’s protagonist as a scientist. However, as I hope to show in this paper, the definition of the literary scientist-protagonist—or its stereotype, in the words of Roslynn Haynes—is open for debate when it comes to the practice of science in fiction. To prove my point, I investigate how the practice of science in contemporary Australian fiction intertwines with identity narratives. As shown in the following, these narratives revolve around the reasons and ambitions of fictional protagonists to engage with science.' (Introduction)
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Science/Literature: The Interface
2019
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Humanities Review , November no. 65 2019; 'This special section of the Australian Humanities Review emerged from the Literary Studies Convention at the Australian National University from 3-7 July 2018. As a conference which brought together Australia’s four major literary studies associations, it showcased a range of approaches to literary scholarship to discuss ‘the literary as an interface between different forms of knowledge and processes of knowledge formation, looking at questions of how and through what means the literary is communicated, represented, negotiated, and remade’. One of the approaches prompted by this theme was the ways in which literature can translate, communicate, or re-imagine scientific knowledge. This seemed particularly apt given that one of the definitions of ‘interface’ is ‘an apparatus designed to connect two scientific instruments so that they can be operated jointly’ (Oxford English Dictionary), for example, two different computer operating systems. In other words, the interface is the meeting place which allows translation to occur.' (Introduction) -
Eight Great Australian Fictional Scientists Worth Reading about
2019
single work
— Appears in: The Conversation , 12 February 2019;'Australian scientists have led many crucial scientific breakthroughs – from the manufacturing and processing of penicillin, to the first in-vitro fertilisation pregnancy. Yet there is still a need for science to be more widely appreciated in our broader culture.' (Introduction)
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Change the Sky
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , August no. 283 2006; (p. 61)
— Review of Rifling Paradise 2006 single work novel -
Skim
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: The Bulletin , 9 May vol. 124 no. 6519 2006; (p. 68-69)
— Review of Rifling Paradise 2006 single work novel
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Victorian Ghosts Go Bush
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 13-14 May 2006; (p. 12)
— Review of Rifling Paradise 2006 single work novel -
The Birds and the Boys
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: The Daily Telegraph , 18 March 2006; (p. 10)
— Review of Rifling Paradise 2006 single work novel -
Guilty Pleasures
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 25-26 February 2006; (p. 20)
— Review of Rifling Paradise 2006 single work novel -
Strangers in an Even Stranger Land
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sunday Times , 19 February 2006; (p. 55)
— Review of Rifling Paradise 2006 single work novel ; The Secret River 2005 single work novel -
Stuff the Wallabies
2006
single work
review
— Appears in: The Guardian , 11 February 2006; (p. 17)
— Review of Rifling Paradise 2006 single work novel -
Belonging Is Where You Imagine You Want To Be
2006
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 6-7 May 2006; (p. 8-9) -
Eight Great Australian Fictional Scientists Worth Reading about
2019
single work
— Appears in: The Conversation , 12 February 2019;'Australian scientists have led many crucial scientific breakthroughs – from the manufacturing and processing of penicillin, to the first in-vitro fertilisation pregnancy. Yet there is still a need for science to be more widely appreciated in our broader culture.' (Introduction)
-
Science/Literature: The Interface
2019
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Humanities Review , November no. 65 2019; 'This special section of the Australian Humanities Review emerged from the Literary Studies Convention at the Australian National University from 3-7 July 2018. As a conference which brought together Australia’s four major literary studies associations, it showcased a range of approaches to literary scholarship to discuss ‘the literary as an interface between different forms of knowledge and processes of knowledge formation, looking at questions of how and through what means the literary is communicated, represented, negotiated, and remade’. One of the approaches prompted by this theme was the ways in which literature can translate, communicate, or re-imagine scientific knowledge. This seemed particularly apt given that one of the definitions of ‘interface’ is ‘an apparatus designed to connect two scientific instruments so that they can be operated jointly’ (Oxford English Dictionary), for example, two different computer operating systems. In other words, the interface is the meeting place which allows translation to occur.' (Introduction) -
The Matter of Fact : Science and Identity in Contemporary Australian Literature
2019
single work
criticism
— Appears in: Australian Humanities Review , November no. 65 2019;'To pursue ‘knowledge per se’, to unlock ‘the secrets of the organism’ and to act as an explorer ‘not of untrodden lands, perhaps, but of the mysteries of nature’—these are the reasons why the naturalist William Caldwell travels to Australia in Nicholas Drayson’s 2007 novel Love and the Platypus (9, 59, 144). Caldwell’s research is ‘purely platypusical’ (98): he aims to determine whether the platypus really does lay eggs. The ‘spirit of discovery—that was why he was here, was it not?’ (3) The spirit of discovery and the obsessive nature of his scientific enquiry appear to characterise Drayson’s protagonist as a scientist. However, as I hope to show in this paper, the definition of the literary scientist-protagonist—or its stereotype, in the words of Roslynn Haynes—is open for debate when it comes to the practice of science in fiction. To prove my point, I investigate how the practice of science in contemporary Australian fiction intertwines with identity narratives. As shown in the following, these narratives revolve around the reasons and ambitions of fictional protagonists to engage with science.' (Introduction)
- Blue Mountains, Sydney, New South Wales,
- 1800-1899