Thea Astley’s modernism of the 'Deep North', or on (un)kindness
Article
Article Title | Thea Astley’s modernism of the 'Deep North', or on (un)kindness |
---|---|
ERA Journal ID | 36905 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | |
Author | Gildersleeve, Jessica |
Journal Title | Queensland Review |
Journal Citation | 26 (2), pp. 245-55 |
Number of Pages | 10 |
Year | 2019 |
Publisher | Equinox Publishing |
Place of Publication | Cambridge, United Kingdom |
ISSN | 1321-8166 |
2049-7792 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1017/qre.2019.30 |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/queensland-review/article/thea-astleys-modernism-of-the-deep-north-or-on-unkindness/1E6E9318D262B4B0EFB6B6E2465963DB |
Abstract | Although she is often perceived as a writer of the local, the rural or the regional, Thea Astley herself notes writing by American modernists as her primary literary influence, and emphasises the ethical value of transnational reading and writing. Similarly, she draws parallels between writing of the American ‘Deep South’ and her own writing of the ‘Deep North’, with a particular focus on the struggles of the racial or cultural outsider. In this article, I pursue Astley’s peculiar blend of these literary genres — modernism, the Gothic and the transnational — as a means of understanding her conceptualisation of kindness and community. Although Astley rejects the necessity of literary community, her writing emphasises instead the value of interpersonal engagement and social responsibility. With a focus on her first novel, Girl with a Monkey (1958), this article considers Astley’s representation of the distinction between community and kindness, particularly for young Catholic women in Queensland in the early twentieth century. In its simultaneous critique of the expectations placed on women and its upholding of the values of kindness and charity, Astley considers our responsibilities in our relations with the Other and with community. |
Keywords | Thea Astley, modernism |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 470502. Australian literature (excl. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander literature) |
Public Notes | File reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher/author. |
Byline Affiliations | School of Humanities and Communication |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q59zz/thea-astley-s-modernism-of-the-deep-north-or-on-un-kindness
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