Stars and Shadows: Magic and Identity in Contemporary Australian Middle-Grade Fantasy Fiction
PhD Thesis
Title | Stars and Shadows: Magic and Identity in Contemporary Australian Middle-Grade Fantasy Fiction |
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Type | PhD Thesis |
Authors | Cook, Jessica Marie |
Supervisor | |
1. First | Dr Nike Sulway |
2. Second | Prof Jessica Gildersleeve |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
Qualification Name | Doctor of Philosophy |
Number of Pages | 251 |
Year | 2024 |
Publisher | University of Southern Queensland |
Place of Publication | Australia |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.26192/zqyx9 |
Abstract | Australian fantasy literature for eight-to-twelve-year-olds is deeply rooted in cultural discourse and, I argue, uses the trope of magic to explore the nuances of contemporary subjectivity. This dissertation provides a textual and thematic analysis of 17 works of contemporary fantasy fiction written by Australian authors. In doing so, the thesis interrogates how magic is used to question patriarchal norms and social conventions governing identity, critiquing binary expectations of selfhood and ways of being. The feminist philosophy of Hélène Cixous is the primary theory through which possibilities of selfhood are explored, supported by Jacques Derrida’s work on deconstruction and Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytic linguistics. Close reading and comparative literary analysis are the main research methods, allowing for rich subjective interpretation that explores a multiplicity of meanings. Each chapter centres a theme that influences subjectivity and explores its intersection with magic: witches and gender, belonging in sentient spaces, visibility and embodiment, fate, and radical Otherness. Subjectivity is revealed to be complex, with the potential for multiple and even conflicting selves in liminal spaces, held loosely and with conviction by protagonists. Cixous’s position of unknowing and undecidability is revealed to be particularly pertinent for expressions of contemporary ways of being. This dissertation contributes knowledge about expansive subjectivity in an age of identity politics. The discussion of the creation of liminal spaces through which to explore selfhood is particularly relevant for cultural and literary discourse, able to be applied to a multitude of contemporary situations, literature, and classrooms. |
Keywords | Australian children's fantasy; magic; subjectivity |
Contains Sensitive Content | Does not contain sensitive content |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 470502. Australian literature (excl. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander literature) |
470506. Children's literature | |
470514. Literary theory | |
470531. Young adult literature | |
Public Notes | File reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher/author/creator. |
Byline Affiliations | School of Humanities and Communication |
Centre for Heritage and Culture |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/zqyx9/stars-and-shadows-magic-and-identity-in-contemporary-australian-middle-grade-fantasy-fiction
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