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Tesis Doctoral GOTHIC FICTION IN AN AUSTRALIAN LANDSCAPE: AN ANALYSIS OF GABRIELLE LORD'S TOOTH AND CLAW, ELIZABETH JOLLEY'S THE WELL AND TIM WINTON'S IN THE WINTER DARK Autor Baines Alarcos, María Pilar Director/es Arizti Martín, Bárbara FACULTAD DE FILOSOFIA Y LETRAS Departamento de Filología Inglesa y Alemana 2012 Repositorio de la Universidad de Zaragoza – Zaguan http://zaguan.unizar.es Gothic Fiction in an Australian Landscape: An Analysis of Gabrielle Lord’s Tooth and Claw, Elizabeth Jolley’s The Well and Tim Winton’s In the Winter Dark Tesis doctoral presentada por Mª Pilar Baines Alarcos Directora: Bárbara Arizti Martín Departamento de Filología Inglesa y Alemana Universidad de Zaragoza 2012 CONTENTS Acknowledgements ......................................................................... 5 I. Introduction ................................................................................ 7 I.1. Methodological Introduction .............................................. 9 I.2. The Gothic ........................................................................ 15 I.2.1. The Birth and Evolution of Gothic Literature ........... 16 I.2.2. A Socio-historical Approach to the Gothic ............... 23 I.2.3. Gothic and the Psyche ............................................ 29 I.2.4. Terror, Horror, the Sublime and the Abject ............. 42 I.2.5. Female and Male Gothic .......................................... 50 I.3. Australian Gothic .............................................................. 62 I.3.1. The Colonisation of Unknown Australia ................. 63 I.3.2. Australian Gothic Literature .................................. 79 I.3.3. Australian National Identity: A Phantomatic Return 92 II. Tooth and Claw .......................................................................... 109 II.1. Notes on Gabrielle Lord .................................................... 111 II.2. Red in Tooth and Claw ..................................................... 116 II.2.1. The Forest Is Alive ................................................. 122 II.2.2. A Wicked Man this Way Comes .............................. 138 II.2.3. Beth: A Heroine in Distress .................................... 145 II.2.4. “My Tale Draws to its Close”: Jane Eyre Revisited .. 163 II.2.5. Conclusion ............................................................ 174 III. The Well .................................................................................... 179 III.1. Notes on Elizabeth Jolley ................................................ 181 III.2. The Well: A Tale of Hidden Depths ................................... 194 III.2.1. Monstrous Hester ................................................. 197 III.2.2. Miss Harper’s Inheritance ..................................... 211 III.2.3. Possessive Hester .................................................. 224 III.2.4. What the Well Hides ............................................. 234 III.2.5. A Friendship in Danger ......................................... 252 III.2.6. The Power of the Storyteller .................................. 262 III.2.7. Conclusion ........................................................... 277 IV. In the Winter Dark ...................................................................... 281 IV.1. Notes on Tim Winton ....................................................... 283 IV.2. In the Winter Dark: The Return of the Feral ...................... 296 IV.2.1. Inner and Outer Landscapes ................................. 299 IV.2.2. You Shall Fear the Unknown ................................ 318 IV.2.3. Talking to the Dark ............................................... 328 IV.2.4. Horrible Mothers, Terrible Fathers ........................ 334 IV.2.5. Conclusion ........................................................... 356 V. Conclusions ............................................................................... 361 Appendix: Selective Bibliography of the Authors .............................. 369 Works Cited .................................................................................... 373 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I thank my former teacher and supervisor Dr Bárbara Arizti for her guidance, advice and support. This thesis has benefited enormously from her critical reading, questions and suggestions. I have learnt a lot working with her and I will always be grateful for that. I am also indebted to my former teacher Dr M. Dolores Herrero for her availability and encouragement. My thanks are extended to Hannah Schurholz of La Trobe University, Melbourne, for pointing me to useful information. I should also mention the Maughan Library of King’s College, London, which allowed me access to its resources, as well as the library of the University of Connecticut, where I did part of my research. Outside the academic world, I am particularly grateful to Eva for listening and sharing her ideas with me, and to my bright muse Juliet. Last but not least, I thank my parents for their constant support. I. INTRODUCTION I.1. METHODOLOGICAL INTRODUCTION Gothic literature has attracted a vast and varied readership over the centuries. The key to its success seems to lie in its ability to hint at issues intrinsic to every human being and its flexibility to adapt to any social and spacial situation. The spectres, monsters and mysteries of the gothic hide deeper cultural and psychological meanings which are worth exploring. From a cultural perspective, the evolution of this literary genre parallels the development of the history and ideas of the society where it is produced. Thus, through the distorted language of the gothic, it is possible to discern the history of a culture or country. Besides, the gothic can go against established rules, offering the marginalised sectors of society an appropriate set of tools for criticism and struggle. From a psychological perspective, the gothic opens a window onto the dark secrets of our unconscious, our “other” selves, which sometimes haunt us unacknowledgedly. Blending the social and the psychological, the unconscious that the gothic unravels is not only personal, but also collective, as it reveals the psyche of a whole community. Australian (post)colonial history can be read in gothic terms. It may not be coincidental that both gothic literature and Australian settlement began in the same century. From its inception, the gothic has shared many concerns and anxieties with this British ex-colony. Although the scary tale is as old as the hills, it was not established as a genre in Britain until the eighteenth century, with the rise of the novel. At that 9 Gothic Fiction in an Australian Landscape time, traditional values and new ideas were brought into conflict, creating the contradictory atmosphere that gave birth to the gothic. This tension was taken to the Australian colonies where it was aggravated by a sense of disorientation and complete isolation from the civilised world. The way Australia was constituted as a colony and nation explains why Australian writers were highly influenced by the gothic, whether they recognised it or not. Furthermore, the relevance of the genre goes beyond early colonial writing, as it helped to shape the ensuing postcolonial discourse. The aim of my thesis is to study the use of the gothic mode in an Australian setting. Among all the gothic fiction published in Australia, I have selected three contemporary novels written by white authors: Gabrielle Lord’s Tooth and Claw (1983), Elizabeth Jolley’s The Well (1986) and Tim Winton’s In the Winter Dark (1988). My analysis has two main objectives: the general exploration of the distinctive characteristics of the gothic genre in these works, and the foregrounding of the specific qualities and meanings that an Australian context provides. Each novel emphasises different aspects, but on the whole, their gothic conventions address, intentionally or not, some common themes. Firstly, white (post)colonial fears, traumas and anxieties, and how Australians deal with them. Secondly, the difficult relationship between humans and nature, and the often unacknowledged close connection between them. And thirdly, the role and representation of women in patriarchy, criticising, defying or conforming to this ideology. In particular, what these novels share is that they are written in the gothic mode by white 10 I. Introduction authors, they are set in a non-urban Australian environment, they portray white Australians, the past haunts the characters, nature is associated with the female and there are no Aborigines. I also intend to explore the affinity of this genre and Australia’s (post)colonial conditions. Featuring only white characters and written by white authors, these works reflect (post)colonial Anglo-Celtic tensions and fears, and how the protagonists handle them. I will highlight the malleability of the gothic, able to change in accordance with time and space, and thus express in a distorted form current fears, traumas and concerns, both individual and collective. In the case of Australia, the most important are related to the land and the concept of terra nullius —empty land— which allowed free European colonisation. Although the process of colonisation happened a long time ago, contemporary white Australian society still feels uneasy. There are feelings of guilt and shame, but also fear about the possibility of recolonisation and retribution by the native inhabitants and the natural landscape. Moreover, land appropriation generates feelings of unbelonging

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