Issue Details: First known date: 2016... 2016 The Narrow Road to the Deep North and the De-Sacralisation of the Nation
The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.

AbstractHistoryArchive Description

Richard Flanagan’s novel The Narrow Road to the Deep North represents yet another addition to the catalogue of Australian war experience literature. The awards and accompanying praise the novel has earned since its release in 2013 reflects a widespread appreciation of its ability to reimagine Australia in a saturated terrain. Flanagan’s novel can be read as a critique of the rise of militant nationalism emerging in the wake of Australia’s backing of Bush’s ‘war on terror’ and the idea that the arrival of boat refugees requires a military and militant response. This article discusses how the novel’s shift from battle heroics to the ordeal of POWs in the Thai jungle represents a reimagining – away from the preoccupation with epic battles – but not necessarily a challenge to the overriding emphasis on baptism of fire narratives as the only truly national narratives.

Full Text PDF

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Le Simplegadi Sacred Journeys : Exploring Literature at the Intersection of Aboriginality, Sexuality, Nature and Spirituality no. 16 2016 10618688 2016 periodical issue 2016 pg. 74-85
Last amended 16 Jan 2017 13:41:54
74-85 http://all.uniud.it/simplegadi/?p=1438 The Narrow Road to the Deep North and the De-Sacralisation of the Nationsmall AustLit logo Le Simplegadi
X