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Marjorie Barnard: a Re-Examination of Her Life and Work

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Marjorie Barnard: a Re-Examination of Her Life and Work Marjorie Barnard: a re-examination of her life and work June Owen A thesis in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of New South Wales Australia School of the Arts and Media Faculty of Arts and Social Science Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Australia's Global UNSWSYDNEY University Surname/Family Name OWEN Given Name/s June Valerie Abbreviation for degree as give in the University calendar PhD Faculty Arts and Social Sciences School School of the Arts and Media Thesis Title Marjorie Barnard: a re-examination of her life and work Abstract 350 words maximum: (PLEASE TYPE) A wealth of scholarly works were written about Marjorie Barnard following the acclaim greeting the republication, in 1973, of The Persimmon Tree. That same year Louise E Rorabacher wrote a book-length study - Marjorie Barnard and M Barnard Eldershaw, after agreeing not to write about Barnard's private life. This led to many studies of the pair's joint literary output and short biographical studies and much misinformation, from scholars beguiled into believing Barnard's stories which were often deliberately disseminated to protect the secrecy of the affair that dominated her life between 1934 and 1942. A re-examination of her life and work is now necessary because there have been huge misunderstandings about other aspects of Barnard's life, too. Her habit of telling imaginary stories denigrating her father, led to him being maligned by his daughter's interviewers. Marjorie's commonest accusation was of her father's meanness, starting with her student allowance, but if the changing value of money is taken into account, her allowance (for pocket money) was extremely generous compared to wages of the time. In 1935, when Marjorie, as a middle-aged woman, gave up work to write full time, Oswald doubled her allowance and, because she never did earn enough from writing to provide her own pocket money, he kept on paying her that allowance until he died. This surely is evidence of both his generosity and his interest in helping his daughter pursue her ambitions. There is also the matter of him privately publishing her first book, a collection of her schoolgirl stories. Barnard left no diaries, and her letters and interviews were often designed to conceal. It is time that Barnard's life is shown more accurately in its setting, within a comfortable home in middle-class Sydney during a large part of the 20th century. This biography offers a fuller, more accurate, and comprehensive investigation into her life and the wide variety of her work-from novels and shortstories to history and critical literary studies and political pamphlets, and also her constant effortsto have Australian writing recognised as a distinct and important part of a separate Australian culture. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstracts International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). l �? \�1/8:'., The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances requiring restrictions on copying or conditions on use. Requests for restriction for a period of up to 2 years must be made in writing. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and require the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research. CQR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award: ORIGINALITY STATEMENT 'I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportionsof material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others, with whom I have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged.' Signe······························· Date ...� ,,�.\\.55... : ............................... COPYRIGHT STATEMENT 'I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained permission to use copyright material; where permission has not been granted I have applied/will apply for a partial restriction of the digital copy of my thesis or dissertation.' Signed ...... ·.. ······································ Date ..k. .\\.3.\.\.�.. .............................................. AUTHENTICITY STATEMENT 'I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format.' Signed Date �\ \3.\ \f;(_. , ............................................... Owen – Marjorie Barnard: a re-examination of her life & work 1 Marjorie Barnard: a re-examination of her life and work By June Owen Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 2 Chapter 1 - Nurturing Marjorie: Childhood, first fiction, 1897-1915… .................... 15 Schooldays, Earliest Juvenilia Chapter 2 – University & The Ivory Gate – 1916-1920… .................................................. 33 Chapter 3 – Librarian & A House is Built 1921/1929… ...................................................... 48 Chapter 4 - Green Memory and comparing two novels 1929- 19 .................................. 62 Chapter 5 – Collaboration – 1921-1956… ............................................................................... 72 Chapter 6 - Essays in Australian Fiction 1929- 1938 .......................................................... 84 Chapter 7 – Short stories 1931-1987… .................................................................................... 97 Chapter 8 – The Glasshouse 1931 - 1936 ............................................................................... 115 Chapter 9 – The Affair – 1934-1942… ..................................................................................... 131 Chapter 10 - Barnard's introduction to politics 1931-1942… ...................................... 146 Chapter 11 – Plaque with Laurel 1936 -1937… ................................................................... 161 Chapter 12 - M Barnard Eldershaw's three histories 1936 -1939… .......................... 171 Phillip of Australia The Life & Times of Captain John Piper My Australia Chapter 13 Marjorie Barnard’s Solo Histories (1935-1947) ....................................... 184 Macquarie’s World Chapter 14 –The CSIRO years1941950… ................................................................................ 195 Chapter 15 - To-morrow and Tomorrow andTomorrow ...................................................207 Chapter 16 - Barnard’s later career in literary criticism 1941960 ............................. 227 Chapter 17 A History of Australia etc 1952-1962… .............................................................................. 237 Chapter 18 -Barnard's Biography of Miles Franklin 1967 ............................................... 247 Chapter 19 – Saying Goodbye with Panache 1897-1987… .............................................. 262 Selected List of References Owen – Marjorie Barnard: a re-examination of her life & work 2 Introduction A wealth of scholarly works have been written about Marjorie Barnard since the acclaim that greeted the republication, in 1973, of The Persimmon Tree, and even more were written when the republication of the complete Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, in 1983, again drew the public’s attention. Interest increased when she was chosen to receive the Patrick White Award that same year, and in 1984, a special Premier’s Award.1 Bruce Malloy, Robert Darby, Maryanne Dever and others led scholars and journalists in interviewing Barnard before writing an array of theses, dissertations, lectures, journal articles, broadcast interviews and longer biographical studies. Many of these scholarly works encompassed only one or two aspects of Barnard’s life
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