Issue Details: First known date: 2023... 2023 Trauma, Aboriginality and Revisionary Imaginings in Alexis Wright’s Carpentaria and Janette Turner Hospital’s Oyster
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'This article examines how Aboriginal conceptions of time and space in Alexis Wright’s Carpentaria and Janette Turner Hospital’s Oyster affect representations of personal, cultural and ecological trauma through privileging sites of wounding that embody Country. The four elements of air, water, earth and fire are central to understanding how each text navigates the complex relational matrices of Aboriginal traumas and respond to ongoing issues of genocide and dispossession that are part of Australia’s tragic history. Elemental energies in these novels are connected to powerful spaces that pain inhabits and moves through, providing insights into the significance of their engagement with Aboriginality and trauma, particularly when situated within the context of legislature including the Native Title Act of 1993 and the Wik decision of 1996. Elemental motifs perform a cyclical function that begins with deep connectedness to oceanic imagery in Carpentaria, then transitions to trauma inflicted on Country and culminates in a cathartic watery Armageddon. While Oyster’s consideration of elemental traumatic space is primarily attributed to land, cartography and wounded bodies, the novel’s narrative threads reach a similar apocalyptic denouement. Oyster’s cataclysmic fires of destruction are eclipsed by the regenerative potencies of water that rejuvenate Country and supplant horror with beauty.' (Publication abstract) 

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

  • Appears in:
    y separately published work icon Journal of Australian Studies vol. 47 no. 1 2023 25966087 2023 periodical issue

    'Welcome to the first issue of the Journal of Australian Studies for 2023. As you will see, this is a robust first quarter featuring five general articles and a special section relating to the history of illustrated magazines in Australia, edited by Anna Johnston and Paolo Magagnoli from The University of Queensland. This collection of fascinating articles collectively demonstrates the strength of contemporary scholarship that addresses the intersections between media and culture, and the themed section makes clear that illustrated magazines—as complex, multifaceted objects—provide a unique window on Australia’s recent history. We are delighted to showcase these significant interventions in a growing field, which is finally beginning to attract the sustained attention it deserves.' (Emily Potter and Brigid Magner : Editorial introduction)

    2023
    pg. 142-159
Last amended 28 Mar 2023 08:20:44
142-159 Trauma, Aboriginality and Revisionary Imaginings in Alexis Wright’s Carpentaria and Janette Turner Hospital’s Oystersmall AustLit logo Journal of Australian Studies
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