Katabasis “Down Under” in the Novels of Margaret Mahy and Maurice Gee
chapter 17 Katabasis “Down Under” in the Novels of Margaret Mahy and Maurice Gee Elizabeth Hale Two writers of fiction for young adults have dominated the New Zealand liter- ary scene in the past few decades. Margaret Mahy and Maurice Gee are well- known, both at home and abroad, for their intelligent, sensitive, and dramatic fantasy, historical, and science fiction novels, which bring exciting action to the shores of this small country in the Southern Pacific Ocean. New Zealand consists of three islands, and is located in the very far South. Along with Australia it is affectionately known as the Antipodes, or “Down Un- der.” The first human inhabitants, Polynesians, are thought to have migrated to the islands in the thirteenth century, forming the seeds of what became the Maori culture. They called the islands Aotearoa, or Land of the Long White Cloud. The first Western sighting of Aotearoa was in 1642 by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman; the Dutch called the place Nova Zeelandia. The name became Anglicised after James Cook visited the islands in 1769–1770. European migra- tion began in the nineteenth century, first by missionaries and then by set- tlers, in an organised scheme of land purchase and farming. The country was claimed as part of the British Empire, following the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840; it has remained in the Commonwealth, and the bulk of its population is of Brit- ish origin. The population is currently around four million people. It has strong political ties to Australia, the uk, and the United States, and is a leader in the Pacific region, with links to Asia as well.
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