Publisher: Melbourne ; New York : Oxford University Press
ISBN: UOM:39015031722021
Category: Literary Criticism
Page: 872
View: 281
The Oxford Companion to Australian Literature, which now appears in a fully revised and updated second edition, provides a concise but comprehensive account of Australian writing from European settlement in 1788 to 1993. Its chief aim is to present the most important achievements of Australianliterature in the major fields of poetry, fiction and drama, but considerable attention has also been paid to non-fictional prose and to the impact on Australian literature of those historical events which served not only as catalysts but also as the subject matter of so much of it.William Wilde and Joy Hooton - building on the 1985 edition which was co-authored by the late Barry Andrews - present an even more diverse record of literary achievement. The new Companion reflects three major changes in the literary culture: the emergence of Aboriginal writing, the increase in andrecognition of multicultural writing, and the great increase in women's writing in all genres. The new edition also relects the substantial research achievements of literary historians, textual critics, bibliographers, biographers and the impact of critical reinterpretations based on such 'new'approaches as feminism and post-colonialism.Every entry has been reappraised and, where necessary, revised and expanded. During the 1980s several Australian writers won international reputations. Many of them - Malouf, Garner, Murray, Jolley, Carey and Williamson - produced some of their key works after the first edition of the Companion wascompleted, and their entries have been rewritten accordingly. In addition, a new generation of writers has been included - Brett, Halligan, Henshaw, Castro, Grenville, Masters and Hodgins, to name just a few.Reviewing the first edition, A.D. Hope acclaimed it as a 'landmark'. In the greatly expanded second edition, the authors provide a fuller and more contemporary record of the national literature.
Publisher: Melbourne ; New York : Oxford University Press
ISBN: STANFORD:36105004087008
Category: Literary Criticism
Page: 502
View: 125
Arranged alphabetically, The Oxford Companion to Australian Children's Literature contains 1600 entries covering authors, publishers, illustrators, famous characters, events, institutions, and awards--from Ned Kelly and the Eureka Stockade to Australian comics and the work of Evelyn Goode. The book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in children's literature or Australian culture.
This revised and expanded reference work provides a comprehensive account of Australian writing from 1788 to 1993. Details of a new generation of playwrights, poets and novelists have been added to the volume, along with reviews of the development of multiculturalism and Aboriginal writing.
Australian literature is one of the world's richest, dealing not only with "local" Australian themes and issues but with those at the forefront of global literary discussion. This book offers a fresh look at Australian literature, taking a broad view of what literature is and viewing it with Australian cultural and societal concerns in mind. Especially relevant is the heightened role of indigenous people and issues following the landmark 1992 Mabo decision on Aboriginal land rights. But attention to other multicultural connections and the competing pull of Australia's continued connection to Great Britain are also enlightening. Chapters are devoted to internationally prominent writers such as Patrick White, Peter Carey, David Malouf, and Christina Stead; fast-rising authors such as Gerald Murnane and Tim Winton; less-publicized writers such as Xavier Herbert and Dorothy Hewett; and on prose fiction, poetry, and drama, women's and gay and lesbian writing, children's literature, and science fiction. The Companion goes beyond Eurocentric ideas of national literary history to reveal the full, resplendent variety of Australian writing. Contributors: Nicholas Birns, Rebecca McNeer, Ali Gumillya Baker, Gus Worby, Anita Heiss, Ruth Feingold, Wenche Ommundsen, Susan Jacobowitz, Deborah Madsen, Marguerite Nolan, Tanya Dalziell, Richard Carr, David McCooey, Maryrose Casey, Brigid Rooney, John Beston, John Scheckter, Werner Senn, Carolyn Bliss, Paul Genono, Lyn Jacobs, Nicole Moore, Ouyang Yu, Jaroslav Kusnir, Brigid Magner, Russel Blackford, Toni Johnson-Woods, Theodore F. Sheckels, Alice Mills, Gary Clark, Damien Barlow, Leigh Dale Nicholas Birns teaches literature at the New School in New York City and is the editor of Antipodes. Rebecca McNeer is Associate Dean Emerita at Ohio University Southern.
Publisher: Melbourne ; New York : Oxford University Press
ISBN: UOM:39015066380307
Category: Australian literature
Page: 780
View: 969
A comprehensive account of Australian literature from the first settlement in 1788 to the current day, this book represents the most important achievements in Australian poetry, drama, and fiction as well as non-fictional prose--journals, diaries, biographies, and autobiographies--and details the impact on the writing caused by those historical events that often serve as a work's theme. More than 3,000 informative entries cover subjects such as transportation, exploration, gold discoveries, bushranging, and outback ethos, all of which played a part in the development of the continent's literature as did the pervasive presence and influence of the Aboriginal culture. Entries range from lengthy articles on special topics to brief factual paragraphs explaining words or references. Also provided is information and reference sources on important past and contemporary writers as well as anything and everything that may have influenced their development: the growth of publishing and periodicals; the impact of movements such as nationalism, racialism, and feminism; and the contributions made by booksellers, critics, and literary associations. A major new Oxford Companion, this book makes an intriguing new genre of literature accessible to all readers.
In recent years, Australian literature has experienced a revival of interest both domestically and internationally. The increasing prominence of work by writers like Christos Tsiolkas, heightened through television and film adaptation, as well as the award of major international prizes to writers like Richard Flanagan, and the development of new, high-profile prizes like the Stella Prize, have all reinvigorated interest in Australian literature both at home and abroad. This Companion emerges as a part of that reinvigoration, considering anew the history and development of Australian literature and its key themes, as well as tracing the transition of the field through those critical debates. It considers works of Australian literature on their own terms, as well as positioning them in their critical and historical context and their ethical and interactive position in the public and private spheres. With an emphasis on literature’s responsibilities, this book claims Australian literary studies as a field uniquely positioned to expose the ways in which literature engages with, produces and is produced by its context, provoking a critical re-evaluation of the concept of the relationship between national literatures, cultures, and histories, and the social function of literary texts.
This is a reference text on Shakespeare's works, times, life, and afterlives. It offers stimulating and authoritative coverage of every aspect of Shakespeare and his writings, including their reinterpretation in the theatre, in criticism, and in film.
Provides over 1,700 biographies of influential poets writing in English from 1910 to the present day, exploring the influences, inspirations, and movements that have shaped their works and lives.
This fourth edition of Historical Dictionary of Australia covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 500 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture.
This book is a research guide to the literatures of Australia and New Zealand. It contains references to many different types of resources, paying special attention to the unique challenges inherent in conducting research on the literatures of these two distinct but closely connected countries.
