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Colonial Australian Fiction

Character Types, Social Formations and the Colonial Economy
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Colonial Australian Fiction: Character Types, Social Formations and the Colonial Economy by Ken Gelder and Dr Rachael Weaver examines the distinctive literary figures of 19th-century Australia. Highlighting characters like the swagman, larrikin, colonial detective, and bushranger, the book investigates how these archetypes helped shape colonial identity. It surveys various genres such as squatter novels, bushranger adventures, and colonial detective stories, featuring works by authors like Henry Lawson, Miles Franklin, and Marcus Clarke.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$8300

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for students, researchers, and scholars of Australian literature and cultural history, as well as readers fascinated by colonial narratives and character studies.

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Over the course of the 19th century a remarkable array of character types appeared and disappeared in Australian literature. Some had a powerful influence on the colonies' developing sense of identity; others were more ephemeral. But all had a role to play in shaping and reflecting the social and economic circumstances of life in the colonies.

By examining genre and character, this study explores how colonial Australian fiction influenced the colonies’ developing sense of identity.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Over the course of the 19th century, a remarkable array of types appeared in Australian literature: the swagman, the larrikin, the colonial detective, the bushranger, the "currency lass", the squatter, and more. Some had a powerful influence on the colonies' developing sense of identity; others were more ephemeral. But all had a role to play in shaping and reflecting the social and economic circumstances of life in the colonies.

In Colonial Australian Fiction: Character Types, Social Formations and the Colonial Economy, Ken Gelder and Rachael Weaver explore the genres in which these characters flourished: the squatter novel, the bushranger adventure, colonial detective stories, the swagman's yarn, and the Australian girl's romance.

Authors as diverse as Catherine Helen Spence, Rosa Praed, Henry Kingsley, Anthony Trollope, Henry Lawson, Miles Franklin, Barbara Baynton, Rolf Boldrewood, Mary Fortune, and Marcus Clarke were fascinated by colonial character types.

Series: Sydney Studies in Australian Literature

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  • Colonial Australian Fiction
    Over the course of the 19th century, a remarkable array of types appeared in Australian literature: the swagman, the larrikin, the colonial detective, the bushranger, the "currency lass", the squatter, and more. Some had a powerful influence on the colonies' developing sense of identity; others were more ephemeral. But all had a role to play in shaping and reflecting the...
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Colonial Australian Fiction has been described as an elegant and highly informative exploration of character types in Australian literature, deemed essential reading for those interested in Australia's literary heritage. It has been praised for its insightfulness and usefulness for research, study, and teaching within Australian literary studies.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781743324615

Publisher: Sydney University Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 07 April 2017

Country: Australia

Imprint: Sydney University Press

Illustration: Illustrations

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 11.0mm

Width: 176.0mm

Height: 250.0mm

Weight: 260g

Pages: 138

About the Author

Ken Gelder is a professor of English and co-director of the Australian Centre at the University of Melbourne.

Rachael Weaver is an ARC senior research fellow in English at the Australian Centre at the University of Melbourne.

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