Cirrus@Austlit

This paper draws on the critical approach implemented by the Partnership Studies Group (PSG, University of Udine), which applies Riane Eisler's partnership model to literary texts and focuses on the values of caring, empathy and creativity, often stereotypically described as 'feminine', in David Malouf's novel Ransom (2009). I will illustrate how in Ransom Malouf talks about men, violence and death while gracefully revealing a more sensitive, sensible and different approach to life, which adds a partnership dimension, tied to a Goddess figure, to Homer's story of war, pride and grief, and goes beyond the epistimological violence of 'dominator' systems. This more equitable mode of living is one of the fundamental tenets of Malouf's work. [Author's abstract]

The paper analyses the sources used by Australian writer David Malouf and hypothesises the presence of some classical literary models which have not been investigated so far. In the novel An Imaginary Life (1978) we can identify themes from Ovid's Epistulae ex Ponto, in particular as regards the process of reconciliation of the protagonist with the inhabitants of Tomi. In his latest novel Ransom (2009), it is possible to trace the influence of Ennius' tragedy Hectoris Lytra and, through the pathos of the Latin theatre, we get as far as Shakespeare. More specifically, the character of Somax, the carter, shows the relevance of Latin 'tragi-comedy' as an influence highlighting the values of classical humanitas. [Author's abstract]

Randolph Stow's two novels, To the Islands and Tourmaline, are set in the remote and arid north of Western Australia. Its hostile environment is depicted as a site of spiritual purgation and desolation. But today iron and gas deposits of enormous value have been discovered in the area and this adjacent ocean, and some of the world's largest industrial developments threaten both its fragile ecology and its storehouse of priceless Indigenous rock art. Stow's novels are read as warnings of how easily success can disintegrate into hopelessness, and how tenuous our grip on spiritual fulfillment can be. [Author's abstract]

This paper attempts a comparison between the folk tales of Australian [A]borigines and the rural societies of Bengal. Through an analysis of the commonality of themes, modes of narration, the significance and symbolism of each set of tales and the variations they undergo when narrated by different sets of tellers, this paper tries to establish a partnership between ethnic societies across the world with particular emphasis on the projection of women in their folk narratives. It also highlights the necessity for self expression experienced by these women who are the worst victims of a dominator culture and how the tale becomes a fulfillment of their desire for liberation from their predicament. [Author's abstract]