DOCSLIB.ORG

Born of Fire, Possessed by Darkness: Mysticism and Australian Poetry

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Born of Fire, Possessed by Darkness: Mysticism and Australian Poetry Born of Fire, Possessed by Darkness: Mysticism and Australian Poetry by Toby Davidson, BA (Hons) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Deakin University June, 2008 Acknowledgements This dissertation was funded by a Commonwealth Government Australian Postgraduate Award (APA). I am particularly indebted to The School of Communication and Creative Arts at Deakin University (Warrnambool and Burwood) for its support, especially my principal supervisor Dr David McCooey and associate supervisors Dr Lyn McCredden and Dr Frances Devlin-Glass. I respectfully thank my markers Prof Amy Hollywood, Prof Peter Steele and Prof Bernadette Brennan for their diligence and feedback. I would also like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Meredith McKinney’s kind permission to cite our correspondence. The inception and development of this project owes much to a dedicated band of friends and associates: Dr John Leonard and Sister Veronica Brady for their receptivity and enthusiasm, Assoc Prof Daniel Brown and Prof Richard Bosworth for their early assistance, Mal McKimmie, Philip Salom and many, many others in the Melbourne and Perth poetry universes for kind words, strong instincts and bold suggestions, Dr Bronwyn Mellor for her editorial guidance, DJs Sasha, Digweed and Dr Simon Willis/Tigga for keeping me upbeat and functional. To all my friends across the country, thanks for knowing I could do it. This dissertation is dedicated to two families: the Davidson family, especially Gary and Barbara Davidson for their commitment to pretty much everything; and the Manypeney family, Frank and Nadia for their hospitality and finally to my partner Amanda, who has had to live this thesis and steady the ship in the various tempests of mystical poetries my mind and body brought home with me. Abstract This dissertation is structured around five Australian mystical poets: Ada Cambridge, John Shaw Neilson, Francis Webb, Judith Wright and Kevin Hart. It examines the varieties of Western Christian mysticism upon which these poets draw, or with which they exhibit affinities. A short prelude section to each chapter considers the thematic parallels of their contemporaries, while the final chapter critically investigates constructions of Indigeneity in Australian mystical poetry and the renegotiated mystical poetics of Indigenous poets and theologians. The central argument of this dissertation is that an understanding of Western Christian mysticism is essential to the study of Australian poetry. There are three sub-arguments: firstly, that Australian literary criticism regarding the mystical largely avoids the concept of mysticism as a shifting notion both historically and in the present; secondly, that what passes for mysticism is recurringly subject to poorly defined constructions of mysticism as well as individual poets’ use of the mystical for personal, creative or ideological purposes; thirdly, that in avoiding the concept of a shifting notion critics have ignored the increasing contribution of Australian poets to national and international discourses of mysticism. Contents Introduction: Working With Contested Traditions, Old and New i 1: Stately Dances and Shifting Notions: Defining Mysticism 1 2: Poetic Mystics, Mystical Poets: Tradition, Innovation and Influence 23 3: Ada Cambridge and the Lonely Seas 60 4: John Shaw Neilson: ‘Something of a Mystic’ 103 5: Francis Webb and the Search 152 6: Judith Wright, the Fire of Love and the Dark Star 214 7: Beyond Reach of Language: Kevin Hart 252 8: Mysticism Beyond the Poetics of Empire 301 Conclusion: At the Limits of the Thesis 348 Bibliography 352 Introduction: Working with Contested Traditions, Old and New In order to clearly demonstrate how an understanding of Western Christian mysticism is essential to the study of Australian poetry, the context and parameters of the research field, terminological considerations, acknowledgement of other mystical traditions and a chapter guide will first be outlined. Original Contribution to the Field Mysticism of any tradition can prove a precarious topic, subject to distortion and contradiction. With this in mind literary scholars might be excused for avoiding tropes and themes more comfortably consigned to the domain of theology. The problem for studies of Australian poetry is that major Australian poets do not subscribe to the same systematic avoidance. Ada Cambridge, John Shaw Neilson, Francis Webb, Judith Wright and Kevin Hart in particular have directly engaged and represented Western Christian mysticism and thematic parallels are discernable in their respective contemporaries Charles Harpur, Henry Kendall, Mary Fullerton, Zora Cross, Christopher Brennan, Lesbia Harford, James McAuley, Vincent Buckley, Roland Robinson, David Campbell, Robert D. FitzGerald, A.D. Hope, Gwen Harwood, Les Murray, Peter Steele, Miriam-Rose Ungunmerr-Baumann and Maisie Cavanagh. This spread of twenty-four poets—many canonical and recurringly anthologised—provides the impetus for the claim that an understanding of Western Christian mysticism, however elementary, is essential to the study of Australian poetry. With some poets this understanding may be limited to certain mystical figures, imageries or themes. For others, it encompasses a deeper, abiding, transformative relationship variously incorporating the metaphysics and poetics of Introduction: Working with Contested Traditions, Old and New ii land, the inexpressible, inner journeys and contemplations of spiritual progression towards the divine. This deeper relationship can be found in each of the five selected poets and this is why they constitute the central foci of this thesis. Australian poetry critics have not always avoided the topic of Western Christian mysticism in Australian poetry per se, but Australian criticism engaging the mystical typically contains three major oversights this thesis seeks to address. The first of these is a failure to disclose or construct a definition for ‘mystical’ or ‘mysticism’, which is the task of Chapter 1. The second is a failure to contextualise how the mystical is demonstrated or expressed and by whom. One critic might be influenced by Platonic or biblical sources, another the Catholic saints, another solely English mystical poets, another recent mysticism scholarship, yet there is often no way to determine the full extent or effects of such biases. Chapter 2 of this thesis contextualises its argument by exploring ancient and modern innovators in Western mystical poetics. The third critical oversight lies in the lack of recognition of mysticism as a shifting notion (whereby what is considered mystical in 1900 may not be so in 1999) and related lines of continuity and cross-influence across multiple, intergenerational poetries. While this may be symptomatic of the larger educational disregard for the mystical noted by Hart in Chapter 7, it nonetheless compares poorly to international scholarship. Notable works with no corresponding Australian examples include Nicholson and Lee’s The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse (1917), Eliot’s 1926 Clark Lectures which appear in The Varieties of Metaphysical Poetry (1993), Cohen’s The Ryder Book of Mystical Verse (1983) and Paranjape’s Mysticism in Indian English Poetry (1988). Australian poetry criticism is yet to broadly consider its own national tradition in mystical terms, a situation which belies the abundance of mystical tropes and themes in the work of Australian poets. This Introduction: Working with Contested Traditions, Old and New iii study seeks to address this long-standing impasse by asserting that an understanding of Western Christian mysticism is essential to the study of Australian poetry, that what critically passes for mysticism is era-specific, and that the critical failure to comprehend mysticism as a shifting notion has facilitated a lack of awareness of the increasing contribution of Australian poets to national and international mystical discourses. Which Mysticism? Practical Considerations The Western Christian mystical tradition has been selected for this study for practical rather than essentialist or evangelical purposes. Mysticisms of other traditions, including Indigenous, pagan, Vedic, Buddhist, Judaic, Islamic and Eastern Orthodox, are not examined here, although it is hoped this study may encourage further research, including from interfaith perspectives, into these traditions and their respective Australian mystical poetries. Even within this study’s parameters, there remain points of convergence. W.B. Yeats’s ‘Celtic Twilight’, for example, inspired Brennan, Neilson and Cross. The Islamic mystical influences of Omar Khayyam, Rumi and Hafiz of Shiraz can be found in Neilson and Wright. Hinduism (Brennan and Wright), Taoism (Wright) and Shintoism (Murray) are likewise evident. This study acknowledges the ancient and ongoing spiritual heritages of Indigenous Australia, and in accepting that its author is neither initiated nor authorised to comment on matters of Indigenous metaphysics, Law or ritual, will not expound any ill-defined ‘Indigenous mysticism’. Indigeneity in Australian mystical poetry is another matter, however, and this will be discussed, along with the challenges to Western Christian mysticism by Indigenous Christian poets and theologians, in the final chapter. Introduction: Working with Contested Traditions, Old and New iv Western Christian mysticism has been selected because it has proved recurringly attractive to Australian poets since the colonial era. As Rowland Ward
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Who's Who at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1939)
    W H LU * ★ M T R 0 G 0 L D W Y N LU ★ ★ M A Y R MyiWL- * METRO GOLDWYN ■ MAYER INDEX... UJluii STARS ... FEATURED PLAYERS DIRECTORS Astaire. Fred .... 12 Lynn, Leni. 66 Barrymore. Lionel . 13 Massey, Ilona .67 Beery Wallace 14 McPhail, Douglas 68 Cantor, Eddie . 15 Morgan, Frank 69 Crawford, Joan . 16 Morriss, Ann 70 Donat, Robert . 17 Murphy, George 71 Eddy, Nelson ... 18 Neal, Tom. 72 Gable, Clark . 19 O'Keefe, Dennis 73 Garbo, Greta . 20 O'Sullivan, Maureen 74 Garland, Judy. 21 Owen, Reginald 75 Garson, Greer. .... 22 Parker, Cecilia. 76 Lamarr, Hedy .... 23 Pendleton, Nat. 77 Loy, Myrna . 24 Pidgeon, Walter 78 MacDonald, Jeanette 25 Preisser, June 79 Marx Bros. —. 26 Reynolds, Gene. 80 Montgomery, Robert .... 27 Rice, Florence . 81 Powell, Eleanor . 28 Rutherford, Ann ... 82 Powell, William .... 29 Sothern, Ann. 83 Rainer Luise. .... 30 Stone, Lewis. 84 Rooney, Mickey . 31 Turner, Lana 85 Russell, Rosalind .... 32 Weidler, Virginia. 86 Shearer, Norma . 33 Weissmuller, John 87 Stewart, James .... 34 Young, Robert. 88 Sullavan, Margaret .... 35 Yule, Joe.. 89 Taylor, Robert . 36 Berkeley, Busby . 92 Tracy, Spencer . 37 Bucquet, Harold S. 93 Ayres, Lew. 40 Borzage, Frank 94 Bowman, Lee . 41 Brown, Clarence 95 Bruce, Virginia . 42 Buzzell, Eddie 96 Burke, Billie 43 Conway, Jack 97 Carroll, John 44 Cukor, George. 98 Carver, Lynne 45 Fenton, Leslie 99 Castle, Don 46 Fleming, Victor .100 Curtis, Alan 47 LeRoy, Mervyn 101 Day, Laraine 48 Lubitsch, Ernst.102 Douglas, Melvyn 49 McLeod, Norman Z. 103 Frants, Dalies . 50 Marin, Edwin L. .104 George, Florence 51 Potter, H.
    [Show full text]
  • Hitler's Pope
    1ews• Hitler's Pope Since last Christmas, GOOD SHEPHERD has assisted: - 103 homeless people to find permanent accommodation; - 70 young people to find foster care; - 7S7 families to receive financial counselling; - 21 9 people through a No Interest Loan (N ILS); Art Monthly - 12 adolescent mothers to find a place to live with support; .-lUSTR .-l/,/. 1 - 43 single mothers escaping domestic violence to find a safe home for their families; - 1466 adolescent s through counselling: - 662 young women and their families, I :\' T H E N 0 , . E '1 B E R I S S L E through counsell ing work and Reiki; - hundreds of families and Patrick I lutching;s rC\ie\\s the Jeffrey Smart retruspecti\e individuals through referrals, by speaking out against injustices and by advocating :\mire\\ Sa\ ers talks to I )a\ id I lockney <lhout portraiture on their behalf. Sunnne Spunn~:r trac~:s tht: )!t:nt:alo g;y of the Tclstra \:ational .\horig;inal and Torres Strait Islander :\rt .\"ani \bry Eag;k rt:\it:\\S the conti:rmct: \\'hat John lkrg;t:r Sa\\ Christopher I leathcott: on Australian artists and em ironm~:ntal awart:nt:ss Out now S-1. 1/'i, ji·ll/1/ g lllld 1/(/llhl/llf>S 111/d 1/ t' II ' S i /. ~t' II/S. Or plulllt' IJl fJl.J'J .i'JSfJ ji1 r your su/>stnf>/11111 AUSTRALIAN "Everyone said they wanted a full church. What I discovered was that whil e that was true, they di dn't BOOK REVIEW want any new people.
    [Show full text]
  • SOLONEC Shared Lives on Nigena Country
    Shared lives on Nigena country: A joint Biography of Katie and Frank Rodriguez, 1944-1994. Jacinta Solonec 20131828 M.A. Edith Cowan University, 2003., B.A. Edith Cowan University, 1994 This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of The University of Western Australia School of Humanities (Discipline – History) 2015 Abstract On the 8th of December 1946 Katie Fraser and Frank Rodriguez married in the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Derby, Western Australia. They spent the next forty-eight years together, living in the West Kimberley and making a home for themselves on Nigena country. These are Katie’s ancestral homelands, far from Frank’s birthplace in Galicia, Spain. This thesis offers an investigation into the social history of a West Kimberley couple and their family, a couple the likes of whom are rarely represented in the history books, who arguably typify the historic multiculturalism of the Kimberley community. Katie and Frank were seemingly ordinary people, who like many others at the time were socially and politically marginalised due to Katie being Aboriginal and Frank being a migrant from a non-English speaking background. Moreover in many respects their shared life experiences encapsulate the history of the Kimberley, and the experiences of many of its people who have been marginalised from history. Their lives were shaped by their shared faith and Katie’s family connections to the Catholic mission at Beagle Bay, the different governmental policies which sought to assimilate them into an Australian way of life, as well as their experiences working in the pastoral industry.
    [Show full text]
  • Book History in Australia Since 1950 Katherine Bode Preprint: Chapter 1
    Book History in Australia since 1950 Katherine Bode Preprint: Chapter 1, Oxford History of the Novel in English: The Novel in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the South Pacific since 1950. Edited by Coral Howells, Paul Sharrad and Gerry Turcotte. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017. Publication of Australian novels and discussion of this phenomenon have long been sites for the expression of wider tensions between national identity and overseas influence characteristic of postcolonial societies. Australian novel publishing since 1950 can be roughly divided into three periods, characterized by the specific, and changing, relationship between national and non-national influences. In the first, the 1950s and 1960s, British companies dominated the publication of Australian novels, and publishing decisions were predominantly made overseas. Yet a local industry also emerged, driven by often contradictory impulses of national sentiment, and demand for American-style pulp fiction. In the second period, the 1970s and 1980s, cultural nationalist policies and broad social changes supported the growth of a vibrant local publishing industry. At the same time, the significant economic and logistical challenges of local publishing led to closures and mergers, and—along with the increasing globalization of publishing—enabled the entry of large, multinational enterprises into the market. This latter trend, and the processes of globalization and deregulation, continued in the final period, since the 1990s. Nevertheless, these decades have also witnessed the ongoing development and consolidation of local publishing of Australian novels— including in new forms of e-publishing and self-publishing—as well as continued government and social support for this activity, and for Australian literature more broadly.
    [Show full text]
  • The Working-Class Experience in Contemporary Australian Poetry
    The Working-Class Experience in Contemporary Australian Poetry A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Sarah Attfield BCA (Hons) University of Technology, Sydney August 2007 i Acknowledgements Before the conventional thanking of individuals who have assisted in the writing of this thesis, I want to acknowledge my class background. Completing a PhD is not the usual path for someone who has grown up in public housing and experienced childhood as a welfare dependent. The majority of my cohort from Chingford Hall Estate did not complete school beyond Year 10. As far as I am aware, I am the only one among my Estate peers to have a degree and definitely the only one to have attempted a PhD. Having a tertiary education has set me apart from my peers in many ways, and I no longer live on the Estate (although my mother and old neighbours are still there). But when I go back to visit, my old friends and neighbours are interested in my education and they congratulate me on my achievements. When I explain that I’m writing about people like them – about stories they can relate to, they are pleased. The fact that I can discuss my research with my family, old school friends and neighbours is really important. If they couldn’t understand my work there would be little reason for me to continue. My life has been shaped by my class. It has affected my education, my opportunities and my outlook on life. I don’t look back at the hardship with a fuzzy sense of nostalgia, and I will be forever angry at the class system that held so many of us back, but I am proud of my working-class family, friends and neighbourhood.
    [Show full text]
  • Finding Aid Available Here [797
    O:\divisions\Cultural Collections @ UON\All Coll\NBN Television Archive\NBN PRODUCTIONS_TOPIC GROUPED\NEWS and ROVING EYE\2_VIDEOTAPE ... 1982 to 2019\BETACAM (1986 1999)Tapes\1B Betacam Tapes Film TITLE Other Information Date Track No. no. 1B_23 O.S. Sport Mentions Australian (Indigenous) player ‘Jamie Sandy’ 4/5/1986 4 (overseas) – Formerly from Redcliffe 1B_27 Art Gallery A few images of Indigenous art are prominent – 8/5/1986 7 though V/O glosses over. 1B_32 Peace Panel Panel includes Father Brian Gore (see 1B_26 – track 16/5/1986 2 5), Local Coordinator of Aboriginal Homecare Evelyn Barker – National Inquiry supported by the Aus council of Churches and Catholic Commission of Justice and Peace Human Rights issues. https://search.informit.org/fullText;dn=29384136395 4979;res=IELAPA This journal entry has an older photo on file. A quick google search indicates that Aunty Evelyn worked in Dubbo until her passing in 2014. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this footage contains images, voices or names of deceased persons in photographs, film, audio recordings or printed material. 1B_35 Boxing Includes images of an Indigenous Boxer: Roger Henry 28/5/1986 3 His record is attached: http://www.fightsrec.com/roger-henry.html 1B_40 Peace Bus Nuclear Disarmament. Bus itself includes a small 9/6/1986 9 painted Aboriginal flag along with native wildlife and forestry. Suggests a closer relationship between these groups 1B_42 Rail Exhibit Story on the rail line’s development and includes 13/6/1986 10 photos of workers. One of these is a photo of four men at ‘Jumbunna’ an Indigenous institute at UTS and another of rail line work.
    [Show full text]
  • The Arunta a Study of Stone Age People
    THE ARUNTA A STUDY OF STONE AGE PEOPLE BY SIR BALDWIN SPENCER, K.C.M.G., F.R.S. AND F.J. GILLEN IN TWO VOLUMES VOL., 1 1966 ANTHROPOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS Oosterhoot N. B. – The Netherlands /414 The Arunta To our Master SIR JAMES FRAZER This record of A Stone Age People is offered in GRATITUDE AND ADMIRATION /414 page vii PREFACE AUSTRALIA is the present home and refuge of creatures, often crude and quaint, that have elsewhere passed away and given place to higher forms. This applies equally to the aboriginal as to the platypus and kangaroo. Just has the platypus laying its eggs and feebly suckling its young, reveal a mammals in the making,so does the Aboriginal show us, at least in a broad outline,what early man must have been like before he learned to read and write, domesticate animals, cultivate crops and use a metal tools. It has been possible to study in Australia human being that still remain on the culture level of men of stone age. The aim of this work is to give as complete and account as possible, based upon years of close study, of the organisation, customs, beliefs and general culture of a people that affords as much insight as we are now ever likely to gain into the manner of life of men and women who have long since disappeared in other part of the world and are now know to us only through their stone implements, with, rock drawings and more or less crude carvings, were the only imperishable records of their culture that they could leave behind them.
    [Show full text]
  • A Sociology of the Chick Lit of Anita Heiss
    A Sociology of the Chick Lit of Anita Heiss By Fiannuala Morgan Submitted in total fulfillment of the requirements of Master of Arts (Thesis only) School of Culture and Communication, University of Melbourne 1 Abstract Wiradjuri woman, Anita Heiss, is arguably one of the first Australian authors of popular fiction. Since 2007, she has published across a diversity of genres including chick lit, contemporary women’s fiction, romance, memoir and children’s literature. A focus on the political characterises her work; and her identity as an author is both supplemented and complemented by her roles as an academic, activist and public intellectual. Heiss has discussed genre as a means of targeting specific audiences that may be less engaged with Indigenous affairs, and positions her novels as educative but not didactic. There remains, however, some ambivalence about the significance of the role that genre plays in her literature as well as for the diverse and differentiated audience that she attracts. The aims of this thesis then are two-fold: firstly, to present a complication of academic conceptions of genre, then to use this discussion to explore the social significance of Heiss’ literature. My focus is Heiss’ first four chick lit novels: Not Meeting Mr Right (2007), Avoiding Mr Right (2008), Manhattan Dreaming (2010) and Paris Dreaming (2011). Scholarship in the field leans toward an understanding that the racial politics of non-white articulations of the chick lit genre are invariably incompatible with the basic formula of chick lit texts. My thesis proposes a methodological shift from the dominant mode of ideological analysis to one that is largely focused on reader response.
    [Show full text]
  • Teachers' Notes the Little Red, Yellow, Black Book
    Educational Resources: Teachers’ notes The Little Red Yellow Black website, http://lryb.aiatsis.gov.au Teachers’ Notes The Little Red, Yellow, Black Book: An introduction to Indigenous Australia An important note to teachers The following points are important considerations to remember when teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander studies. These cautions should be consulted throughout the course and shared with students. Aboriginal studies and Torres Strait Islander studies are not only about historical events and contemporary happenings. More importantly, they are about people and their lives. Consequently, consideration of, and sensitivity towards, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are essential, as is collaboration with relevant communities. • Where possible, consult Indigenous people and Indigenous sources for information, many links to which are contained in these notes. Try to work with your local Indigenous community people and elders and respect the intellectual and cultural property rights of Indigenous people. • Consult reliable sources. Be discerning and look for credible information. Indigenous Australians are careful to speak only about the country or culture they’re entitled to speak about. Generally Indigenous people won’t tell others about sacred images or stories, however, over time, and with the effects of colonisation, some things that are sacred, or secret, to Indigenous groups have been disseminated. Be sensitive to requests not to talk about or include some material. Ensure that what you’re reading derives from a community or elders’ knowledge, or from reputable research. Remember too that less-than-polished publications can still be valuable. • Use only the information and images you know have been cleared for reproduction or use in the public domain.
    [Show full text]
  • The Crimes That Rhyme Tom Clark
    cPoetry ando Poetics r Review d i t ISSNe 1328-2107 poems by domonique grandmont seamus heaney dorothy hewett mtc cronin rod mengham js harry john tranter eric beach michael farrell john mateer zan ross arthur spyrou hugh tolhurst eugenio montejo james lucas michael heald alain bosquet luke davies nicolae prelipceanu trevor poulton joseph zaresky reviews by mark o’flynn dorothy hewett kathielyn job mtc cronin translations by ian patterson peter boyle the crimes rae sexton intereview that rhyme $ peter minter and philip salom 5 page 2 cordite Nº 2 contents PHILIP SALOM and Peter Minter CATH BARCAN intereview woman with gun front cover Philip Salom THE ROME AIR NAKED summer holidays, and I seemed to be doing the same thing, when in fact we were, and still are, very much a couple who man with beer back cover Penguin 1996, 134pp, $18.95. ISBN 0 14 058773 feel inseparable. And so on. Under these circumstances, ear and shell 6 n the July issue of the AUSTRALIAN BOOK REVIEW, given also that my previous year had been utterly disruptive, man and woman 23 Philip Salom writes about TH E RO M E AI R NA K E D I was ripe for writing. All the merging and blurring filled me. and his affinity for poetry which is both emotionally ERIC BEACH I I’m not sure if the concurrent poems, for example, would and sensually honest. Having recently won the looking back on th sixties 3 have happened, otherwise; everything led to that kind of Newcastle Poetry Prize with a moving and complex outbreak.
    [Show full text]
  • Babettes-Feast.Pdf
    Center for Faith & Learning Scholar Program Reading for Dinner Dialogue #2 Late Fall 2019 "Babette'sby Isak Dinesen Feast" Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen) Babette’s Feast I Two Ladies of Berlevaag In Norway there is a fjord – a long narrow arm of the sea between tall mountains – named Berlevaag Fjord. At the foot of the mountains the small town of Berlevaag looks like a child’s toy‐town of little wooden pieces painted gray, yellow, pink and many other colors. Sixty‐five years ago two elderly ladies lived in one of the yellow houses. Other ladies at that time wore a bustle, and the two sisters might have worn it as gracefully as any of them, for they were tall and willowy. But they had never possessed any article of fashion; they had dressed demurely in gray or black all their lives. They were christened Martine and Philippa, after Martin Luther and his friend Philip Melanchton. Their father had been a Dean and a prophet, the founder of a pious ecclesiastic party or sect, which was known and looked up to in all the country of Norway. Its members renounced the pleasures of [2] this world, for the earth and all that it held to them was but a kind of illusion, and the true reality was the New Jerusalem toward which they were longing. They swore not at all, but their communication was yea yea and nay nay, and they called one another Brother and Sister. The Dean had married late in life and by now had long been dead.
    [Show full text]
  • The Fantasy of Whiteness: Blackness and Aboriginality in American and Australian Culture
    The Fantasy of Whiteness: Blackness and Aboriginality in American and Australian Culture Benjamin Miller A thesis submitted to the School of English, Media and Performing Arts at the University of New South Wales in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy 2009 THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname: MILLER First name: BENJAMIN Other name/s: IAN Degree: PhD School: ENGLISH, MEDIA AND PERFORMING ARTS Faculty: ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES Title: MR ABSTRACT This dissertation argues that a fantasy of white authority was articulated and disseminated through the representations of blackness and Aboriginality in nineteenth-century American and Australian theatre, and that this fantasy influenced the representation of Aboriginality in twentieth- century Australian culture. The fantasy of whiteness refers to the habitually enacted and environmentally entrenched assumption that white people can and should superintend the cultural representation of Otherness. This argument is presented in three parts. Part One examines the complex ways in which white anxieties and concerns were expressed through discourses of blackness in nineteenth-century American blackface entertainment. Part Two examines the various transnational discursive connections enabled by American and Australian blackface entertainments in Australia during the nineteenth century. Part Three examines the legacy of nineteenth-century blackface entertainment in twentieth-century Australian culture. Overall, this dissertation investigates some of the fragmentary histories and stories about Otherness that coalesce within Australian culture. This examination suggests that representations of Aboriginality in Australian culture are influenced and manipulated by whiteness in ways that seek to entrench and protect white cultural authority. Even today, a phantasmal whiteness is often present within cultural representations of Aboriginality.
    [Show full text]