"Believes that not enough has been said about the pessimism that activated much of McAuley's writing. Analyzes representative work to show the preoccupation with despair and doubt, in spite of McAuley's Catholicism. Concludes that while the pessimism helped to shape the poetry, the poetry helped to overcome the pessimism." (Robert Ross, Australian Literary Criticism, 1945-1988, p. 254.)