Cirrus@Austlit

[In the following essays, Clarke first offers an account of Praed's early life in the Australian bush and her experiences as a young adult accompanying her father to social events in Brisbane. Clarke observes that the author's time spent listening to "the machinations of Queensland politicians and society figures in their public and prime lives gave her a wider knowledge of human nature" than her English contemporaries assumed she possessed. Clarke then discusses Praed's marriage and her subsequent move to Curtis Island. noting that the "oppressive isolation of her situation" can be felt throughout her novels set on the island.] (Publication abstract)