The Cambridge History of Australian Literature

The Cambridge History of Australian Literature is the most comprehensive volume ever written on Australia's national literature.

Peter Pierce (Edited by)

9780521881654, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 17 September 2009

624 pages
23.4 x 15.6 x 3.3 cm, 1.04 kg

'… innovative approach … informative, highly stimulating … exciting revaluations of familiar works, authors and periods.' Zeitschrift fur Anglistik und Amerikanistik

The Cambridge History of Australian Literature is the most comprehensive volume ever written on Australia's national literature. This authoritative guide spans Australian literary history from colonial origins, encompassing indigenous and migrant literatures, as well as representations of Asia and the Pacific and the role of literary culture in modern Australian society. Bringing together a distinguished line-up of contributors, this volume explores each of the literary modes in an Australian context, including short story, poetry, children's literature, autobiography and fiction. This book is an essential reference for general readers and specialists alike.

List of contributors
Acknowledgements
Introduction Peter Pierce
Part I. From European Imaginings of Australia to the End of the Colonial Period: 1. Britain's Australia Ken Stewart
2. The beginnings of literature in colonial Australia Elizabeth Webby
3. Early writing by Indigenous Australians Penny Van Toorn
4. Australian colonial poetry, 1788–1888: claiming the future, restoring the past Vivian Smith
5. No place for a book? Fiction in Australia to 1890 Tanya Dalziell
6. Romantic aftermaths Richard Lansdown
Part II. From the Late Nineteenth Century to 1950: 7. Australia's Australia Peter Pierce
8. The short story, 1890s to 1950 Bruce Bennett
9. Australian drama, 1850–1950 Peter Fitzpatrick
10. 'New words come tripping slowly': poetry, popular culture and modernity, 1890–1950 Peter Kirkpatrick
11. Australian fiction and the world republic of letters, 1890–1950 Robert Dixon
12. Australia's England, 1890–1950 Peter Morton
Part III. Traverses: 13. Australian children's literature Clare Bradford
14. Representations of Asia Robin Gerster
15. Autobiography David McCooey
16. Riding on the 'uncurl'd clouds': the intersection of fiction and history Brian Matthews
Part IV. From 1950 to Nearly Now: 17. Publishing, patronage and cultural politics: institutional changes in the field of Australian literature from 1950 David Carter
18. Theatre from 1950 Katharine Brisbane
19. The short story from 1950 Stephen Torre
20. Scribbling on the fringes: post-1950 Australian poetry Dennis Haskell
21. Groups and mavericks John Kinsella
22. The challenge of the novel: Australian fiction since 1950 Susan Lever
23. The novel, the implicated reader and Australian literary cultures, 1950–2008 Richard Nile and Jason Ensor
24. Nation, literature, location Philip Mead
Select bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Literature: history & criticism [DS], Literature & literary studies [D]