Southern Land, Hardened Heart: the Possibility of Australian Neon Noir
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Southern Land, Hardened Heart: the possibility of Australian neon noir Christopher Przewloka Bachelor of Fine Arts (Creative Writing) Creative Writing and Literary Studies (Hons) Creative Industries Faculty Creative Writing and Literary Studies Discipline Queensland University of Technology Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2016 Keywords Neon noir, hard-boiled, crime writing, genre, craft, Australian fiction, creative writing, practice-led research. ii Abstract Much can be learnt from dwelling in the dark underbelly of society, and it is for such reasons neon noir crime fiction has become one of the most enduring ways of analysing our culture at large. Evolving from the hard-boiled private detective stories found in early pulp fiction magazines, neon noir offers violent narratives that vivisect the social, historical, and political landscape, often blurring the line between fact and fiction. Thus neon noir eschews the romanticism of the classic hard-boiled model, and embraces something far more subversive: populist novels driven by contemporary cultural analysis. Despite both literary and commercial success in North America, Australian authors have often shied away from wholly embracing the neon noir style. This is somewhat perplexing, as Australia has had a long and enduring relationship with all forms of crime writing, especially hard-boiled—the progenitor of neon noir. So why do we shy away from the neon noir style in Australia? What are the difficulties, considerations, and possibilities of localising the form? Do the conventions of the sub-genre shift when placed in an Australian setting? This practice-led thesis consists of an Australian neon noir novel entitled Coffin’s Reach, and a 50,000 word exegesis that accompanies the creative work. The creative work takes place in 1985 rural Queensland, and is inspired by the real-world institutional corruption rampant during the period. Unfolding in the wake of a teenager’s disappearance from the side of the road, Coffin’s Reach focuses on three troubled residents of the Well—a bankrupt mill town—who are drawn into a shadowy conspiracy that involves the locals, the police, and even the government itself. The exegesis explores the process of creating this localised neon noir novel, and ruminates on the future possibilities of the form. iii Statement of Original Authorship The work contained in this thesis has not been previously submitted to meet requirements for an award at this or any other higher education institution. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made. QUT Verified Signature Signature: Date: 14/10/2016 iv Acknowledgements Many people have provided me with support, guidance, and constructive criticism during the writing of this thesis. In particular I would like to thank the following: Lesley Hawkes and Lee McGowan, for trudging through half-baked drafts, for abating every fear, and for accommodating every misstep. Ashlee Jenner, for accepting all the long hours at home researching, writing, and muttering to myself like a madman. Matthew Sheppard, for reminding me why I write. A work of fiction is never fully formed until it has a reader, and nothing beats an enthusiastic one. My family—Robyn, Edmund, and Michelle—for constantly being a port of call in times of desperation. Garry Disher, for his invaluable experience and understanding of the industry. And my fellow PhD peers and friends, who are always willing to chat things over and have a laugh when things go awry. v Project Outputs & Awards research Such is Life: Chaos Theory in Australian crime fiction Chaos and the Detective (2016/Forthcoming) Book Chapter The Larrikin Curse: Neon Noir and the fear of extremity in Australian hard-boiled ACA/PCA (New Orleans, USA 2015) Conference Paper Darkening Horizons: The Great White Divide in Peter Temple’s ‘The Broken Shore’ and ‘Truth’ Whiteness Interrogated (2015) Book Chapter Darkening Horizons Whiteness4 (Oxford, England 2014) Conference Paper Blood in the Dust: the possibility of Australian hard-boiled Ignite!13 (Brisbane, Australia 2013) Conference Paper fiction Coffin’s Reach The Australian (2016) Novel Extract A Rope Stretched Between Review of Australian Fiction (2014) Short Story vi awards The Australian/Vogel’s Literary Award (Shortlist) 2016 Australian Society of Authors Mentorship Program 2015 QUT Post-Graduate Literary Award (Shortlist) 2014 Australian Postgraduate Award 2013 vii Table of Contents CHAPTER ONE: The Lay of the Land .......................................................................................... 1 Part One: The Project ..................................................................................................................... 2 Part Two: Background, Definitions & Literature ............................................................................ 9 Part Three: Contribution to Knowledge ........................................................................................ 30 CHAPTER TWO: Shooting the Works ........................................................................................ 32 Part One: Character ..................................................................................................................... 33 Corporeal................................................................................................................................. 33 Incorporeal .............................................................................................................................. 49 Findings ....................................................................................................................... 63 Part Two: Point of View .............................................................................................................. 65 First-Person ............................................................................................................................. 65 Third-Person ............................................................................................................................ 74 Findings ....................................................................................................................... 85 Part Three: Narrative ................................................................................................................... 88 Structure .................................................................................................................................. 88 Detection ............................................................................................................................... 104 Findings ..................................................................................................................... 119 Part Four: Symbolism ................................................................................................................ 121 Urban .................................................................................................................................... 122 Rural ..................................................................................................................................... 133 Findings ..................................................................................................................... 145 Part Five: Prose ......................................................................................................................... 147 Construction .......................................................................................................................... 147 Implication ............................................................................................................................ 159 Findings ..................................................................................................................... 177 CHAPTER THREE: Pulling the Trigger ................................................................................... 178 Part One: Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 179 Part Two: Bibliography.............................................................................................................. 183 CHAPTER FOUR: Coffin’s Reach............................................................................................. 197 viii CHAPTER ONE The Lay of the Land ‘Neither beast nor bird inhabited these lonely and inhospitable regions, over which the silence of the grave seemed to reign.’ — Charles Sturt, Personal Journal ‘The first colonial building was a jail, and when the free men hadn’t been able to make a go for it, the whole colony was turned into an open prison, populated by screws and cons, johns and janes, and nothing in between.’ — David Whish-Wilson, Line of Sight 1 Part One The Project Australian fiction has had a long and enduring relationship with crime writing. The reason for this is simple. As barrister and writer Charles Waterstreet once noted: ‘Australia started its white life at a distinct advantage of the telling of criminal stories…Everyone was a criminal’ (Waterstreet in Corris 2012, VII). While this comment is undoubtedly an overstatement used by Waterstreet for comedic effect, his words do reveal the clear intersections that exist between white Colonial settlement in Australia and locally produced crime fiction. Despite this