Issue Details: First known date: 2014... 2014 “Splintering and Coalescing” : Language and the Sacred in Patrick White’s Novels
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

‘In the years directly after World War Two, novelist Patrick White confronted a series of thresholds. Each one would take him further into his vocation as a writer of astounding, dense, haunting novels. The young Patrick White did not, of course, know this at the time. He first needed to cross the world, returning from his beloved London to become an Australian again. He had to begin writing about Australia, about being Australian, but not just this. He began to seek ways of writing about how meaning is made, in Australia and beyond; and how meaning is made alone, and in community. This struggle to make and unmake meaning, it will be argued, is a languaged, sacred struggle. ’ (Introduction)

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

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    y separately published work icon Patrick White Centenary : The Legacy of a Prodigal Son Cynthia Van Den Driesen (editor), Bill Ashcroft (editor), Newcastle upon Tyne : Cambridge Scholars Press , 2014 7902410 2014 anthology criticism

    'This volume marks the birth centenary of a giant amongst contemporary writers: the Australian Nobel prize-winning novelist, Patrick White (1912–1990). It proffers an invaluable insight into the current state of White studies through commentaries drawn from an international galaxy of eminent critics, as well as from newer talents. The book proves that interest in White’s work continues to grow and diversify.

    'Every essay offers a new insight: some are re-evaluations by seasoned critics who revise earlier positions significantly; others admit new light onto what has seemed like well-trodden terrain or focus on works perhaps undervalued in the past—his poetry, an early short story or novel—which are now subjected to fresh attention. His posthumous work has also won attention from prominent critics. New comparisons with other international writers have been drawn in terms of subject matter, themes and philosophy.

    'The expansion of critical attention into fields like photography and film opens new possibilities for enhancing further appreciation of his work. White’s interest in public issues such as the treatment of Australia’s Indigenous peoples, human rights and Australian nationalism is refracted through the inclusion of relevant commentaries from notable contributors.

    'For the first time in Australian literary history, Indigenous scholars have participated in a celebration of the work of a white Australian writer. All of this highlights a new direction in White studies – the appreciation of his stature as a public intellectual. The book demonstrates that White’s legacy has limitless possibilities for further growth.' (Publisher's abstract)

    Newcastle upon Tyne : Cambridge Scholars Press , 2014
    pg. 43-62
Last amended 7 Jun 2017 11:49:48
43-62 “Splintering and Coalescing” : Language and the Sacred in Patrick White’s Novelssmall AustLit logo
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