Cirrus@Austlit

Milner offers a synchronic and diachronic view of a number of the major critical theories in the Australian context and indicates some of the major Australian responses to various critical movements. - from the editor's note

'One of the central issues in this chapter is how the (socio-cultural) concept of abjection as it has been developed by Kristeva, relates to the Australian context.' - editor's note

Pietropoli investigates the position of canonical and non-canonical literature in Australia, developing on the idea of an Australian carnivalesque and how this might constitute part of a national 'voice'. - editor's note

Gillett examines a number of systems of representation as they relate to fictional processes and the cultural sense of history.

Davies explores some of the connections between Australian fiction and the representation of history.

'The idea of the 'voice' - who speaks, who controls discourse, who is heard - has important implications for the Australian context. If we are to speak of cultural identities it is necessary to know how they are articulated, not just what is said. Hazel Smith examines two Australian performance poets who engage in these concerns of Australian voices, as well as the wider area of written and spoken texts. Smith applies concepts from Jacques Derrida (writing and speech) and semiotics (particularly the work of Roland Barthes) to her analysis of poetry and the voice in the Australian context.' (Abstract published at the beginning of article, p.221.)