AustLit

'The idea of the 'voice' - who speaks, who controls discourse, who is heard - has important implications for the Australian context. If we are to speak of cultural identities it is necessary to know how they are articulated, not just what is said. Hazel Smith examines two Australian performance poets who engage in these concerns of Australian voices, as well as the wider area of written and spoken texts. Smith applies concepts from Jacques Derrida (writing and speech) and semiotics (particularly the work of Roland Barthes) to her analysis of poetry and the voice in the Australian context.' (Abstract published at the beginning of article, p.221.)